Train troubles flummox passengers

Train troubles flummox passengers

Raghava M.

Bangalore: J.S. Ashwatha, a passenger at the Cantonment Railway Station is helpless. It is Sunday night. That morning he received an SMS that his ticket for Coimbatore had been confirmed. But neither the helpline (139) nor the kiosk in the railway station or the reservation sheets corroborate this. A railway official says the problem is related to the computer server.

Mr. Ashwatha, who is with the Central Water Commission in Coimbatore, hopes that the list with the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) will have his name. The name of a different person is shown against his waitlisted number. “The official has asked me to check with the TTE.”

Mr. Ashwatha is anxious. “I am helpless… I cannot afford to miss this train which is convenient for me to report back for duty,” he says, awaiting the train which is running behind schedule. One hopes that his problem was resolved.

Other passengers who use railway stations in the city complain of lack of information about order of coaches, cleanliness of coaches, absence of water and about the quality food and blankets.

Shantanu G., a software professional, cribs about the musty blankets provided in the AC compartments. “Though officials claim they are clean, in reality their quality leaves a lot to be desired.”

The problems for passengers are varied. From common issues such as cleanliness to rather peculiar difficulties as Mr. Emanuel, a frequent traveller from Bangalore to Chennai experiences. Mr. Emanuel said passengers catching the Mysore-Chennai Cauvery Express at the Cantonment Station struggle to locate S-12 and S-13 coaches. “These two coaches are not placed in sequence with the other coaches. Unless you are familiar with the positioning, it will be difficult to find these two. The electronic coach display system does not work when the train arrives around midnight. You will find no officials either to speak to,” he said.