Senior citizens will now have about 90 reserved berths for them in a train as the Railways has enhanced the reservation quota by 50 per cent for the elders as part of the budget commitments.
"There has been a demand for increasing quota for senior citizens and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced in the budget so it was done accordingly," Railway Board Member (Traffic) Mohd Jamshed said here.
The enhanced quota decision will come into effect from April 1 this year.
Jamshed said with the increase in the number of reserved berths for senior citizens, there will be now 80 to 90 berths available for senior citizens.
Besides senior citizens, female passengers above 45 years of age and pregnant women are also eligible to avail the enhanced quota.
The reserved qouta for senior citizen was introduced in 2007. A combined reservation quota of two lower berths per coach in Sleeper, AC-3 tier and AC-2 tier classes was earmarked for them.
In 2015, the existing quota of two lower berths per coach in Sleeper class was enhanced to four lower berths per coach.
It has now been decided to enhance this quota to six lower berths per coach in Sleeper class and three lower berths per coach in 3AC and 2AC classes, Jamshed said.
It has also been decided that in Rajdhani, Duronto and fully AC Express trains, this quota in 3AC class will be four lower berths per coach as against three lower berths per coach in case of normal Mail/Express trains.
