Minister of State for Railways has informed that It has been decided that around 15,000 coaches having upgraded interiors and exteriors would be added to the fleet of the Indian Railways by 2022-23. In addition, the interiors and exteriors of about 25,000 existing coaches would also be upgraded. However, this would depend on the availability of required sanctions.
The upgradation of coaches would result in a marked improvement in the overall ambience and enhanced passenger comfort, and would include, inter-alia, the provision of aesthetically appealing toilet modules with enhanced passenger amenities; Modular panels without visible screws inside the passenger area; Dustbins and fire extinguishers in all coaches; Passenger Address System & Global Positioning System (GPS) based Passenger Information System; Enhanced number of mobile / laptop charging points and Light Emitting Diode (LED) Lighting.
The above works shall be carried out in a phased manner depending upon the availability of capacities and funds.
Deployment of new coaches / refurbished coaches is generally done both for new trains as well as for existing trains depending on operational feasibility, maintenance practices, and passenger demand obtained at the time. It is an on-going exercise.