Can one luggage compartment in local trains be modified for senior citizens, HC asks Railways

The Railway board is considering converting a luggage compartment in local trains into a dedicated compartment for senior citizens due to difficulties in entering and finding a seat. The proposal is being evaluated for cost and feasibility.

MUMBAI: The Railway board on Wednesday informed the Bombay high court that it has received a proposal to convert one of the luggage compartments in the local trains into a dedicated compartment for senior citizens and is considering the cost and feasibility.

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The HC has sought the Railways response to the proposal by the next hearing on August 23.

The submissions of the board were made in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a retired private secretary of a judge, wherein he had sought directions to the Ministry of Railways to dedicate a separate compartment for senior citizens like the one earmarked for persons with disabilities and cancer patients.

The division bench of acting chief justice Nitin Jamdar and justice Arif Doctor, while hearing the PIL filed by K P Purushothaman Nair, 66, a lawyer and retired HC official, was informed that at least 50,000 senior citizens like him travel daily on suburban trains and during peak hours it is difficult for them to enter the compartments.

The petition had further stated that the seats reserved for senior citizens in compartments are mostly occupied by younger commuters during peak hours and as a result it is difficult for people like him to board the train and find a place to sit and then alight from the train as well. Hence, Nair has sought a separate compartment for senior citizens in each local train.

The HC had in 2015 directed the Railways to reserve seats for senior citizens after which 14 seats in the second-class general compartment were reserved in local trains in the city.

During the hearing on Wednesday, advocate D P Singh submitted that the Railway Board had asked both the Central and Western railways to give their suggestions on the proposal and the issue of cost and feasibility of converting a luggage compartment into a dedicated compartment for senior citizens.

The bench was informed that each local train of 12-15 rakes has three to four luggage compartments, having six seats that could be modified to add more seats.

The court was further told that surveys by both Central and Western railways showed that the luggage compartments were occupied by general commuters and vendors ferrying goods constituted only 10% of the occupancy.

The bench was told that hile general class compartments comprise 71% of the 12-rake train and carry 90% of the commuters, the luggage compartments carry only 0.32% of the passenger load, hence rather than converting a general compartment for senior citizens, modifying a luggage compartment would be a better option.