Indian Railways unveils new AC 1st coach concept design with aircraft business-class feel; exclusive details

Indian Railways unveils new AC 1st coach design: Imagine a compact cubicle for two people in the AC 1st class coach of Indian Railways – and one that possibly offers comforts on par with the business class of an aircraft. The Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala has recently unveiled a new concept design for AC 1st coaches, with an “interiors on demand” vision. The concept design with panoramic windows will now be presented to the Railway Board.
At present, in a first AC coach of Indian Railways, one side is occupied by the berths, while the other is the aisle area. RCF has now moved the aisle to the center to make way for compact coupes with two berths on each side of the coach with panoramic windows for both upper and lower berths. The new AC 1st coach will be able to accommodate 30 berths instead of 24.

Explaining the concept, RCF Kapurthala GM Arun Kumar Jain told TOI, “Normally we have got an aisle on the one side and there are cabins on the other side. And the seats are across in the cabins. Now this is where, in this coach, we have tried to make a design where the aisle is in the center. And we are putting the cabins on both sides so that the window look is available for more passengers. And both side windows are being provided for the passengers.”

He went on to explain, “As is evident in the concept, two people can sit in the AC 1st coupe/cubicle in the daytime. And at night, the seats can be converted to a berth. One person can sleep on the lower berth and the other person on the upper berth. Normally, the demand for coupes that can accommodate two people is very high. So in this coach, with this design, we feel that it should be a popular way to move ahead.”

Another railway official told TOI that the aim of the redesign is to look at railway coaches and their passenger features on a on-demand basis. “We have the expertise to make the coach shell, ensure its safety, but we want to create a concept where depending on the demand on a particular route, we can look to make interiors more luxurious and with new age technology and amenities on demand.” The concept images shared by RCF extend the concept to a swanky berth with a laptop table, bottle holders and even an entertainment screen for the upper berth.

The concept image above definitely reminds one of the business class of an airline and for passengers who are willing to pay for luxury services, the AC 1st coach in a revamped avatar may be something that passengers can look forward to.