'Railway made a mistake': Vande Bharat creator says govt should restore, increase non-AC coaches in trains

Sudhanshu Mani, a former railway officer who is considered the brain behind Vande Bharat, has said that the central government perhaps made a mistake by not focusing on common people's travel needs. He said in the last few years, the government's focus remained on Vande Bharat, but attention was diverted from the needs of the people who can't afford AC travel. 

Mani, who served as General Manager at Indian Railways' Integral Coach Factory from Aug 2016 to Dec 2018, said that Vande Bharat is a good option for high-end travelers willing to pay a bit more for comfort. However, he said, for the common people, it was not just about comfort but also dignity. "You need to make arrangements for them as well, which perhaps weren't there before and might have worsened today," he said in a podcast - Vaad. 

In the last few years, several incidents of unreserved passengers entering AC coaches have been reported from parts of the country. The railways, which has been on a mission to improve infrastructure and redevelop stations, is also accused of not doing enough for passengers traveling in unreserved coaches.   

Mani, who has also served as a chief design engineer, said while laborers or students often travelled reserved compartments without tickets, the situation has worsened now. "Previously, in some states, especially during migration mainly from Bihar, Odisha, and UP, laborers or students traveling for exams would often board reserved compartments without tickets. I have seen many videos, and I believe the situation has indeed deteriorated compared to before." 

The former engineer said there was now more emphasis on manufacturing AC coaches, which led to a decrease in non-AC coaches. He also recalled an announcement during Piyush Goyal's tenure, and even afterward, that gradually all trains would be air-conditioned. He said while it was a good idea to provide AC facilities to everyone at reduced fares, this didn't happen. "Due to criticism, the government reversed the policy, making fewer AC coaches and more non-AC ones. But this change came a bit late."

Mani said the railways increased AC coaches in many trains, which in turn brought down the number of reserved sleeper coaches and perhaps unreserved ones too. "So where will those passengers go? They need to travel, so they encroached into the air-conditioned class. This phenomenon has increased. There is no doubt about it."

The officer said that the railway's focus remained on Vande Bharat, and it received applause, but attention was diverted from the needs of the common passengers. He said it did not have a significant impact on elections, but it did create an adverse narrative. "The opposition exploited it, claiming that attention was given only to elite passengers and not to the common man." 

"So, the criticism is bound to happen because such a situation has indeed occurred. There's plenty of social media content criticising this, and people often tell me that making Vande Bharat achieved nothing. Their point is valid; Vande Bharat has nothing to do with this. Vande Bharat is a separate entity; you should continue running it. But don't forget the common man. Somewhere, the railway made a mistake." 

To rectify this mistake, he said, the railway was reducing the manufacturing of AC coaches and increasing non-AC ones. "In my opinion, that's also wrong. You should make more AC coaches, but also restore and increase the number of classes meant for the common man. This should be your focus."