Chennai: Rail users have urged Southern Railway to introduce wider seats with push-back and reclining facilities in chair car coaches on express and passenger trains, saying the existing seating arrangement causes discomfort during long journeys.Liyons J of Friends on Rails said the current seating in chair car coaches was inconvenient, particularly for women and senior citizens. “The seats cannot be reclined and it is difficult for people travelling long distance,” he said, adding that the issue was less significant for passengers travelling only between nearby stations.These seats became a problem after chair car coaches of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) were introduced while upgrading rakes.Jan Shadabdi express trains, intercity express trains, Venad express and Vande Bharat express trains have chair car coaches.He said passengers had raised several complaints about the design of the seats and urged railways to consider redesigning them. However, railways have not changed the coaches.The Federation of Rail Users Association using Southern Railway said the problem was particularly acute for senior citizens, elderly passengers and people with larger body frames. In a statement, the association said the seats in existing chair car coaches were generally narrow, upright and fixed, with limited legroom and no adequate reclining facility.“Travelling continuously for several hours in narrow and fixed seats can cause considerable physical discomfort and fatigue,” the association said, adding that passengers on daytime and morning express trains often had to remain seated for eight to nine hours.The association has proposed that railways introduce a modified chair car coach on a trial basis, with slightly wider seats, better legroom and a reasonable push-back or reclining facility.The federation also said seats in Vande Bharat trains were too small for some passengers and were causing discomfort during long-distance travel.
