Indian Railways Accessibility Quotient Presented by Ms Abha

Indian Railways – Accessibility Quotient Presented by: Ms. Abha Negi Svayam – an initiative of SJ Charitable Trust editor@svayam. com www. svayam. com

National Policy for Persons with Disabilities, 2006: The National Policy recognizes that Persons with Disabilities are valuable human resource for the country and seeks to create an environment that provides them equal opportunities, protection of their rights and full participation in society.

INDIA • India is the seventh biggest country in the world; • Total area of India is estimated to be 3, 287, 240 square kilometer; • Population of India : 1210. 2 million (as per Census 2011); • Hence, it is very important to develop seamless accessible public transport

Indian Railways – Span & Importance • Largest rail network in Asia and the world's second largest under one management; • Indian Railways are a multi-gauge, multi-traction system covering over one hundred thousand track kilometers; • Carries near about 30 million passengers daily; • Reaches to the remotest of part of the country ; • The above results in increasing its demand year after year.

Increase in Demand of Indian Railways v/s Airlines No. of Passengers 2001 -02 (in Millions) Year 2002 -03 2003 -04 2004 -05 Railways 5093 4971 5112 5475 Airlines 1281 1332 1454 1817

Suburban Rail Suburban rail usage has sharply increased over the past five decades, with a 14 -fold growth in passenger km of travel (Indian Railways 2001).

Reason for Increase in Demand • Growing Population: Increased in urban population from 62 million in 1951 to 285 million in 2001 and is estimated to be around 540 million by the year 2021 • Extension of cities far beyond old city boundaries • Increased Urban trips : 80 million trips will need to be catered per day, whereas only 37 million trips are being provided by the available rail and bus mass transport facilities • Scattered residential and commercial development without necessary infrastructure

India appears on the second position in the list of passengers carried in rail transport per year (Countries with more than 500 million passengers): Country Billion passengers Year Japan India Germany People's Republic of China United Kingdom France Russia South Korea Italy Spain South Africa 22. 67 8. 03 1. 95 1. 86 1. 33 1. 14 1. 06 0. 64 0. 57 0. 53 2010 2011 2010 2009 2010 2007 Source: UIC database Even though many advanced technologies or superior designs of coaches have long been made available to people in Europe, Japan and now China, replicating or adapting those to meet the needs of people in India is far from reality.

Challenges faced by Indian Railways • Overcrowding, low frequency and lack of universal design • Lack of financial resources • Low per-capita income : 23 percent of Indian urban population living in poverty • Extremely low fares : Due to 70% (as per the Census 2011) of Indian population living in rural area • Misuse of Coach for Disabled

Need for Barrier-free Rail System

Disabled People in India • Disability was included in the census for the first time in 2001 • As per Census 2001, 2. 2% of the population was disabled This figure is contested by organizations working in the field which estimate India’s total disabled population at approximately six per cent or 70 million As per the recent World Bank report, India has some 40 to 80 million people with disabilities Census 2011 report still awaited Census 2011 – Campaign by Svayam in association with Census of India

Population trend: India Senior Citizens comprise 5% of India’s population, and the UN predicts that by 2050, about 536 million Indians will be aged 50 or over; The number of people over 80 is growing at 4% per annum; the population as a whole is growing at 1% per annum; 3. 5 million people will be over 100 years old by 2050: over half will live in Asia. Currently 64% of older people live in less developed regions, by 2050 this figure will rise to 80%;

The link between age and disability • There is a strong correlation between age and disability; • Two thirds of disabled people are seniors. Hence, the growing population over 60 that is projected to reach 177 million by 2025 together with India’s population of 70 million persons with disabilities is the main reason to make accessibility of the transport system a top priority

Global population trends: Ageing “ Our world is, after all, ageing rapidly, primarily due to increased lifespans and declining fertility rates. ” – The Economic Times dated 21. 02. 12. “We are at a brink of an ageing world, and we are not prepared. ” Mr. Brian Kennedy, CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing. “This mega crisis (ageing population) will start impacting us in the coming 20 years. ” Dr. Majd Alwan, Executive Director of the Center of Ageing Services Techonologies.

