Restore ticket concession, allot lower berth, elderly urge SR

CHENNAI: Several rail passengers, particularly senior citizens, are upset with the Indian Railways for not restoring the rail-fare concession that was taken away during the lockdown period in 2020.

They request restoration of concession, on-board medical facilities, lower-berth allocation, escalator or lift facilities in all stations and also, better toilet facilities.

“If the concession is restored, senior citizens can avail third AC, which is more convenient. Aged people fall sick easily; so, emergency facilities must be provided in railway stations. Also if the patients fall sick while travelling in trains, there must be facilities to get treatment from the nearest railway stations. Coach position arrangement must be displayed in each station to easily guide everyone, especially senior citizens,” said P Viswanathan, a resident of Chitlapakkam.

They request the railways to provide them with lower berth on priority as climbing to the upper berth is cumbersome. “Lower berths must be allotted for the aged. At times, people in other berths are not ready to exchange theirs. Also, toilets are in bad condition in the trains and stations. There must be railings inside the toilets for the aged to hold on to. Perhaps, it would be helpful if separate compartments are provided for senior citizens,” said S Mohan from Adambakkam.

Another major requirement was lifts and/or escalators in all railway stations. “Climbing the stairs is very difficult after a certain age. There’s no ticket vending machine in Putlur station, which is closer to where I live. So, at times, tickets that were printed already and brought from Tiruvallur goes out of stock. This is a huge inconvenience to passengers,” said Raghavendra Bhat, a resident of Putlur.

When contacted, a senior official attached to the Southern Railway mentioned that 55% concession when compared to road transportation was provided in railways. “Currently, there is no plan to restore the concession. Medical emergency facilities are already provided in Central station and there are plans to start it in the Beach station also,” he added.