A senior citizen, 61-year-old Balasaheb Bagul, who boarded the coach at Currey Road, said he was pleasantly surprised. “This was long overdue. The earlier allocation of just a few seats for seniors wasn’t enough. This is much more spacious
Senior citizens travelling in a dedicated coach. PICS/RAJENDRA B AKLEKAR
Eighty-eight-year-old Rajpati Upadhyaya, a retired security professional, became the first senior citizen to travel in Mumbai’s first dedicated senior citizen coach on the Central Railway on Thursday. The special coach was attached to the 3.45 pm CSMT–Dombivli train. Equipped with a government-issued senior citizen card and multiple IDs, Upadhyaya said he had no idea he was the first official user of the facility.
I always travel with my IDs. I’m heading to Mulund. It feels great to know there’s a dedicated coach for us now. It gets really difficult to board regular coaches during peak hours. I hope the railways enforce strict rules to ensure only senior citizens use this space,” an excited Upadhyaya said.
First Mumbai local train with a dedicated coach for senior citizens. PICS/RAJENDRA B AKLEKAR
Another senior citizen, 61-year-old Balasaheb Bagul, who boarded the coach at Currey Road, said he was pleasantly surprised. “This was long overdue. The earlier allocation of just a few seats for seniors wasn’t enough. This is much more spacious. The coach was previously a luggage compartment, which wasn’t used much in the afternoon. Repurposing it for senior citizens is a welcome move,” Bagul said.
Central Railway is in the process of converting all 156 of its trains to include one senior citizen coach each, at a total cost of Rs 7.573 crore. Converting a single coach costs R4.85 lakh. “It’s the Matunga Workshop of Central Railway that rolled out this first coach featuring a dedicated compartment for elderly passengers in Mumbai’s suburban network,” Dr Swapnil Nila, CR chief public relations officer said.
Balasaheb Bagul, 61
“In immediate response to directives from the Railway Board, a team at Matunga Workshop carried out structural and interior modifications on an EMU rake by converting the middle luggage compartment of the sixth coach (from the Mumbai end) into a senior citizen coach — marking a significant step toward inclusive mobility,” the officer added.
Dr Swapnil Nila, chief PRO
“This dedicated compartment will minimise the hassle senior citizens face while boarding or alighting suburban trains, especially during rush hours, and ensure a more comfortable and safer journey,” he said. “With this prototype rolled out, Central Railway has kick-started the process of converting all EMU rakes to include this facility,” he said.
Special features of the senior citizens’ coach
Enhanced Seating Configuration: Three 3-seater benches and two 2-seater units (9+4 seating capacity) for comfort and accessibility
Stainless Steel Tubular Partitions: With sight-level panels and integrated grab poles for visibility and support
Safety Features: Knurled vertical grab poles at doorways and emergency ladders on both door underframes
Aesthetic Improvements: Vinyl wrapping for a cleaner, more appealing interior
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