The many colours of Railway coaches in India: Know what each colour means

Indian railways boast of world's second biggest rail network in world and come with more than one and half a century of rich history.

There are numerous aspects that make the country's largest public transporter unique all over the globe. But one of the aspects that definitely sets them apart from all is the wide variety and sheer number of train coaches.

Have you often wondered why train coaches often vary in colour, pattern and shades and what actually do they mean? Read below to know various types of train coaches, their colour coding and how they help.

ICF coaches:-

Notably, a vast majority of trains in India like mail, express and passenger trains use blue coloured coaches which are known as ICF coach. ICF stands for Integral Coach Factory at Perambur near Chennai where the design for these coaches was developed. Also known as entry level coaches, many of them feature different types of stripe versions to show that they denote various purposes.

They have air brakes and the capacity to run at a speed between 70 to 140 kmph. For example, Diagonal yellow or white stripes at end of coach mean that it is an unreserved coach. In cases where such stripes are missing, they are sleeper coach.

LHB coaches and their colours:-

On the other hand, most new train coaches used by the Railways are of LHB design. Named after Linke-Hofmann-Busch, the company produced such coaches in Philipines.

Speciality of this type of coach is that they are lighter in colour than ICF and can go faster. Now Railways has introduced several dedicated LHB coaches to cater for various needs.

LHB Rajdhani

Rajdhani series of express trains Red Colour trains are operated for connecting New Delhi with the various states capitals.

LHB Shatabdi

They come up with light blue and grey on top and bottom. Shatabdi series of trains is among the fastest trains in the country over short to medium distances. They return to the station of origin on the same day.

LHB Tejas

Painted yellow and orange, Tejas Express trains are among the fastest trains in the country equipped with modular facilities including fully automated door system.

LHB Double Decker

Decked in orange and yellow, they are most unique trains and currently ply in selected routes. Double Decker coaches have seats instead of sleeper facilities and cover short distances.

LHB Duronto

Duronto series of trains is some of the long-distance travelling trains. They have characteristic vinyl wrapping of yellow-green livery instead of paint job.

LHB Humsafar

They are one of the most premium train services of the Railways. Coming up with all modern facilities Humsafar trains boast of a particular blue vinyl colour with orange and green at bottom.

LHB Antodaya

Quite unique, Antodaya Express trains are entirely unreserved. They are painted red in colour and have yellow feature at windows.

LHB Gatimaan

Gatimaan express are newest addition to the plethora of train coaches in India. Coming with blue colour coaches with grey at bottom and yellow stripe, they are known for their high speed.

Garib Rath

They are fully air-conditioned trains introduced by the Railways. One of the high priority trains in the Railways.

Mahamana Express

Superfast category of trains, they have a purple body and ultra-modern facilities from LED lights to bio-toilets.

Indian Railways had announced in 2018 that it would add new look and features into more than several thousand ICF coaches in a phase wise mode.