On the occasion of Mother's Day this year, the Indian Railways introduced foldable baby berths on selected trains with the aim of making rail journeys more comfortable for new mothers and their infants.
The introduction of these baby berths with lower berths is a joint effort of Northern Railway's Lucknow and Delhi divisions. The berths have been introduced on a trial basis in AC three-tier coach of Lucknow Mail - 12230 between berths 12 and 60.
Thought Behind The Initiative
The thought behind this initiative is to facilitate mothers to feel comfortable with their babies. The baby berth is foldable and secured with a stopper for the complete protection of the baby. The baby berth has been attached to the lower berth in such a way that the child doesn't fall off the seat while sleeping. To further ensure the baby's safety, straps have been given to secure them. This collaboration will especially be beneficial for women who are travelling with milk-fed infants.
Northern Railway Tweets
On Mother's Day, Lucknow Divn of N.Rly. introduced a baby berth on experimental basis in Coach No.194129/B4, berth No 12 & 60. This will facilitate mothers travelling with their babies.
— Northern Railway (@RailwayNorthern) May 9, 2022
The fitted baby seat is foldable & secured with a stopper. @AshwiniVaishnaw@RailMinIndiapic.twitter.com/4jNEtchuVh
Sharing pictures of the lower berth with a baby berth attached, Northern Railway tweeted, "On Mother’s Day, Lucknow Divn of N.Rly. introduced a baby berth on experimental basis in Coach No.194129/B4, berth No 12 & 60. This will facilitate mothers travelling with their babies. The fitted baby seat is foldable & secured with a stopper. @AshwiniVaishnaw @RailMinIndia."
Netizens React
As soon as the Northern Railways shared pictures of the newly launched baby berths, netizens couldn't keep calm and flooded the post with praises. Many felt that this was much needed and should be introduced across all trains to make the journey easier for mothers. (tips for travelling with babies)
A user wrote, "Good initiative sir. Please implement all over India. Really It will be helpful babies and mother at feeding time." Another one wrote, "KUDOS nice thought implemented looking forward in all trains hopefully."
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Using The Baby Berth
The baby berth is foldable and attached to the lower berth. There is a stopper below the lower berth that holds the baby berth. To use, the stopper can be unlocked and the berth can be rotated and brought to the same level as the lower berth. There is a slider next to the berth which should be locked to ensure safety. The berth also has a side support railing which should be unfolded before the berth is used. When not in use, the berth can be reversed back below the lower berth.
Fare For Seats With Baby Berth
As per reports, the Indian Railways will not charge any extra fare for the seat which is meant for infants.
Reservation For Seats With Baby Berth
Since the baby berths have been launched on a trial basis, there is no mechanism through which a baby berth can be booked. However, a traveller can reach out to the train ticket inspector and request to swap their seat with someone who has been assigned the lower berth with a baby berth attached to it.
Going forward, women will share the details of the child at the time of reserving their ticket. For children below the age of 5 years, a baby berth will be made available to the woman.
If this new initiative is a success post the trials then the Indian railways plan to introduce these baby berths in all the trains.
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