Train Lower Berth: The Railways has introduced a very special facility for passengers, especially the elderly and women. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav recently announced that if senior citizens or women passengers over 45 years of age do not select the lower berth option when booking tickets, the system will automatically assign them a lower berth seat, provided a seat is available.
In the Rajya Sabha, he clearly stated that the Railways already cares for the elderly and disabled, ensuring a comfortable and safe journey. Therefore, senior citizens and women aged 45 and over will be automatically assigned lower berths when booking train tickets.
How to get the facility of lower berth?
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav stated that Indian Railways reserves special lower berths in every coach for the elderly, women over 45, and pregnant women. The lower berths are reserved for these people, with 6 to 7 seats in Sleeper Class, 4 to 5 in Third AC, and 3 to 4 in Second AC.
The Railways has also made excellent arrangements for disabled passengers. The Railway Minister stated that every mail and express train, whether Rajdhani or Shatabdi, has separate seats reserved for the disabled and their accompanying attendants. Four berths (two lower and two middle) are reserved for them in each sleeper and third AC coach, and four seats in the second seating or chair car are reserved exclusively for them.
Special facilities for disabled passengers in trains
The Railways has a special rule that if a seat becomes vacant during a train, it will first be given to the elderly, disabled brothers and sisters, and pregnant women, especially if their seats are in the upper or middle row. This means that they are being taken care of thoroughly during the journey, and no inconvenience will be allowed.
The Railways is focusing on making coaches safer for disabled passengers. The new coaches have widened doorways, wider berths, and larger compartments. Toilet doors are also wider, and additional grab rails have been installed for support. Washbasins and mirrors are also placed at a height that allows wheelchair-bound passengers to use them easily. A dedicated wheelchair parking space has also been created.
Not only this, Braille signboards have been installed everywhere for the visually impaired, so they can read for themselves. New trains like the Amrit Bharat and Vande Bharat have been designed from the outset with the disabled in mind. The first and last coaches of the Vande Bharat have dedicated wheelchair spaces and spacious, disabled-friendly restrooms. This means that train travel is now truly comfortable and equal for everyone.
Train accidents reduced by 90 percent
Furthermore, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also stated in the Rajya Sabha that train accidents have now decreased by 90%. Full credit for this goes to our indigenous technology, “Kavach,” which automatically stops trains if there is danger ahead. Furthermore, with the introduction of new modern technologies, incidents like signal failure, collisions, and derailments have been significantly reduced. Rail travel is now safer than ever before.