Lok Sabha Question No. 3186 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Concession/Subsidy for Divyang and Old Age Persons
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Utkarsh Verma Madhur

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## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3186 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026

## CONCESSION/SUBSIDY FOR DIVYANG AND OLD AGE PERSONS

## †3186. SHRI UTKARSH VERMA MADHUR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  Railways  proposes  to  restore  subsidy  in  travel  tickets  for Divyang and old age persons as before and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether there is any plan to reserve lower berths for Divyangjan and old people and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) the details of the names of the States where bullet trains are planned;
- (d) whether there is a plan to run bullet train in Uttar Pradesh in the near future and if so, the details and time-frame thereof; and
- (e) whether the route of Bullet Train would pass through Lakhimpur Kheri and if so, the details and the timeline thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e): Indian Railways strives to provide affordable services to all strata of  the  society  and  gave  subsidy  of  Rs.  60,239  cr  on  passenger  tickets  in 2024-25.  This  amounts  to  concession  of  43%  on  an  average,  to  every person,  travelling  on  Railways.  In  other  words,  if  the  cost  of  providing service is Rs. 100, then the price of ticket is Rs. 57 only. This subsidy is continuing  for  all  passengers.  Further,  concessions  beyond  this  subsidy amount  are  continuing  for  many  categories  like  4  categories  of  Persons with disabilities (Divyangjans), 11 categories of patients and 8 categories of students.

Indian  Railways  continuously  strive  to  provide  various  facilities  for the convenience of passengers including Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities. Some of the facilities extended to Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities are as under:

- i. Allotment of lower berths to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), senior citizens, female passengers of 45 years and above automatically, even if no choice is given, subject to availability.
- ii. Earmarking  of  a  combined  quota  of  six  to  seven  lower  berths  per coach  in  Sleeper  class,  four  to  five  lower  berths  per  coach  each  in  Air Conditioned  3  tier  (3AC)  and  three  to  four  lower  berths  per  coach  in  Air Conditioned 2 tier (2AC) classes (depending on the number of coaches of that class in the train) for senior citizens, female passengers 45 years of age and above and pregnant women.

iii. Earmarking of reservation quota for Person with Disabilities and their attendants in mail/express trains including Rajdhani/Shatabdi type trains as under:-

- Four berths in sleeper class (including two lower & two middle berths)
- Four berths in 3AC/3E (including two lower & two middle berths)
- Four  seats  in  reserved  second  sitting  (2S)/air  conditioned  Chair  Car (CC) having more than two coaches of that class available in the train.
- iv. Allotment of lower berths falling vacant in the train to senior citizens, Persons  with  Disabilities  or  pregnant  women  (who  have  been  allotted middle/upper berth) on priority.

Presently,  Mumbai  -  Ahmadabad  High  Speed  Rail  (MAHSR)  Project (508 kms) passing through Maharashtra and Gujarat is under execution.

Further, to strengthen  the  national transport infrastructure  and provide a fillip to regional economic growth, the Government has announced the development of following seven new High-Speed Rail (HSR) corridors in the Union Budget 2026-27:-

- (i) Mumbai-Pune
- (ii) Pune-Hyderabad
- (iii) Hyderabad-Bengaluru
- (iv) Hyderabad-Chennai
- (v) Chennai-Bengaluru
- (vi) Delhi-Varanasi
- (vii) Varanasi-Siliguri

Out of the above, Delhi-Varanasi and Varanasi-Siliguri corridors pass through the state of Uttar Pradesh. However, the decision to sanction any HSR  Corridor/Project  being  highly  capital  intensive  depends  on  many factors such as outcome of DPR, techno-economic feasibility studies and availability of resources such as financing options etc.

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