Now, women commuters in waiting list or RAC to get unutilized quota berths

CHENNAI: If you are a woman travelling alone or part of a women’s group with a wait-listed ticket on a train, you have greater chances of getting confirmed tickets jumping the waiting list queue. Thanks to the Indian Railways, which decided to allot unutilized berths earmarked under women quota to single woman and group of women regardless of their waiting list number. 

An order issued by the Railway Board to Southern Railway stated that six berths would be earmarked for women passengers in every sleeper class coach regardless of their age.

“These six berths will be open for woman passengers travelling alone and for groups of women passengers in a ticket (with single PNR). If the six berths are not availed till preparation of the first chart, the berths will be released to wait-listed single woman passengers and groups of women passengers.

And, the next preference would be given to senior citizens,” reads the order.The decision was taken by Railways after it was found that berths earmarked under women quota went under-utilised during night travels and were allotted to general wait-listed passengers.

“The move would increase the chances of single woman passengers and women travellers with single ticket getting confirmed berths,” added the sources.

However, women travelling along with men will not get these berths. 

This means if two berths under women’s quota remain unutilised in a train till preparation of the first chart, a woman passenger who holds a ticket with RAC 6, will get the confirmed berth first, in case passengers holding tickets between RAC 1 and RAC 5 are men or women travelling with men.

“If any senior citizen holds the RAC ticket between 1 and 5, he or she will get another berth under women’s quota,” explained an official.

The order added that even after preparation of the second chart if the berths left are vacant, the travel ticket examiner can allot the berths to other women passengers, senior citizens and partially confirmed ticket-holders, said the board directive.The Railway Board directive issued on February 15 ordered the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), an information technology support wing of the IRCTC to incorporate the changes into the IRCTC portal.

In addition to this, to reduce the ordeal of elderly people climbing to upper berths, six lower berths per coach in sleeper class and three lower berths per coach in airconditioned 3-tier (3AC) and airconditioned 2-tier (2AC) classes have been earmarked for citizens, female passengers above 45 years of age and pregnant women when travelling alone.

In Rajdhani, Duronto and fully airconditioned express trains, four lower berths have been earmarked per coach in 3AC class.The six lower berths in sleeper coach which are not occupied will also be released in the same order followed for filling the berths under women’s quota, added the order.

Berth mark:

● Six berths earmarked for women passengers in every sleeper class coach
● Six lower berths per coach in sleeper class and three lower berths a coach in AC 3 and 2nd classes for senior citizens, female passengers above 45 years of age and pregnant women when travelling alone
● If berths under women’s quota are not filled, the berths will be released for RAC/waitlisted single woman passenger or group of women in a ticket (single PNR)
● Then, senior citizens will get priority. If berths are vacant, TTE should allot the berths to on-board women travellers