Local travel is impossible for senior citizens during rush hours. Keeping this problem of senior citizens in mind, the Railways has completed the preparations to provide additional seats by changing the seat structure in the existing luggage compartment.
Central Railway has submitted an affidavit stating that it is planning to reserve luggage compartments for senior citizens in the local trains while replying to the public interest petition regarding senior citizens in the Bombay High Court and this information has been given in it.
There are reserved seats for senior citizens in general coaches of local. But asking youths to vacate reserved seats during rush hours is an impossible task. Due to this, the railway officials have expressed the belief that this measure can be beneficial for the senior citizens.
The 12 coach local train of the railway consists of 4 first class coaches with 88 seats. There are three 39-seat female coaches, two 38-seat coaches for disabled passengers and the rest of the coaches are reserved for general passengers.
4500 to 5000 passengers travel in 12-coach local trains during rush hour. At this time the passenger load in the luggage compartment is less than one percent. Due to this, preparations have been made to reserve a luggage compartment for senior citizens.
In 2014, Justice Abhay Oak and Justice A. S. Gadkari's bench had heard a public interest petition regarding local travel of senior citizens. G. A. B. Thakkar had requested to reserve a separate compartment for senior citizens. During the hearing, the High Court had in January 2015 directed Western and Central Railways to reserve 14 seats for senior citizens in each local. It was suggested that the railway should take care that no other passengers sit on the seat of senior citizens.
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