The Delhi and Lucknow divisions of the Northern Railway provided foldable berths for travellers commuting with newborns as part of a test program on Mother’s Day this year.
On the Lucknow Mail’s two lower main berths, ‘baby berths’ have been installed for a trial run. This service will be expanded to other trains based on the response and feedback received from passengers.
Parents can use these berths to handle infants who are too young to be left alone on a single ordinary berth. A stopper is installed in the berth to prevent babies from falling out during transit.
Satish Kumar, the divisional railway manager of the Lucknow Northern Railway, tweeted about the berths, along with a video explaining how to use the berth’s straps, close it, and use it again.
Although the thought behind this initiative is pure, the execution and design are poor in taste.
Many of them claim that no mother was consulted prior to its making. Here are some of their reactions.
There is clearly a slew of what-ifs with this innovation, and because this is a test programme, the department should keep track of the feedback.