Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas coaches in 'dilapidated’ state; IRCTC asks for Vande Bharat rake as replacement

Among other incidents in the IRCTC-operated Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express referred to in the letters is the collapse of a ceiling panel, which occurred twice in the last year

Highlighting the dilapidated condition of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express, the IRCTC has written to the Railways so that a Vande Bharat rake can be allocated to run the corporate train.

Malfunctioning bio-toilets and LCD screens, and water leakage in coaches are some of the issues red-flagged by the IRCTC since July in its letters to the Railway Board and the Western Railways, the zone in which the train runs, urging them to help fix the same.

"One of the Vande Bharat rakes be kindly allocated for the corporate train Tejas Express with a composition of 16 coaches…," an Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) letter to the Railway Board and the Western Railways read.

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"This [providing Vande Bharat train] will not only put an end to bevy of passenger complaints being received especially during the monsoon season for rake deficiencies rather it shall also solve all the woes of the mechanical department both in maintenance as well as flexibility in spares management," it added.

A rake is a line of coupled passenger coaches or freight wagons or railcars (excluding the locomotive) that typically move together.

The letters also said that the train was being maintained on an "ad hoc basis in a piecemeal way" which is not benefitting the premium train service.