Sitting or lying down on the folded seats of the lower side berth in trains has been an uncomfortable experience for scores of passengers. When folded to make sleeping arrangements, the centre portion of the side berth did not have any support, which made for an unsteady experience for passengers. To address this flaw, the Indian Railways has revamped the berth to make the journey comfortable for the passengers. The lower side berths will be equipped with a plank to provide extra support when folded.
Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal recently shared a video on his Twitter page, where some railway officials can be seen demonstrating how the new model will work. A plank, which has the blue leather upholstery of the seats, is placed on the side of the seats. After folding the backrest of the two seats as normal, passengers can pull out the plank and place it over it for a sturdier lower side berth.
Tweeting the video, Piyush Goyal said, "Indian Railways is attempting to make the travel of the passengers convenient. This is an example of that. Some changes have been made in the seats, which will make the journey of passengers more comfortable."
Watch the offiial explaining the revamp
यात्रियों के सुविधाजनक सफर के लिए प्रयासरत भारतीय रेल, इसी का उदाहरण है सीटों में किये गये कुछ बदलाव, जिनसे यात्रियों का सफर हुआ और अधिक आरामदायक। pic.twitter.com/Q4rbXXYd7f
— Piyush Goyal Office (@PiyushGoyalOffc) December 11, 2020
All passenger trains of the Indian Railways have been suspended since the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic was imposed in March. Shramik trains were introduced in May to allow passengers, especially migrant workers, to head to their native places during the lockdown period. The Railways has been running 230 special trains across the country since May. This includes 30 special Rajdhani-type trains (started from May 12) and 200 Special Mail Express trains (started from June 1).
Additionally, on September 12, the Indian Railways resumed 80 new passenger trains, or 40 pairs of trains, across the country. This includes the Nanda Devi Express, Humsafar Express, Vande Bharat Express and Shatabdi Express.
Full list of the trains can be accessed here.