Train Lower Berth: Railways has started a very special facility for the passengers, especially the elderly and women. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has recently informed that now even if a senior citizen or a female passenger above 45 years of age does not choose the lower berth option while booking the ticket, then the system will automatically give them a lower berth seat, provided the seat is vacant.
He clearly said in Rajya Sabha that Railways has already been taking care of the elderly and disabled so that their journey remains comfortable and safe. In such a situation, at the time of booking tickets in the train, senior citizens and women aged 45 years and above will automatically be given lower berths while getting seats and this facility will be automatic.
How to get lower berth facility?
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that Indian Railways keeps special lower berths in every coach for the elderly, women above 45 years of age and pregnant women. 6 to 7 seats in sleeper class, 4 to 5 in third AC and 3 to 4 lower seats in second AC are reserved only for them.
Railways has also made very good arrangements for disabled passengers. The Railway Minister said that in every mail and express train, be it Rajdhani or Shatabdi, separate seats are reserved for the disabled and the attendants accompanying them. In each coach, four berths each in sleeper and third AC (two below and two in the middle) and four seats in the second sitting or chair car are kept only for them.
Special facilities for disabled passengers in trains
Railways have a special rule that if a seat becomes vacant while the train is running, it will be given first to the elderly, disabled siblings and pregnant women, especially if their seat is upper or middle. This means that they are being taken full care of even during the journey, they will not be allowed to face any problem.
Railways is focusing on making coaches more safe for disabled passengers. In the new coaches, the doors have been widened, the berths have also been widened, the entire compartment is bigger, the toilet doors have also been widened and extra grab rails have been installed inside for support. The wash basin and mirror have also been kept at such a height that passengers sitting on wheelchairs can easily use them, and a separate space for parking wheelchairs has also been made.
Not only this, sign boards with Braille script have been installed everywhere for the blind brothers and sisters, so that they can read themselves. New trains like Amrit Bharat and Vande Bharat have been built keeping the disabled in mind from the very beginning. Vande is the first and last coach in India to have dedicated wheelchair space and a spacious disabled friendly toilet. This means that now train travel is becoming really comfortable and equal for everyone.
Train accidents reduced by 90 percent
Apart from this, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also told in Rajya Sabha that now railway accidents have reduced by 90%. The full credit for which goes to our indigenous technology ‘Kavach’, which automatically stops the trains if there is any danger ahead. Also, due to the introduction of new modern technology, incidents like signal failure, collision or derailment have reduced considerably. Now rail travel has become safer than ever.
Trains have now started running on time and the average punctuality across the country has reached 80% and in 25 out of 70 railway divisions it has reached 90%. Vaishnav ji told that the long distance trains of Germany’s famous railway company Deutsche Bahn ran on time only 67.4% in 2024, whereas our Indian Railways has gone far ahead of them.
