‘T’ for transgender in railway tickets soon

The Railway Board in a letter to all zonal railways has said that ticket booking and cancellation forms will be modified from the current option of ‘Transgender (Male/ Female)’ to just ‘T’. 

According to the letter, the social justice and empowerment ministry is at present dealing with various issues of transgenders and a proposed legislation on this – The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, is being reviewed by a parliamentary standing committee. 

“The matter has been reviewed and it has been decided that till such time the detailed modalities on this account are finalised by the Ministry of Social Justice, a provision may be made in the system to capture the gender of transgender as ‘T’ instead of ‘T(M/F)’ as advised earlier,” according to the October 17 letter. 

The Railway Board said that the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Railways, will make necessary changes in the software for giving the option of transgender (T) alongside the option of M/F in the passenger railway system under intimation to all zonal railways, the letter said.