S Rly to restore height of side upper berths in sleeper coaches

FAIR DEAL

V Ayyappan | TNN 

Sept 16:

Chennai: After removing side middle berths this year in its sleeper compartments following complaints from passengers, Southern Railway has now issued instruction that the height of side upper berths that were earlier raised to accommodate the middle berths be lowered to the previous position. The Railway Board has also issued instruction to all the railway divisions. 

    Though side middle berths were removed after they were not well received (made the coaches too cramped), the height of the upper berths was not brought back to the original level. Many passengers, especially women, find it extremely difficult to climb up to these berths that are perched close to the roof. 

    “The board has told us to float a tender for the exercise. A contractor will be selected soon. The berths will be modified when the coaches are taken for periodic overhaul in workshops,” said Southern Railway chief public relations officer A J Accamma. Sleeper coaches are sent for periodic overhaul once in 18 months to the Carriage Works and Loco Works in Perambur. 

    Around 142 sleeper coaches are used by Southern Railway. Since the tendering process usually takes time, the railways have already begun the exercise at train care centres and in its workshops. 

    A senior railway official said that such a largescale modification could be carried out only in workshops because the extra berths were fixed by welding additional metal pieces to the coach body. 

    In 2008, Indian Railways spent Rs 75 crore and installed side middle berths in 5,000 sleeper coaches to get the better of a shortage of coaches across the country. 

    “There were widespread complaints that the side middle berth was making it cramped inside coaches. It reduced space especially for passengers who used side upper and side middle berths,” said a senior railway official.