Constructive suggestions to make Indian Railways inclusive

In this concluding piece in this series journalist Malini Shankar makes a series of constructive suggestions hoping these will be incorporated by the Indian Railways.

After reaching your train car, finding your seat and settling in for the journey, often you have to pull down the bunkers for the night’s journey. But think of the PH passenger who might not be able to pull down the sleeper / couch for the night’s sleep. Computerised reservations means PH passengers do not always get the lower berth.  Differently abled passengers have to depend on co passengers (if they are unaccompanied single travellers) for help to pull down the iron ropes that keep the sleep couch in place and also to exchange upper berths. It might be better for cabin attendants of the Railways to be trained to cater to the needs of the PH passengers whose needs vary depending on the nature of the disability. Thus it helps to have one train car solely for the use of PH passengers. Such a car should have trained personnel.

Trains and platforms are always at different levels necessitating a tough climb on three steps one on top of another instead of a forward sloping climb towards the train. Climbing the train steps is a very risky affair given that there are no supporting rails.

In India wheelchair bound passengers like paraplegics find it extremely hazardous to board the train. I deliberately use the word hazardous, not just inconvenient - because PH passengers on wheelchair - if they can find assistance - to hoist the wheelchair into the train car - can be injured during the climb into the aisle / train car door.

In the years to come suburban train travel will become the norm increasingly, and train travel has to become less hazardous and more inclusive in accessibility.

Suggestions:

•          Once inside the train, opening the food packets is impossible without scissors, so these have to be made easy to use.

•          A cabin attendant if anointed only for assistance PH passengers will be useful; but it might be better for PH passengers to be booked in a special train car with trained staff on board.

•          Cabin attendants should assist PH passengers till the toilet door in today’s fast moving trains.

•          Ramps are needed for mobility impaired passengers to board trains as well as connecting over-bridges.

Train toilets need to have space to wheel in a wheelchair bound passenger and other amenities like:

·         faucets,

·         disposable rim covers,

·         soap dispensers

·         Sanitisers,

·         plug points,

·         paper rolls,

·         taps,

·         showers,

·         latches,

·         hangers,

·         hooks etc. all have to be accessible to a person sitting on a wheelchair inside the train toilet like in Eurail.

In Eurail / European trains flush knobs, toilet seats covers, WC rims, wash sinks, taps, soap dispensers, toilet paper rolls are all designed with PH passengers’ compatibility in mind: Door latches, faucets, hooks, soap trays, mirrors, plug points, hair dryers, are all within arm’s length of a wheelchair bound Passenger in the toilets of European trains.

A little bit of approachability goes a long way in passenger comfort:

No doubt Indian Railways tries its best to move men and material right across the sub-continent in minimalist comfort and a superb organisation of logistics. It utilises optimally both space and resources to make the journey for both humans and cargo as smooth, efficient and cost effective as possible. Compared to European prices of trains, undoubtedly Indian Railways caters to the needs of millions of middle class Indians too. But given the challenges faced by people with disabilities and reduced mobility, it would be not just sensitive and politically correct to ensure their comfort but also help improve efficiency, and leave such children of a lesser god less stressed out after an exhausting journey.  The Indian Railways needs a humane touch, urgently.

Facilities mandatorily required for physically challenged persons in Indian Railways:

•        Separate AC train cars for physically challenged persons with the requisite facilities on each train. These facilities are, among others:

•        Seats and berths should have facilities like push button for crew’s attention, cup holders, easy to use window levers and latches, (within reach of the wheelchair bound passenger, and accessible to visually impaired passengers)

•       Separate handicapped friendly toilets with room for wheelchairs, mirrors, shelves, sinks, taps, faucets, flush handles, latches, all accessible for a person seated on a wheelchair.

•        WCs or western commodes with disposable paper rims.

•        Self-sanitising WC Rims are a must in cars anointed for the PH passengers.

•        Flexible stairs that can extend to become a ramp for boarding and alighting wheelchair passengers.

•        Ramps, ambu-lifts, room for stretchers and fully equipped first aid / emergency medical staff on call in such cars.

•     Telephone connection in such cars, meant strictly for the use of authorised personnel and bona fide physically challenged passengers only.

The infrastructure needed at railway stations are inter alia:

·         Escalators, (horizontal and climbing escalators on platforms, wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs)

·         Elevators on every platform at a distance of one serving every alternate train car.

·         Luggage escalators / conveyor belts beside every stairway in the railway stations.

·       Walkalators / walking escalators are needed on every platform in big railway stations, but ideally in all railway stations across the subcontinent.

·         Electric wheel chairs at every platform,

·         Important offices like ticketing counters, waiting halls, cloak rooms, public toilets should be easily accessible by ramp entrance at the front of the railway stations itself.

·         Separate lines for physically handicapped / mentally handicapped persons should be policed for misuse by touts and unauthorised mala fide applicants.

·         Uniform height of all platforms in all railways stations in India. It is hideously dangerous to expect passengers healthy or challenged to jump off trains to depths of 3 metres below the train floor! 

Malini Shankar is a Bangalore based wildlife photojournalist, author, blogger and documentary filmmaker; she is also a disability rights campaigner / writer and is one of the directors of Digital Discourse Foundation (www.digitaldiscourse.org.in)