Indian Railways provides Divyangjans with various facilities to make their services more convenient and accessible for differently abled passengers

Indian Railways provides Divyangjans with various facilities to make their services more convenient and accessible for differently abled passengers

Ministry of Railways

Indian Railways offers various facilities for Divyangjans to make its services more convenient and accessible for differently-abled passengers

Specially designed coaches, concessional tickets and reservation quota are some of the facilities offered

Railway stations made more accessible by wheelchairs, battery operated vehicles and Yatri Mitra Sewa

03 DEC 2019

Encouraged by Accessible India Campaign launched in 2015 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, Indian Railways have been providing facilities/services to Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) so as to enable them a barrier free transportation across the Railway network. To make its services more convenient and accessible to differently-abled passengers (Divyangjans) at railway stations, Indian Railways offers the following facilities for the Divyangjans.

Also check: Facility for Disabled and Senior Citizens on Trains and at Railway Stations

•     Specially designed coaches known as SLRD coaches with wider entrance doors to allow a wheel chair to enter, wider aisles, modified toilet and with 4 berths, the lower two for persons with disability and upper berths for attendants have been attached in almost all Mail/ express trains except Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan shatabdi Express trains and Duranto Express trains.
•     Instructions have been issued that in all mail/ express trains, the SLRD coaches should be treated as unreserved coaches earmarked for exclusive use of persons with disability. In case of Garib Rath express trains which are fully reserved trains, these coaches are treated as reserved for booking by persons with disability (Divyangjans) travelling on the prescribed certificate on payment of full fare of 3 AC class of Garib Rath Express on first come first served basis.
•     Separate counters are earmarked at various Passenger Reservation System (PRS) centres for dealing with the reservation requisitions received from Persons with Disability and Senior Citizens, if the average demand per shift is not less than 120 tickets wherever feasible. ln case there is no justification for earmarking of an exclusive counter for any of these categories of persons including handicapped persons, one or two counters depending upon the total demand are earmarked for dealing with the reservation requests for all these categories of persons.
•     A reservation quota of four sleeper class berths and two berths in 3 AC has been earmarked in all trains running on non-suburban sections for persons with disability performing their journey on concessional ticket. The person accompanying the person with disability as escort is also allotted the berth out of this quota.
•     Instructions have also been issued that in the tickets issued through PRS, to extent feasible, one lower berth should be allotted to person with disability and the person accompanying the person with disability as escort should be allotted middle/upper berth near the person with disability subject to availability of accommodation.
•     After departure of train, if there are vacant lower berths available in the train and if any person with disability booked on the authority of concessional ticket, who has been allotted upper/middle berth, approaches for allotment of vacant lower berths, the Conductor/Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) has been authorized to allot the vacant lower berth to them after making necessary entries in the chart.
•     The facility to book concessional e-tickets online using the photo-identity card issued by Railways has also been introduced to facilitate persons with disability.

As per Railway rules, concession in fares is admissible to four categories of Persons with Disability. The names of these four categories, and the element concession admissible, are as under :-

To make accessibility better, the following facilities are being served currently at stations:-

•     Wheel chair on platforms: Around 7000 wheelchairs have been provided at more than 5400 railway stations. The wheelchairs are provided by Railways and are given to attendant of the Divyangjan absolutely ‘free of cost’ to escort them from and to the trains. However, when attendants are not willing or available, Sahayaks can be hired on nominal rates to escort the Divyangjans.
•     In addition a scheme of Yatri Mitra sewa is also available, wherein a sahayak provided by IRCTC assists the person with disability by providing wheel chair cum porter services at major stations. The Yatri Mitra seva service can be booked on IRCTC e-ticketing website and 139 (IVRS and SMS) or through a mobile.
•     Battery operated Vehicle (BOV) vehicles are available at some stations and Powers have further been delegated to Zonal Railways for provision of BOV free of charge for person with disability through CSR route/commercial publicity route and through chargeable route.
•     In addition to above, it has been decided to provide following short term facilities for persons with disability at stations (Comprehensive instructions for passenger amenities and user facilities at stations dated 09.04.2018):

1.     Provision of standard ramp with railing for barrier free entry.
2.     Earmarking of at least two parking lots for vehicle used by disabled persons.
3.     Provision of non-slippery walkway from parking lot to building.
4.     Provision of signage 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.
7.     “May I help you” booth.

•     In the long term the following facilities are being planned for persons with disability at Non-suburban Grade (NSG)1 to NSG 4 category stations:

1.     Provision of facility for inter-platform transfer.
2.     Engraving on edges of platforms.

An Executive Director level committee is also formed to frame guidelines regarding Accessibility standards over Indian Railways. ED /Station development is the convenor of the committee.

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Indian Railways reaffirms its commitment to the cause of empowering of Divyangjans through the ‘Accessible India Campaign’.

