Having burnt its fingers with the fire in the Sabarmati Express at Godhra in February 2002, the Indian Railways is now ensuring that its all new coaches have four emergency exits as well as a slew of upgraded fire-retardant features, making them safer than ever before.

The 8,000-odd coaches rolled out of various factories post-Godhra have PU foam stuffed inside the seats instead of latex. The foam is first covered with a fire-barrier made out of glasswool and eventually by rexine.

A far more fire-retardant Compreg (compressed plywood) has replaced plywood for flooring and partitions.

Carpets in Ist Class AC coaches are now made of fire-retardant material. Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRPs), which let out less toxic fumes when burnt, are being used for making roof-sheets, panellings and toilet interiors.

A tumescent paint — which swells when heated and blocks the passage — is being used between vestibules to prevent the flames from spreading from one coach to another.

‘‘The materials used inside the coaches are being upgraded continuously. Instead of the British and French specifications being followed earlier, we now plan to achieve the European Standard called prEN 45545,’’ said Yash Pal Gupta, general manager at Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala.

‘‘Earlier, flame retardant norms were specified only as far as coach interior furnishing materials were concerned. Now, we are in the process of upgrading specifications to UIC (International Union of Railways) norms by taking into account factors like spread of flames, deterioration of visibility due to smoke, limiting oxygen index and toxicity of gases produced after burning,’’ said a senior official at Railway Ministry’s Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in Lucknow. RDSO, in it’s golden jubilee year, is engaged in pioneering research on fire-retardant in railway coaches.

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