GOOD NEWS! Western Railway Announces Dedicated Compartment For Senior Citizens In Mumbai Locals
In a major step towards making daily commuting safer and more comfortable for elderly passengers, Western Railway has announced the introduction of a dedicated compartment for senior citizens in its suburban trains. This move comes as a significant relief for the over 50,000 senior citizens who travel on the network every day and often face hardship due to severe overcrowding.
Currently, Mumbai’s local trains reserve only 14 seats per train for senior citizens, usually located in the third and twelfth coaches from the Churchgate end. However, with the overwhelming rush during peak hours, accessing these seats is often difficult, forcing many elderly commuters to travel under hazardous conditions.
"To address this, Western Railway will convert one luggage compartment in each train into a dedicated senior citizen compartment. The plan covers all 105 non-AC local train rakes of WR, including 90 twelve-coach and 15 fifteen-coach trains. These redesigned compartments will feature seating capacity for 13 passengers and standing space for 91, significantly improving accessibility and comfort for older commuters," said an official.
This development follows a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Bombay High Court, which highlighted the risks elderly passengers face and demanded exclusive coaches for them, similar to those for differently-abled passengers.
"The conversion project — transforming a luggage compartment into a reserved compartment for senior citizens — is estimated to cost around ₹5.4 crore and is scheduled to be completed within a year. The conversion process has already started, and all non-AC rakes will be covered gradually," said an official of WR. This dedicated compartment will be located in the seventh coach from the Churchgate end, which currently serves as a luggage compartment.
According to WR, each local train has two luggage compartments. Out of these, one will be converted into a senior citizen compartment. The remaining luggage coaches in each train will continue to serve their original purpose.
Western Railway operates 1,406 local services daily, ferrying over 3 million passengers. Known for its extreme overcrowding, the network poses serious safety challenges, particularly for the elderly, who often struggle to board or alight safely.
A senior Western Railway official stated that the move aims to improve comfort and safety for senior citizens without drastically altering the existing train configurations.
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