3 min readAug 3, 2026 01:45 PM IST
Indian Railways emergency quota rules: Indian Railways provides an Emergency Quota facility for cancer patients in eligible cases to facilitate urgent travel for treatment. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Railways provides direct access to the Emergency Quota for cancer patients to meet their urgent travel needs.
He added that the facility allows cancer patients and their attendants to book reserved tickets through computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters. Vaishnaw also said that the Ministry of Railways has earmarked a separate quota for cancer patients on certain identified trains.
The Railway Minister was responding to questions raised by Rajya Sabha MPs Terash Gowalla and Babubhai Jesangbhai Desai. They sought to know whether Indian Railways has a system for giving priority confirmed train tickets to critically ill patients who need to travel long distances for treatment.
They also asked about the application process for seeking emergency reservation, the medical documents required to avail the facility, and whether the emergency ticket allocation is available across all train categories and travel classes.
Apart from the special quota for cancer patients, Indian Railways also earmarks a limited number of berths under the Emergency Quota in reserved classes to meet urgent travel requirements of High Official Requisition (HOR) holders (which includes Central Government Ministers, Judges of Supreme Court/High Courts of various States), Members of Parliament.
How cancer patients can get urgent confirmed train tickets through Indian Railways
The Railway Minister further said that patients who need to travel for the treatment of critical illnesses can approach the nearest Emergency Quota (EQ) controlling authority with the required medical documents to seek a confirmed reservation. The request will be considered as per the existing guidelines, subject to seat availability and after verifying the genuineness of the travel.
At present, cancer patients and their attendants travelling on concessional tickets can access the entire Emergency Quota at the time of booking itself. To avail the facility, passengers must produce a concession certificate signed by the Officer-in-Charge of a hospital or institute recognized by the Central or State Government’s Health Department. In the case of AIDS patients, the certificate must be issued by a designated Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre.
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How many Emergency Quota berths are reserved for cancer patients?
A total of 12 berths are earmarked under the Emergency Quota in each train for cancer patients and their attendants. This includes 2 berths/seats each in First Class (FC), AC 2 Tier (2A), AC 3 Tier (3A) and AC Chair Car (CC), along with 4 berths in Sleeper Class.
Emergency Quota Berths for Cancer Patients, by Class
Max 4 Berths
Highest access: Sleeper class
Maximum Berths Accessible from Emergency Quota
Per train, for Cancer Patients and their attendants
In all other classes, no direct access to Emergency Quota will be given to Cancer Patients and their attendants.
Source: Rajya Sabha