Parliament Question: Facilities for Senior Citizens

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5497 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026 FACILITIES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS †5497. SHRI RAMASHANKAR VIDHARTHI RAJBHAR: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the details of the facilities currently being provided to senior citizens for rail travel; (b) the basis on which the maximum number of waiting tickets in a train is determined and whether it is decided in view of the seat capacity, coach composition and passenger demand and if so, the details thereof; and (c) the details of the criteria for setting waiting limits in various classes and the arrangements for adding additional coaches or running special trains in case of excessive waiting lists? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (c): Indian Railways continuously strive to provide various facilities for the convenience of passengers including senior citizens. Some of the facilities extended to senior citizens are as under: (i) Allotment of lower berths to senior citizens, female passengers of 45 years and above automatically, even if no choice is given, subject to availability. (ii) Earmarking of a combined quota of six to seven lower berths per coach in Sleeper class, four to five lower berths per coach each in Air Conditioned 3 tier (3AC) and three to four lower berths per coach in Air Conditioned 2 tier (2AC) classes (depending on the number of coaches of that class in the train) for senior citizens, female passengers 45 years of age and above and pregnant women. § Page 1 of 2(iii) Allotment of lower berths falling vacant in the train to senior citizens, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) or pregnant women (who have been allotted middle/upper berth) on priority. (iv) Wheelchairs are provided by Railways and are given to attendants of the PwD, senior citizens etc. free of cost to escort them from and to the trains. However, whenever attendants are not available, Sahayaks (licensed porters/coolies) can be hired on per-fixed nominal rate to escort the PwD etc. (v) Battery Operated Vehicles (BOVs) are provided at major railway stations to passengers on 'first come first serve' basis with due preference to PwDs, senior citizens, sick passengers and pregnant women. This facility is provided 'free of cost' through Corporate Social Responsibility/Sponsorship and on chargeable basis through service provider. On Indian Railways, the demand pattern of reserved accommodation varies over lean and peak periods. Moreover, the trains running on popular routes are generally well patronized while accommodation is generally available in other trains. Waiting list position of all the trains running on Indian Railways is monitored on regular basis. In order to cater to additional demand, Indian Railways also operates Special train services during festivals, holidays etc. and augments the load of trains to generate additional accommodation for different segments of passengers, both on permanent and temporary basis. Accordingly, in the current financial year (upto February, 2026), 860 coaches have been utilized for permanent augmentation and 152415 trips of coaches have been attached on temporary basis. Further, special trains as below have been operated across the Indian Railways network, to facilitate the passengers during Summer/winter vacations: Year No. of trips 2023-24 ~ 40,500 2024-25 ~ 85,400 2025-26 ~ 74,800 (upto Feb, 2026) Further, the waiting list limits have been rationalized linking it to the extent of reserved accommodation of the class available in the train. ****** Page 2 of 2