More Kerala trains may get de-reserved coaches; Railway reviews list

Payyanur: Travelling on a general ticket and struggling to find space in Kerala trains? There could be some relief ahead. The Railway is reviewing the list of trains with de-reserved coaches, and Kerala's two railway divisions are hoping that more services will be included in the revised list.

Currently, only 24 trains in Kerala have de-reserved coaches, while the facility is available on 30 trains under Southern Railway. The Railway is now looking at whether the existing coaches are still needed on less crowded routes and whether other trains should be added.

For passengers, the review could be important because the current arrangement is still largely based on the 2023 list, despite a major increase in unreserved and season-ticket travel.

The Railway had earlier said that de-reserved coaches would be provided based on passenger numbers. However, the arrangement has not been revised according to the changing demand.

Will trains that lost de-reserved coaches get them back?

The Malabar Express lost one de-reserved coach in 2023 when sleeper coaches were reduced and AC coaches were increased. That coach has not been restored, affecting morning travel in North Malabar.

There is also a demand for a de-reserved coach on the Mangaluru-Chennai Superfast (12686) for the Mangaluru-Kannur section. The demand has not been considered so far.

The Kozhikode-Bengaluru Express (16512) has three de-reserved coaches. But passengers travelling from Bengaluru to Kozhikode on the morning service do not get the same facility.

There had also been strong protests over the lack of additional de-reserved coaches on the 307-km Shoranur-Mangaluru section.

Why is the Railway reviewing the coaches now?

The Railway is also examining changes made to trains after conventional coaches were replaced with LHB coaches. The change altered the coach composition of several services.

A list is being prepared at the division level and will be submitted to the Commercial Department of Southern Railway. The review will consider whether de-reserved coaches should continue on routes where passenger demand is lower and whether the facility should be extended to other trains.

With unreserved and season-ticket travel increasing, Kerala's two railway divisions are hoping the new list will bring more trains under the de-reserved arrangement.

What is a de-reserved coach?

A de-reserved coach is a reserved coach, usually a sleeper-class coach, that the Railway opens to general-ticket and season-ticket passengers on a particular section of a train's journey.

Passengers can travel in it with a valid general ticket, which costs less than a sleeper reservation. Season-ticket holders can also use the coach.

However, they can sit only in vacant seats. If a passenger holding a reservation for that seat boards the train, the general or season-ticket passenger has to vacate it.

The facility is mainly meant to reduce pressure on crowded general coaches on sections where large numbers of passengers travel without reservations.