The Mysuru division of South Western Railway will replace conventional coaches with Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches on five important train services from October 20 to improve passenger safety and modernise their rakes, according to a divisional announcement reported by Prajavani.
The conversion will cover the Mysuru–Talaguppa Express, Talaguppa–Shivamogga Town services, Nanjangud Town–Mysuru services, Chamarajanagar–Mysuru services, Chamarajanagar–Tirupati services and the MGR Chennai Central–Tirupati service. The changes will be introduced in phases, with the first service beginning its LHB operation from Mysuru on October 20.
The Mysuru–Talaguppa Express, operating under train numbers 16227 and 16228, will run with LHB coaches from Mysuru from October 20 and from Talaguppa from October 21. The Talaguppa–Shivamogga Town–Talaguppa service, numbered 56217 and 56218, will receive the new coaches from both directions from October 21.
The Nanjangud Town–Mysuru–Nanjangud Town service, numbered 56205 and 56206, will operate with LHB coaches from both directions from October 22. The Chamarajanagar–Mysuru service, numbered 56203 and 56204, will be converted from Mysuru on October 22 and from Chamarajanagar on October 24.
The Chamarajanagar–Tirupati service, numbered 16219 and 16220, will receive LHB coaches from Chamarajanagar on October 22 and from Tirupati on October 23. The MGR Chennai Central–Tirupati–MGR Chennai Central service, numbered 16203 and 16204, will also operate with LHB coaches from both directions from October 23.
The trains currently have a total of 21 conventional coaches. Their existing composition includes one AC First Class coach, one AC 2-Tier coach, two AC 3-Tier coaches, 10 sleeper coaches, five general Second Class coaches and two Second Class-cum-brake vans.
After the conversion, each rake will have 19 LHB coaches. The revised formation will include one AC First Class coach, one AC 2-Tier coach, three AC 3-Tier coaches, seven sleeper coaches, five general Second Class coaches, one Second Class luggage-cum-brake van with a coach for passengers with disabilities, and one luggage and brake van-cum-generator car.
The change will therefore reduce the total number of coaches by two while altering the distribution of reserved, sleeper, general and service coaches. The inclusion of a disability-friendly coach in the revised composition is also part of the new arrangement announced by the Mysuru division.
LHB coaches are a newer passenger-coach design used by Indian Railways in place of older conventional rakes. In this conversion, the railway division has linked the move to improved passenger safety and the modernisation of services serving Mysuru, Shivamogga, Nanjangud, Chamarajanagar, Tirupati and Chennai.
The announced implementation schedule begins with the Mysuru–Talaguppa Express on October 20, followed by the remaining services between October 21 and October 24. The changes will take effect from the respective originating stations and directions specified by the railway division.
