So the number of new ICF coaches is as high as, and in certain cases higher than, the number of fresh LHB coaches pushed into the system every year. Currently, around 55,000 of ICF coaches of varying ages are in circulation while the number of LHB coaches is just about 5,000-8,000. Unlike the ICF coaches, LHBs are especially designed to not pile up in case of accidents such as the one on Sunday. Internal targets set by the ministry claim ICF coaches, or “conventional coaches” as they are called, will be totally replaced by LHB coaches by 2020. The Sam Pitroda commitee on Railway modernisation, among others, had questioned the need to continue with the fleet of outdated ICF coaches.

Source: Indian Express November 20, 2016 22:21 UTC