Railways ensures lower berths for senior citizens, women and persons with disabilities

New Delhi: To enhance passenger convenience, Indian Railways reaffirmed its commitment to providing lower berth accommodations for senior citizens, women above 45, and persons with disabilities. The government recently informed that the initiative aims to ensure a comfortable travel experience for these priority groups, particularly in long-distance journeys.

Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, while addressing a question in the Lok Sabha, detailed the measures taken to prioritise lower berth allotments for these passengers. He informed that as per the existing guidelines, senior citizens, women aged 45 years and above, and pregnant women are automatically assigned lower berths at the time of booking, subject to availability, even if they do not explicitly select this preference.

To accommodate these passengers, Indian Railways has earmarked a specific number of lower berths in various classes. In Sleeper Class coaches, six to seven lower berths per coach are reserved for this category, while in Air-Conditioned 3 Tier (3AC) coaches, four to five lower berths are allocated. Similarly, in Air-Conditioned 2 Tier (2AC) coaches, three to four lower berths are set aside to ensure that the most vulnerable passengers can travel with ease.

Additionally, Indian Railways has implemented a dedicated reservation quota for persons with disabilities across all mail and express trains, including premium services like Rajdhani and Shatabdi, Vaishnaw informed the Parliament. Under this provision, four berths are reserved in Sleeper Class, including two lower berths, while four berths are also set aside in 3AC/3E coaches, with a similar allotment of two lower berths. Furthermore, four seats in Reserved Second Sitting (2S) or Air-Conditioned Chair Car (CC) are specifically designated for persons with disabilities. Notably, this facility is applicable regardless of whether the passenger avails of a concession.

In cases where lower berths remain vacant after initial allotment, preference is given to senior citizens, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities during the journey, ensuring they are accommodated as comfortably as possible. This provision helps address situations where these passengers might have been initially assigned upper or middle berths due to seat unavailability at the time of booking.