Reservation in trains

• A reservation quota of two sleeper class berths has been earmarked in all trains running on non-suburban sections for handicapped persons performing their journey on handicapped concessional ticket. The person accompanying the handicapped person as escort is also allotted the berth out of this quota.
• Instructions have also been issued that in the tickets issued through Computerized Passenger Reservation System, to the extent feasible, one lower berth should be allotted to the handicapped person and the person accompanying the handicapped person as an escort should be allotted middle/upper berths near the handicapped person subject to availability of accommodation.
• After departure of the train, the Conductor/Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) has been authorized to allot the vacant lower berth, if available, to any physically handicapped person travelling on handicapped concessional ticket who has been allotted upper/middle berth, after making necessary entries in the chart.
• Specially designed coaches known as SLRD coaches with wider entrance doors to allow a wheel chair to enter, wider aisles, modified toilet and 4 berths, the lower two for physically challenged persons & upper berths for attendants have been attached in almost all Mail/Express trains except Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi Express trains and Duronto Express trains. Fully air-conditioned Garib Rath trains have been provided a disabled friendly compartment as also toilets in the power cars. IR have so far manufactured 2,830 SLRD/SRD coaches.
• Instructions have been issued that in all Mail/Express trains, the SLRD coaches should be treated as unreserved coaches earmarked for exclusive use of physically handicapped passengers. In case of Garib Rath Express trains which are fully reserved trains, these coaches are treated as reserved for booking by handicapped persons travelling on handicapped concession on payment of full fare of 3 AC Class of Garib Rath Express on first come first served basis.
• Depending upon the demand, separate counters are earmarked at various Passenger Reservation System (PRS) centres for dealing with the reservation requisitions received from physically handicapped persons, Senior Citizens, Ex.M.Ps, MLAs, accredited journalists and freedom fighters.

Additional Facilities

1. For the convenience of the physically challenged persons, facilities like wheel chairs have been provided at all important stations on IR.
2. RPF personnel are being trained to assist physically disabled passengers to make their journey more comfortable.
3. In allotment of STD/PCO booths at Railway Stations, 25% booths have been reserved for physically handicapped persons (including blind) with disability of 40% and above.

Concession in Fares

As per Railway rules, concession in Railway fares isadmissible to the following categories of disabled persons:-

Amenities at Railway Stations

Amenities to make station and service buildings more accessible to persons with disabilities are being developed through an action plan in a phased manner. Out of 581 ‘A-1’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ category stations, short term facilities have been provided at 559 stations, which include

1. provision of standard ramp with railing for barrier free entry,
2. earmarking of at least one parking lot for two vehicles used by disabled persons,
3. provision of a non-slippery walkway from parking lot to building,
4. provision of signages of appropriate visibility,
5. provision of at least one drinking water tap suitable for use by a disabled person,
6. provision of at least one toilet on the ground floor and
7. ‘May I help You’ booth. These facilities are being extended to the remaining 22 ‘B’ category stations.

IR have planned provision of push button with Braille scripts in all elevators installed after June, 2008 as also to provide barrier free access including inter-platform transfer at stations through provision of over 350 escalators at major and important stations.

Recruitment on IR

Under 3% quota for physically handicapped in recruitment, posts have been identified for three categories of disabilities namely,

1. Blindness or low vision,
2. Hearing impairment and
3. Locomotor Disability or Cerebral Palsy.

IR are making their best efforts to fill up the vacancies reserved against physically handicapped quota including 1% quota reserved for visually handicapped in Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ categories. Posts have been identified in the Group ‘A’, to be filled through Direct Recruitment, for the disabled, in Indian Railway Accounts Service, Indian Railway Medical Service and Indian Railway Personnel Service. Posts have also been identified for specified categories of disabilities in Indian Railway Service of Engineers, Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers, Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers, Indian Railway Stores
Service and Indian Railway Traffic Service to be filled by Direct Recruitment through Union Public Service Commission.

reg : http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/pdf/ANNUAL_REPORT_ACCOUNTS_ENG_2011_12/18.pdf