List of Concessions and Facilities To ‘Senior Citizens’, ‘Disabled’ and ‘Sick’- Passengers by the Indian Railways

Who is a ‘Senior Citizen’ as per the Indian Railways for Facilities and Concessions?

• Male Citizens Above the Age of 60 years and

• Female Citizens Above the Age of 58 years

are given the concessions in the fares by the Indian Railways.

The following are the Percentage of Concessions in the Train Fares given to the Senior Citizens:

• For the Male Senior Citizens: 40% on the Basic Fare and
• For the Female Senior Citizens: 50 % on the Basic Fare in all the Classes of the following Trains:–

-Mails,-Expresses,
-Rajdhani,
-Shatabdi and
-Duronto Group of Trains.

Wheel Chairs and Battery Cars have been provided in all the Major Railway Stations ‘Free of Cost’to the Passenger who are ‘Disabled’ ,‘Senior Citizens’ and ‘Sick’ Passengers.

The ‘Disabled’ and ‘Senior Citizens’ and ‘Sick’ Passengers may contact the persons operating the ‘
Wheel Chairs’ and the ‘Battery Cars’, to their Mobile Numbers displayed prominently at the entrance of the Railway Stations and make use of the facilities, producing the PNR Number and the Name &Number of the Trains they have booked for their travel.

In most of the Railway Stations, the ‘Wheel Chairs’ and the ‘Battery Cars’ are well maintained and in operation helping the needy passengers.

However, there are instances in some Railway Stations, when the Battery Cars are not maintained in good working conditions.

The following are some of the Facilities given to the Passengers in  the Trains in India:

A Combines Quota of 2 Lower Berths per Coach in the following Classes:

• 2 Sleeper,
• AC 3 Tier and
• AC 2 Tier

Coaches in all the trains having reserved accommodations have been earmarked and they are given to the following passengers who are travelling alone:

• Male Senior Citizen-Passengers above 60 years of age,
• Female Passengers of age 45 and above and
• Pregnant Women Passengers.

Separate Reservations counters will be earmarked, subject to feasibility based on the average demand for tickets in the shifts, for the following category of passengers:

• Physically Handicapped Persons,
• Senior Citizens,
• Ex-M.P.s/M.L.A.s,
• Accredited Journalists and
• Freedom Fighters.

Recently, in the ‘Chennai Egmore Railway Station’, there has been a complaint from a ‘Physically Handicapped’ passenger, that the facility of the ‘Battery Car’ was denied, as the same was reserved on a particular day for the use the Governor of Tamilnadu, who was scheduled to travel by train that night.

However, the Tamilnadu- ‘Raj Bhavan’ officials had expressed their/ the Governor’s apology over the matter, though the situation occurred as one of the two battery cars in the station was out of order.

The Railway authorities should take care to keep the wheel chairs, battery cars and the operators& their mobile numbers in working conditions, to enable the intended facilities to be available to the needy passengers without fail or delay.