Provisions for people with disability in Indian Railways has extended a considerably large concession on the ticket for the disabled traveller and one escort travelling with them making the travel very cheap.

(Conti…) The Indian Railways have provided a separate compartment for the disabled passengers at the end of the train next to the guard van.

(Conti…) • The attempts have been made by Indian Railways to incorporate the accessibility features at some of the railway stations (like Delhi railway station and Agra Cantt railway station) such as earmarked parking for the wheelchair users, accessible entrance, waiting room with accessible toilet and above all inter connectivity of all the platforms with the ramp.

Accessible Features at Railway Station, New Delhi Ramp at the entrance Drinking Water counters at two levels Accessible toilet at the platform Placement of tactile warning and guiding blocks

Accessible Features at Railway Station, New Delhi Provision of Golf Cart on Platform No. 1 for intraplatform movement for the passengers with reduced mobility

Accessible Features at Railway Station, Agra Cantt Ramps connecting various platforms Ramp being used by coolies Accessible toilet in the waiting room Leveled surfaces

But is this enough to make Indian Railways Accessible to All ? ? ?

• The concession extended by Indian Railways is of no use if the railway stations and rail coaches are not accessible and are often difficult to use by people with various disabilities due to various reasons like : Ø Steps at various places Ø No information to passengers regarding train arrival/departures at respective platforms Ø Lack of appropriate directional signage to guide people,

(Conti…) Ø Lack of trained staff available to assist disabled passengers Ø Absence of accessible toilets Ø Unleveled surfaces Ø Absence of amenities like drinking water fountains, etc.

• Lack of provision for inter-platform transfers for people with disabilities putting their safety at question. They are forced to use the railway tracks for crossing hence increasing the risk of accident.

The coach for disabled does not facilitate independent and dignified access to a user as the component of manual assistance invariably remains due to: Ø Unleveled platform Ø Tactile warning blocks up to the disabled coach only hence posing trip hazard Ø Lack of enforcement leads to overcrowding

“INITIATIVES FOR DIFFERENTLY-ABLED PERSONS Indian Railways has taken initiative to start manufacturing specially designed coaches having earmarked compartments and toilets adopted to the needs of wheel chair borne/differently-abled persons. Each differently-abled compartment provided in specified coaches has a berthing capacity for 4 passengers including two attendants along with toilet and other amenities. Indian Railways has so far manufactured 2100 such specially designed coaches. It will be the endeavour of the Railways to have one such coach in each mail/express train. Efforts are being made to ensure ease of access to platforms and other areas at stations for differently-abled persons. ”

So called accessible coaches Overcrowding in the coach for disabled Toilets in the coach for disabled people Person with locomotive disability finding it difficult to enter the train due to high steps Level difference of the platform and the coach does not facilitate independent and dignified access

The Way Forward • New coaches to based on the universal design which would be accessible to all including the elderly and the disabled. • It is important that even the existing coaches should be retrofitted to make them accessible in a time bound manner. • Railway stations at the rural belts to be made accessible

(Conti…) • Platforms to be made accessible by : -Having ramps at all the entrances to the railway station -Interconnecting ramps within the railway station for safe inter platform transfer -Installation of elevators and travelators instead of escalators -Designated unisex toilet on each platform • Availability of Information • Sensitization of staff • Maintenance and repair of existing facilities

Conclusion • Accessibility refers to people’s ability to reach to the goods, services and activities, which is the ultimate goal of most transport activity. • Accessibility and mobility are directly linked to each other and hence it is important that transport planning should be based on accessibility. • Accessibility must not be seen as an isolated policy • It must become a non-negotiable part of policy making and planning at international and national levels.

A nation's development is also measured by the ease with which it integrates elderly & disabled into the mainstream society.

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