PIB

Provision of Yatri Mitra Sewa for booking of wheelchair services cum porter services at Railway Stations

Provision of Yatri Mitra Sewa for booking of wheelchair services cum porter services at Railway Stations.

With a view to provide support to old and differently abled passengers requiring assistance at the stations, Ministry of Railways has decided to introduce Yatri Mitras Sewa for enabling passengers to book wheelchair services cum porter services. The salient features of the Yatri Mitra Seva are as under:

1. Yatri Mitra
A Yatri Mitra can either be a Sahayak or any other person provided by IRCTC or the service provider appointed by IRCTC for this purpose.

2. Services to be provided by Yatri Mitra
Yatri Mitra shall provide Wheel chair cum porter services to differently abled, ailing and old persons.

3. Provision of Yatri Mitra Sewa

• The responsibility of providing Yatri Mitra Sewa has been entrusted with IRCTC. IRCTC may provide this service ‘Free of cost’ through some NGO, charitable trust, PSUs etc under CSR. However, if this service can’t be provided ‘Free of Cost’ due to lack of response from NGOs, Charitable trust, PSUs etc, IRCTC may arrange this service on payment basis through a service provider or on its own.
• IRCTC may also arrange these services through existing Battery Operated Car (BOC) Operator, wherever, an agency is providing the service.

4. Booking of Yatri Mitra
The booking of Yatri Mitra can be done as under:

• The Yatri Mitra service can be booked on IRCTC e-ticketing website and 139 (IVRS and SMS) or through a mobile.
• A Mobile Application developed by CRIS would also be made available for booking of Yatri Mitra as and when it is developed and released by CRIS.
• A dedicated Mobile number for each station, where this service is available, shall be made available by the Service provider/IRCTC which would be displayed on IRCTC e-ticketing website and zonal websites of Indian Railways to facilitate booking of Yatri Mitra.
• Based on the station at which the facility is booked by the passenger, the booking details (Train Name and Number, date and time of arrival/departure, PNR number, Name of the passenger, Coach and berth number) will be sent by SMS both to the passenger and service provider/IRCTC along with the amount chargeable, if applicable, for the service.
• The mobile number of the Yatri Mitra shall also be sent to the passenger through SMS before the expected time of the arrival of the passenger so that the passenger can contact the Yatri Mitra.
• The Mobile Application developed by CRIS would have the facility for the service provider to update the status after providing the service. The passenger would also have the option to give feedback regarding compliance for his booking.

5. Operation of Yatri Mitra Seva
The Yatri Mitra Sewa shall be operated on following lines for arriving, transferring and departing passengers:

• Arriving/Transferring Passengers
  
  o The IRCTC/service provider on receipt of SMS will ensure that the Yatri Mitra is arranged/positioned at the platform near the coach of the arriving passenger.o The mobile number of the Yatri Mitra shall also be sent to the passenger through SMS in advance.
  
  o On arrival of the train, the Yatri Mitra shall approach the passenger near his coach, greet him, show his mobile message which will be similar as sent to the passenger himself. On instructions of passenger, he will pick up his/her luggage and help him/her in sitting in wheelchair and take him to desired exit gate or any other platform in case of transfer passenger.
  
  o In case of late running of train, the service provider shall contact the passenger on the mobile number given by the passenger at the time of booking and arrange the service as per expected arrival of the train at the station.
• Departing Passengers
  
  o The IRCTC/service provider on receipt of SMS will ensure that the Yatri Mitra is arranged/positioned at the nominated entrance of the station building from where the passenger will be boarding the train.
  o Yatri Mitra shall contact the passenger on the mobile number given by the passenger at the time of booking and confirm the expected time of arrival of the passenger and entrance gate of station.
  
  o On arrival of the passenger at entrance gate of station, the Yatri Mitra shall approach the passenger, greet him, and show his mobile message which will be similar as sent to the passenger himself. On instructions of passenger, he will pick up his luggage and help him/her in sitting in wheelchair and take him to the platform where train has to arrive.

6. Storage/Parking of wheelchairs
The Railway shall provide space for storage/parking of wheel chairs as per requirement of number of wheelchairs and charging point if wheelchairs are battery operated. In case service is provided Free of cost, electricity for charging battery of wheelchairs shall be provided free. In case of paid service, the cost of electricity on consumption basis and connection shall be charged to the service provider as per extant practice.

7. Service Charges
The service charges, if applicable, shall be kept reasonable and affordable keeping in mind the objective of providing services to the needy.The service charges should be collected by the Service provider directly from the passenger.

8. IRCTC shall provide adequate number of wheelchairs at the station as per the requirement to be decided in consultation with SrDCM/DCM of concerned division. Preference should be given to battery operated wheelchairs.

9. The Yatri Mitra appointed by service provider shall be issued an ID card and permit to provide these services at the station by SrDCM/DCM of the concerned Division.

10. The service will be available at major stations.

PIB