CONCERNS REGARDING LOWER BERTH ALLOCATION FOR SENIOR CITIZENS
It is truly disheartening to hear of the difficulties faced by a senior citizen while booking and traveling by train. Despite all the talk about rapid advancements in digital technology and the adoption of AI, such unfortunate incidents still occur — especially to those over the age of 70. This should not be happening.
Many senior citizens may appear healthy and active due to their profession or regular exercise routines. However, they could be silently struggling with conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, frequent urination, spinal disc issues, hernia, or prostate problems. These ailments may not be visible, but they make travel — particularly upper berth travel — very difficult.
Speaking from personal experience, I am over 80 and was traveling alone until 2–3 years ago, mostly in AC 2-tier or 3-tier, for personal reasons, family functions, and even sports events. Even though my age is compulsorily entered while booking, I still do not get a lower berth about 25% of the time. I’ve accepted this as my karma and managed to climb to the upper berth even at 78, but it’s not easy. With the train moving and swaying, getting up and down becomes quite risky — the steps in coaches are far from senior-friendly. At times, it feels like a test of physical fitness, as in army drills.
On one such journey, a gentleman — who was almost two decades younger than me — requested that I exchange my lower berth with his wife. Ironically, he had a lower berth himself. While I usually oblige, in this case, I politely suggested that he exchange his own berth with his wife instead, as I came to know that they both wanted to be side by side.
MY INTENTION IN SHARING THIS IS NOT TO COMPLAIN, BUT TO HIGHLIGHT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR INDIAN RAILWAYS TO REVIEW AND REFINE THE BERTH ALLOCATION SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. WITH THE DATA AVAILABLE AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY AT HAND, SURELY WE CAN MAKE THIS A MORE HUMANE AND DIGNIFIED EXPERIENCE.
Many senior citizens may appear healthy and active due to their profession or regular exercise routines. However, they could be silently struggling with conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, frequent urination, spinal disc issues, hernia, or prostate problems. These ailments may not be visible, but they make travel — particularly upper berth travel — very difficult.
Speaking from personal experience, I am over 80 and was traveling alone until 2–3 years ago, mostly in AC 2-tier or 3-tier, for personal reasons, family functions, and even sports events. Even though my age is compulsorily entered while booking, I still do not get a lower berth about 25% of the time. I’ve accepted this as my karma and managed to climb to the upper berth even at 78, but it’s not easy. With the train moving and swaying, getting up and down becomes quite risky — the steps in coaches are far from senior-friendly. At times, it feels like a test of physical fitness, as in army drills.
On one such journey, a gentleman — who was almost two decades younger than me — requested that I exchange my lower berth with his wife. Ironically, he had a lower berth himself. While I usually oblige, in this case, I politely suggested that he exchange his own berth with his wife instead, as I came to know that they both wanted to be side by side.
MY INTENTION IN SHARING THIS IS NOT TO COMPLAIN, BUT TO HIGHLIGHT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR INDIAN RAILWAYS TO REVIEW AND REFINE THE BERTH ALLOCATION SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. WITH THE DATA AVAILABLE AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY AT HAND, SURELY WE CAN MAKE THIS A MORE HUMANE AND DIGNIFIED EXPERIENCE.
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Dear Jayakumar, Thank you for bringing this important issue to our attention. I wholeheartedly agree that more needs to be done to address the challenges senior citizens face, particularly regarding lower berth allocation. The difficulties encountered during train travel, as you described, are indeed disheartening and highlight areas where improvements are urgently needed. We must strive to ensure a more comfortable and accessible experience for our senior citizens. Thank you again for sharing this valuable feedback. Sincerely, Shakeel Afsari On Thu, May 15, 2025 at 3:43â¯PM Jayakumar Daniel < support@localcirclesmail.com> wrote: >
May 18
Since the population of our country is huge so is the number of senior citizens. Top rated govt hospitals in Chandigarh are in trouble when they see long queues of senior citizens and ex employees of these institutions. I feel this problem will continue as there is mismatch in demand n supply.
May 17
Yes, It can really be a horrible experience when a senior citizen or someone aged above 70 years is allotted an upper berth. When a passenger books a reservation ticket in advance, it has been asked for their age and sex. Accordingly, the system has to allot an appropriate berth. It can be a fault of IT personnel to design such a program that can identify who the senior citizens are as it has been defined by the railway itself. Then, without any manual interference, the system may allot berths. It was more ironic that when more than 40 berths were available at the time of booking, the railway's so-called clever and specialized IT professionals allotted top berths or middle berths to senior citizens. The Hon. Railway Minister, who is a good administrator and well-versed in IT systems too, might not have come across such hardships of passengers. Otherwise, he is so intelligent and competent to resolve such issues within a few seconds' time.
May 17
Mr Daniel,some sort of coincidence that the gallant lady was a fauji wife.Having said that, we can't have armed forces families being taken advantage of,on that count - that chivalry etc is expected of them.This country needs training
May 16
सर यह बड़ी समस्या है,इसका हल निकाला जाय । और यदि आपका Atndr, Gen. catg. का हुआ तो, Sr.citizen को Lw Birth नहीं मिलेगी.
May 16
How it cant be considered ? We append our age against our name. And also seek senior citizen Quota .
May 16
