Indian Railways Reservation Quota for Female Passengers: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that under the 1989 Railway Act, there is a provision to reserve special berths for women passengers in trains.
Indian Railways Reservation Quota for Female Passengers: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that under the 1989 Railway Act, there is a provision to reserve special berths for women passengers in trains. According to Article 58 of this Act, six berths in the sleeper class of long distance mail / express trains and six berths in the 3AC class of Garib Rath, Rajdhani, Duronto and fully air-conditioned express trains are reserved for women passengers, irrespective of their age.
Besides, under the Railway Act, there is a provision to reserve six to seven lower berths per coach in Sleeper class, four to five lower berths in 3AC and three to four lower berths in 2AC for senior citizens, women passengers of the age of 45 years and above and pregnant women.
Separate reserved coaches for women
Keeping in mind the convenience of women passengers, the Railways has provided special berths for women in SLR (second class-cum-luggage-cum-guard coach) in most long distance mail/express trains. At the same time, separate unreserved coaches/compartments can be provided in EMU (Electrical Multiple Unit), DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) and MMTS (Multi-Modal Transport System) if demanded.
The Railway Minister also informed that special Ladies Special EMU/MEMU/MMTS services are being operated for women in the suburban areas of Mumbai, Kolkata, Secunderabad and Chennai as well as in the Delhi-NCR section. He said that the provision of reserved berths, its review based on demand and provision of other facilities to ensure safe and comfortable travel of women is a continuous process of the Railways.
These arrangements have been made for security
To further strengthen the safety of women passengers, the Railways has made arrangements for escorting in trains by Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) on sensitive and identified routes. In case of any emergency, passengers can lodge complaints on the Rail Madad portal or helpline number 139 (which is linked to the National Emergency Number 112). The railway administration uses Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms to stay in constant touch with the passengers.
Frequent announcements are made through the public address system at railway stations to keep passengers alert so that they remain alert against theft, robbery and drug threats. Also, CCTV cameras have been installed in coaches and railway stations to further strengthen the security system.
Meri Saheli for Women Passengers
The Railway Minister also mentioned the Railways’ ‘Meri Saheli’ initiative under which women passengers travelling alone in long distance trains are given special attention throughout their journey. Further, Railway zones have been directed to ensure proper joint deployment of male and female RPF/RPSF personnel in train escort parties, possibly by all means.
