jis
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Politically upper class service can be and is justified elsewhere after standard class service is provided adequately. Unfortunately in the extremely limited budgetary situation with a zero sum game that is something that will be hard to pull off. We are lucky to have the Sleeper service that we do have, politically speaking that is.
For example, in India, in order to justify operating the Rajdhani Expresses, of which many make money hand over fist, and a few lose money like there is no tomorrow too, trains on close to equivalent schedule for the not so well to do have to be operated, even though most of the accommodation on Rajdhanis is 3 Tier Sleeper. So there are plethora of other trains like the Garib Rath (literally "poor man's chariot" carrying only dense pack 3 tier sleepers), Humsafar (non reserved second class AC) and what not - expresses, in addition to the classic mail/express trains. Any non-AC train is restricted to 120kph in general, with very few exceptions, but even for AC trains the poor man's version has more crowded layout and such to basically try to collect the same net net in fares as from the rich man's train. One thing interesting though - a Chair Car is not considered an acceptable substitute for a Sleeper. Consequently they have designed Sleepers that will hold as many as a Chair Car. Crowded? Yes. But it is a flat surface to sleep on, and not a chair in which to go through weird contortions to try to sleep. Chair Cars are offered as an even cheaper alternative, even though they do not hold any more people.
While details may vary, the politics may be quite similar elsewhere, and places where the Rail Budget does not make or break a government, it is harder to come by the overall funding needed for infrastructure and rolling stock to pull such off. In the US an equivalent situation exists in highway funding, but alas not for passenger rail.
For example, in India, in order to justify operating the Rajdhani Expresses, of which many make money hand over fist, and a few lose money like there is no tomorrow too, trains on close to equivalent schedule for the not so well to do have to be operated, even though most of the accommodation on Rajdhanis is 3 Tier Sleeper. So there are plethora of other trains like the Garib Rath (literally "poor man's chariot" carrying only dense pack 3 tier sleepers), Humsafar (non reserved second class AC) and what not - expresses, in addition to the classic mail/express trains. Any non-AC train is restricted to 120kph in general, with very few exceptions, but even for AC trains the poor man's version has more crowded layout and such to basically try to collect the same net net in fares as from the rich man's train. One thing interesting though - a Chair Car is not considered an acceptable substitute for a Sleeper. Consequently they have designed Sleepers that will hold as many as a Chair Car. Crowded? Yes. But it is a flat surface to sleep on, and not a chair in which to go through weird contortions to try to sleep. Chair Cars are offered as an even cheaper alternative, even though they do not hold any more people.
While details may vary, the politics may be quite similar elsewhere, and places where the Rail Budget does not make or break a government, it is harder to come by the overall funding needed for infrastructure and rolling stock to pull such off. In the US an equivalent situation exists in highway funding, but alas not for passenger rail.
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