Indian Railways revamps 497 stations to make them specially-abled, elderly friendly

Source: https://zeenews.india.com/railways/indian-railways-revamps-497-stations-to-make-them-specially-abled-elderly-friendly-2515724.html

Publisher: Zee News

Indian Railways keeps on adding facilities to give passengers the utmost comfort and convenience of travelling. This time, apart from initiating special trains and introducing ‘Vrat thalis’ during Navratri and Durga Puja, Indian Railways is now working on adding lifts and escalators for specially-abled passengers, children, and old passengers. As a part of ‘Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan,’ to provide ease of movement to the differently-abled, aged, and children on railway platforms, Indian Railways is installing lifts and escalators at railway stations pan-India. So far, there are 497 stations where either lifts or escalators have been provided, according to a statement from the Ministry of Railways. 

As per the official information given by the Ministry of Railways, escalators have been installed in state capitals, cities with a population of more than 10 lakh, or stations having a footfall of more than 25,000 per day. So far, 1090 escalators at 339 stations have been provided up to August 2022. 

The information also read that as per policy, GM/Zonal Railways are empowered to select stations/platforms for the provision of lifts considering footfall, constraints of space, etc. So far, 981 lifts at 400 stations have been provided up to August 2022. It is worth mentioning that Indian Railways has been consistently trying to improve passenger amenities at various stations. 

Provision of escalators and lifts at the railway platforms is a part of this and also a necessity because of the ever-increasing passenger volumes. Such a facility would facilitate improvement at the exit or entry of passengers and is a further step to improve passenger safety as well.