A thorough understanding of different types of quotas under which a passenger can book his/her train ticket is a primary requirement for getting a confirmed reservation. In my previous blog, I had discussed GN, PQ, RL and RQ quotas. These quotas depend upon the origin-destination pair (OD pair) for which a passenger is booking his/her ticket. This blog will focus on those quotas that can be booked for any OD pair but have restrictions regarding eligibility of a passenger applying for it. Without further ado let’s dive into the vast ocean of Indian railways.
SS Quota – Lower Birth Quota
As the above description suggests, this quota comprises of certain number of lower births especially earmarked for passengers fulfilling below mentioned criteria:
- Female over 45 years of age travelling alone
- Male over 60 years of age travelling alone
- Two Passengers falling under above two criteria booked in same PNR
- Pregnant female (only through reservation counters and not through IRCTC)
It is essential to note that senior citizens are eligible for concession in their ticket fares but the concession is applicable as per separate criteria:
- Male Passengers 60 years or above are eligible for 40 % concession
- Female Passengers 58 years or above are eligible for 50 % concession
All the information given so far is easily available throughout the internet but what is very difficult to find is the number of births that are allotted in each class under SS quota. The details are mentioned in the table below:
| Class | SS Quota Allocation per coach |
| SL | 7 Lower Births |
| 3A | 4 Lower Births |
| 2A | 3 Lower Births |
| 1A | No SS Quota Allocation |
Note that in certain exceptional cases, the SS quota allocation may be more or less depending upon the requirement of that particular route/train. If births allotted for SS quota are not utilized, they are transferred to GN quota during charting at the originating station.
LD Quota – Ladies Quota (For Female Travellers )
Ladies quota, as the name suggests, is for the female passengers travelling alone or in a group. Important to note that children below 12 years of age (including male child) travelling with ladies are also eligible for ladies quota.
The difference between LD and SS quota is that SS quota is present in almost all the classes of a train whereas LD quota is only present in the lowest class of a train that offers sleeping birth. For example, in a normal express or superfast train having SL, 3A and 2A class, LD quota will be allotted only in SL class which is the lowest class with sleeping accommodation whereas SS quota will be present in all the three classes. Similarly, in Rajdhani / Duronto/ ACSF trains having all AC classes, LD quota is allotted for 3A class which is the lowest class in those trains.
As per rules, there is a fixed allocation of 6 births in LD quota in the lowest class of a train with sleeping accommodation. However very few trains have a 12 births allocation as well, as an exception.
HP Quota – Divyang Quota (For physically handicapped )
HP quota is applicable for handicapped passengers travelling alone or with one guardian along with them. If a guardian is travelling along with a handicapped passenger, he/she is also eligible for HP quota.
As per the railway rules, a handicapped passenger is provided with a lower birth and the guardian is provided a middle birth in the same cabin if booked under HP quota.
HP quota is present only in two classes – SL class and 3A class. 2 births are set aside in 3A class whereas 4 births are set aside in SL class under HP quota in each train.
Handicapped passengers are also entitled for concession in the railway fares but the concession rate varies depending upon the type/extent of disability. The complete details regarding the concession applicable can be viewed on the official website of Indian Railways. Refer below link:
HO Quota – High Official Quota (VIP Quota)
Every train traveler in India has definitely heard about a magical term called as VIP Quota. Each and every long-distance train of Indian Railways has certain number of births set aside for this quota across all the reserved classes. This quota is also known as Head-quarters quota or DRM quota or Emergency Quota.
This quota is meant for MPs & MLAs, railway officials, doctors on emergency, bureaucrats etc. In simple words, this quota is meant for government/railway/ medical representatives involved in public work domain. There is a fixed protocol to be followed in order to reserve the seats under this quota. This quota is allotted based on seniority ranking of the VIP and first cum first serve basis.
There is no public information by railways regarding the no of births allotted in each class for a particular train under HO quota. All the classes in all the trains have some allotment under HO quota.
All the seats under HO quota if unutilized are released for normal public at the time of charting.
OS Quota – Outstation Quota
Outstation quota is a manual allotted quota even in this digital age. Although, Indian railways’ reservation system became fully computerized long time back but still outstation quota exists for certain locations which are far away from railway station and hence no reservation counter is available for people of those location to book tickets . OS quota is allotted manually to the passengers from those location and it cannot be booked online.
In order to book seats under outstation quota, a passenger has to submit an application in a prescribed format to the nearest railway head. The application must reach the railway head up to 1800 hours of the day prior to the day of journey, where these names should be fed in the computerised Passenger Reservation System before preparation of reservation charts at the train originating station or remote location charting station. In case no names are received within the stipulated time limit, the unutilized quota will get released to RAC/waitlisted passengers at the time of preparation of reservation charts.
Very few trains still have OS quota. 12951 Mumbai Central – New Delhi Rajdhani Express, 12295 Bengaluru – Danapur Sanghmitra Express and a few more trains still have OS quota.
FT Quota – Foreign Tourist Quota
Foreign Tourists (including NRIs) holding valid passport can avail Foreign Tourist Quota facility to book railway tickets. They can book the tickets up to 365 days in advance. FT quota is present in some popular trains of Indian Railways that connect important tourist destinations within the country.
DF Quota – Defence Quota (For defence personnel)
DF quota is applicable strictly for defence personnel of Indian Armed Forces. This quota is not present in all the trains but only in certain important trains that connect border locations/cantonment zones with the rest of the country. Booking under this quota is not available online.
This covers almost all the important quotas that exist in Indian railways passenger reservation system. I have tried to include minute details about each quota which will help a normal frequent train traveler to make an informed choice before booking his/her next train ticket. If you still have a doubt or need a clarification, you can reach out to me at contact@trainkibaat.com .
Disclaimer – This blog does not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of any organization/employer. It is solely based on my personal knowledge, research and opinion.
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