Railway Update: Lower Berth Quota For Seniors, Disabled And Pregnant Women Said Railway Minister

Senior citizens, pregnant women or those over 45 years and persons with disabilities are automatically allotted lower berth seats subject to availability, even if no preference is filled by the person. An announcement was made on Wednesday, 19th March 2025 regarding the reservation quota.

According to the Railways Minister Ashwin Vaishnaw, a dedicated quota of six to seven lower berths in sleeper coaches, four to five berths per coach AC3 tier coach, three to four berths in AC 2 tier coach will now be provided for the seniors, persons of disability, pregnant women or those over 45 years.

The beneficiaries will benefit significantly from the reservation quota leading to more comfortable travel. During peak travelling or festival seasons, this will help the beneficiaries by enhancing their accessibility to safe and comfortable travel experiences.

Preference Given In Case Of Vacant Seat

The reservation quota varies according to the number of coaches in the train to ensure maximum travelling convenience for the beneficiaries. The reservation quota is applicable in all mail/express trains including Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains specifically for persons with disability irrespective of whether the concession facilities are availed or not.

Whenever there is a vacancy in lower berths during the journey, preference is given to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women who may have been initially allotted middle or upper berths, Vaishnaw added in a written reply in the Parliament.

Terminal change

Train No.17023/17024 Tungabhadra Express from Secunderabad to Kurnool will be changing its terminal from Secunderabad to Kacheguda from April 10th onwards, Vaishnaw highlighted in his reply.

Special Trains

SCR has announced 26 weekly special trains between Charlapalli Kanniyakumari – Charlapalli from April 4 to June.