Railways Introduces Emergency Quota In Amrit Bharat-II And Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains
Railways Introduces Emergency Quota In Amrit Bharat-II And Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains
New booking provision adds 24 emergency berths in select trains, expanding urgent travel access under revised quota rules.
Indian Railways has introduced an Emergency Quota (EQ) in the newly launched Amrit Bharat-II and Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, marking a significant change in reservation rules for these premium services.
The decision was issued by the Railway Board in a letter dated February 9, following a review of an earlier notification released on January 15. Until now, only limited categories of quotas were permitted in these trains.
With the latest revision, passengers travelling under special urgent needs will now have access to emergency berths in addition to existing reserved categories.
A key highlight of the decision is that Amrit Bharat-II trains with seven or more Sleeper (SL) coaches will initially earmark 24 berths under the Emergency Quota.
Railways clarified that the quota structure in these trains will now include only five categories:
Emergency Quota
Ladies Quota
Persons with Disabilities (PwD) Quota
Senior Citizen Quota
Duty Pass Quota
Importantly, the Railway Board has stated that no other reservation quotas will apply, including Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC). This makes the booking framework more tightly regulated compared to conventional long-distance trains.
At present, 12 Amrit Bharat-II trains are already in service, having been introduced from January 2026 onwards. The inclusion of Emergency Quota is expected to help meet urgent travel demands while keeping the quota system restricted to essential categories.
Railways officials noted that the move is part of ongoing adjustments in passenger services as newer train categories expand across the network.
