Kannur: To manage passenger rush during emergencies, sleeper coaches may now be converted into special trains. The railway has decided to reschedule and prepare sleeper coaches—which often remain idle in depots for hours—for short-distance journeys.

The railway has authorised the respective zonal General Managers to convert sleeper coaches into unreserved coaches for short-distance travel.

The recommendation is to use sleeper coaches when unreserved coaches are unavailable for operating special trains. This facility can be utilised during unexpected traffic surges, providing relief to short-distance travellers.

Back in 2015, the railway had authorised zonal General Managers to run idle sleeper class coaches as general coaches.

To reduce congestion in general coaches, some coaches have been reserved as de-reserved coaches. Passengers can buy tickets at the station in real-time. However, according to the latest figures, only 23 trains in Kerala have been allocated D-reserved coaches.

Staff shortage poses challenge

A major setback to operating sleeper coaches as special trains is the shortage of staff, including loco pilots. Currently, India faces a shortage of 18,799 assistant loco pilots.

Of these, 726 vacancies are in the Southern Railway zone and 170 in Kerala alone. Vacancies for ticket inspectors and train managers (guards) also need to be filled.