NEW DELHI: Seeking to provide all classes of passengers more travel options, the Rail Budget has proposed four new classes of trains — Humsafar, Tejas, Uday and Antyodaya.
Tejas trains will run at an optimum speed of 130 kmph, surpassing the luxury and comfort offered by Rajdhani, and would be priced accordingly. “It will showcase the future of train travel in India. Operating at speeds of 130 kmph and above, it will offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine, Wi-Fi, etc through one service provider for ensuring accountability and improved customer satisfaction,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said while presenting the Budget.
Keeping in mind the high patronage of AC 3-tier, Humsafar trains were announced. A fully air conditioned third AC train, where meals can be opted for, it will run on the lines of Garib Rath introduced by former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad. The Budget also proposed UDAY (Utkrisht DoubleDecker Air-conditioned Yatri) trains with berths, and an increased carrying capacity of 40 per cent. The Delhi-Mumbai or Chennai-Bangalore route will get the first of these trains.