Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Friday that senior citizens and women aged 45 and above are automatically allotted lower berths, subject to availability, even if they do not specifically select the option while booking.
Underscoring the Railways’ efforts to assist elderly passengers and those with disabilities, Vaishnaw explained that a dedicated quota of lower berths is set aside in multiple classes: six to seven berths per sleeper coach, four to five in 3AC, and three to four in 2AC. These allocations are meant exclusively for senior citizens, women above 45 years, and pregnant women.
He further pointed out that all mail and express trains — including premier services such as Rajdhani and Shatabdi — provide special reservation facilities for passengers with disabilities and their attendants. According to the rules, “four berths each in sleeper and 3AC/3E class (including two lower and two middle berths) and four seats in reserved second sitting (2S)/air conditioned chair car (CC) are earmarked for them.” Vaishnaw also mentioned that if any lower berths become free during the journey, preference is extended to senior citizens, pregnant women, or disabled passengers who may have initially been assigned upper or middle berths.
Enhanced Facilities and Accessibility Features
The minister also outlined a series of upgrades aimed at improving accessibility and comfort for differently-abled travellers. He noted that, “These coaches have wider entrance doors, wider berths, wider compartments, larger lavatory with wider doors, wheelchair parking area, etc. Inside the toilets, additional grab rails on the side walls for support and wash basin and mirror at a suitable height are also available.”
To assist visually impaired passengers, he added that “integrated Braille signage, ie, signage superimposed with Braille scripts, has also been provided. Modern Amrit Bharat and Vande Bharat trains have been designed keeping in view the needs of divyangjans. The first and last coaches of Vande Bharat trains have special provisions for wheelchair, divyangjan-friendly toilets with wider space etc.”
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