LHB coaches for trains from Feb

Mangaluru: To enhance safety and ensure a comfortable journey for passengers, the existing conventional rakes of train No. 16347/16348 Thiruvananthapuram Central-Mangaluru Central Express and train No. 12620/12619 Mangaluru Central-Lokmanya Tilak (T) Matsyagandha Superfast Express will be replaced with modern LHB (Linke-Hofmann-Busch) coaches.
A release from the Southern Railway, Palakkad division stated that train No.16347 Thiruvananthapuram Central-Mangaluru Central Express will switch to LHB coaches starting from Feb 16, 2025 and train No. 16348 Mangaluru Central - Thiruvananthapuram Central Express will operate with LHB coaches from Feb 19. Train No. 12620 Mangaluru Central - Lokmanya Tilak (T) Matsyagandha Superfast Express will use LHB coaches starting from Feb 17. Train No. 12619 Lokmanya Tilak (T) - Mangaluru Central Matsyagandha Superfast Express will adopt LHB coaches from Feb 18.
Following the conversion to LHB coaches, the revised composition of these trains will include: Four AC two-tier coaches, two AC three-tier coaches, two AC three-tier economy coaches, eight sleeper class coaches, four general second-class coaches, one brake van cum luggage second-class coach (Divyangjan friendly) and one generator car coach.
It may be noted that the transition to LHB coaches comes after continuous demand from passengers, especially for the Matsyagandha Express, which was running outdated and rusty ICF coaches for 25 years. A video that went viral about two months ago highlighted the deteriorating condition of the train, showing railway staff struggling to fix a ceiling in one of the coaches. The incident drew attention to the issue, and Udupi Chikmagalur MP Kota Shrinivas Poojary raised the matter with Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, pointing out that despite several directives from MPs, MLAs and public grievances over the last five years, the old ICF coaches were still in use.