Ladies Quota Booking Rules | Ladies Quota in Sleeper Class
Section 58 of the Railways Act, 1989 provides for earmarking of accommodation for female passengers in trains. Accordingly, in trains carrying passengers, Indian Railways have earmarked following accommodation for female passengers:
i. A reservation quota of six berths in sleeper class in long distance Mail / Express trains.
ii. A combined quota of four lower berths per coach in Sleeper class and two lower berths per coach in Air Conditioned 3 tier (3AC) and Air Conditioned 2 tier (2AC) classes for Senior citizens, Female passengers 45 years of age and above, and pregnant women.
iii. Second class accommodation for women in the second Class-cum-Luggage-cum Guard’s Coach (SLR) in most of the long distance trains.
iv. Unreserved coaches / compartments for female passengers in EMU (Electrical Multiple Unit)/DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) / MMTS(Multi Modal Transport System) trains & local passenger trains depending upon demand pattern as well as availability of accommodation.
v. Running of ladies special EMU / MEMU / MMTS services on the suburban sections of Mumbai, Kolkata, Secunderabad and Chennai as well as on the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) sections.
Prevention of crime, registration of cases, their investigation in Railway premises as well as on running trains are the statutory responsibility of the State Police, which they discharge through Government Railway Police (GRP) of the State concerned. As such the cases of crime on Railways are reported to, registered and investigated by the Govt. Railway Police. However, RPF supplements the efforts of GRP by deploying their staff for escorting of important trains in affected areas and for access control duties at important and sensitive railway stations.
The following steps are taken by the Railways to improve safety and security of women passengers as under:-
(i) On vulnerable and identified routes/ sections, 2300 trains (on an average) are escorted by Railway Protection Force daily, in addition to 2200 trains escorted by Government Railway Police of different States daily.
(ii) All the ladies special trains running in Metropolitan cities are being escorted by lady RPF constables.
(iii) The ladies compartments in sub-urban local trains are being escorted by RPF and GRP during peak / non-peak hours. Staff deployment is made during late night and early morning sub-urban local trains to ensure proper security to the lady passengers.
(iv) An All India Security Helpline 182 has been operational to enable passengers to seek security related assistance round the clock.
(v) An Integrated Security System consisting of electronic surveillance of vulnerable stations through Close Circuit Television Camera Network, access control, Anti-sabotage checks have been sanctioned to strengthen surveillance mechanism over 202 sensitive Railway stations.
(vi) RPF holds regular coordination meetings with State Police at all levels to ensure proper registration and investigation of crime by Government Railway Police (GRP).
(c): Policing on Railways is a State subject and the Government Railway Police of the concerned State register the cases of crime against women. The details of the rape, molestation & assault cases on women filed by GRP during the years 2025 and 2025 is appended.
CCTV cameras have been installed in main line coaches in one coach each in the following trains on trial basis:-
(i) 12625/ 12626, Kerala Express
(ii) 16179/ 16180 Mannai Express
(iii) 16713/ 16714 Rameshwaram Express.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 24.02.2025 (Wednesday).
Source : PIB
(COMMERCIAL CIRCULAR NO. 13 OF 2025)
Sub: Earmarking of reservation quota for women.
At present, following reserved accommodation is earmarked for use of female passengers :-
(a) In Sleeper Class coach reservation quota of 6 berths in Mail / Express trains for ladies irrespective of age travelling alone or in a group of female passengers.
(b) In all trains having reserved sleeping accommodation, a combined quota of six lower berths per coach in Sleeper class and 3 lower berths per coach each in AC 3 tier and AC-2 tier classes for Senior Citizens, Female passengers of 45 years of age and above and pregnant women. In case of Rajdhani, Duronto and fully Air Conditioned/Express trains, the number of berths to be earmarked under this quota in 3 AC is 4 lower berths per coach as against 3 lower berths per coach in normal Mail / Express trains.
2. The issue regarding earmarking of ladies quota in 3AC class of Garib Rath Express trains has been examined and it has been decided to earmark a reservation quota of 6 berths in 3AC class of these trains for exclusive use of female passengers irrespective of their age while travelling alone or in group of female passengers.
3. It has also been decided to modify the logic of utilising accommodation earmarked under ladies quota as under:-
(i) Till preparation of first reservation charts, only female passengers travelling alone or in group of female passengers will be booked against this quota.
(ii) However, at the time of preparation of first reservation charts, the unutilised quota earmarked for female passengers will be released to waiting list female passengers travelling alone or in group of female passengers followed by waiting list senior citizens.
(iii) If there are no such passengers and berths are left vacant, on board ticket checking staff shall be authorised to allot this accommodation to any other lady passenger / senior citizen on partially confirmed ticket, if any after making necessary entries in the reservation chart.
Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the Ladies Quota (also referred to as “women’s quota”) in Indian Railways sleeper class (and other reserved classes):
What’s the Ladies Quota?
- Based on Section 58 of the Railways Act, 1989, Indian Railways reserves a quota specifically for female passengers to ensure safer and more accessible travel.
- Sleeper Class (SL): 6 berths per train are allocated under the Ladies Quota.
- In 3AC class of Garib Rath / Rajdhani / Duronto / fully AC Express trains, 6 berths per train are similarly earmarked for women regardless of age or travel group
Who Can Use It?
- Available to:
- Women traveling alone
- Women traveling with children under 12
- Female groups (no age restriction)
- Male children under 12 accompanying women are also permitted under this quota.
Lower Berth Allocation (Senior Cunutzung, Women, Pregnant)
Additionally, there’s a Lower Berth Quota across classes:
- Sleeper Class: 6–7 lower berths per coach
- AC 3-tier: 4–5 lower berths per coach
- AC 2-tier: 3–4 lower berths per coach
These are assigned to:
- Senior citizens
- Female passengers aged 45 and above
- Pregnant women with a doctor’s certificate (to be booked at PRS counters)
Booking & Allotment Rules
- Priority in Reservation Charting:
- Before the first reservation chart, these berths are exclusively for women traveling alone or in groups.
- If Unused:
- After charting, if quotas remain unused, they are first offered to waiting women passengers, then to senior citizens.
- Onboard staff can reassign any remaining berths to women or senior citizens even in RAC status, with updates to the reservation chart.
- How to Book:
- Select “Ladies Quota (LD)” during booking via IRCTC or PRS.
- If traveling as a pregnant woman, you need to book offline at PRS counters with a valid medical certificate.
Community Insights (From Reddit)
- Booking Tips:
- Use “Book only if lower berth is allotted” preference in IRCTC filters to improve chances for pregnant women or seniors.Pregnant Passengers:
- Booking under “Lower Berth/Sr Citizen” quota is effective, even if not strictly qualifying. Booking offline via PRS with a doctor’s note is advisable
- Age Clarification:
- The 45+ age cutoff for women under lower berth quota is strictly enforced; many have used the quota without issue. Always carry valid ID for age verification.
Summary Table
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Sleeper Class (SL) | 6 berths/train under Ladies Quota |
| 3AC in Special Trains | 6 berths/train under Ladies Quota (Garib Rath/Rajdhani etc.) |
| Lower Berth Quota | SL: 6–7; 3AC: 4–5; 2AC: 3–4 per coach |
| Eligibility | Women alone, women with <12 children, female groups |
| Pregnant Women | Bookable via PRS with certificate for lower berth |
| Unused Quota Handling | First to wait-listed women → senior citizens → onboard reassign |
| Booking Tip | Use IRCTC quota option; offline booking sometimes better |
Need help checking quota availability for a specific train or navigating IRCTC booking filters? I can walk you through step-by-step!