Indian Railway has been trying to improve the basic amenities like moderisation of stations, introduction of Vande Bharat trains, cleanliness of trains, etc. but in the process the important issue has been relegated to the back seat. most of the long distance trains run late by a few hours, the condition of weekly trains is deplorable and hardly any train runs on time. The monopoly of Indian Railways has been causing huge problems for the passengers.  There is absolutely no accountability on the part of the officials responsible for running the train late.  Here, I shall narrate my horrific experience of a train journey from Durgapur to SMVT Bangalore. We boarded the train (No. 22306 Jasidih - SMVT Weekly Express) on 28th August at Durgapur. At the originating station it was 15 minutes late and by the time it reached Durgapur (at a distance of 153 KM from Jasidih), the delay was 45 minutes. It was 45 minutes late at Kharagpur and by the time it reached Balasore, the delay increased to 2.5 hours. At Bhubaneswar, it reached late by almost 3.5 hours and when we were expecting some time would be made good at night, late running increased to 4 hours at Vishakapattanam. At that juncture, we only hoped that there should not be any further delay. But some more torture was in store for us. When the train reached Gudur (a Non stopping Station), the train was halted for half an hour and after running for 10 minutes or so, it was halted again for almost an hour in an innocuous station apparently to give way to Coromondal Express. The late running went on increasing and it ultimately reached at 2.40 a.m. on 30th August (against the arrival time of 8.10 p.m. on 29th August). The delay was exactly 6 hrs 30 mins. When we alighted the train on platform No. 6 (against the allotted platform No. 3), more shock was waiting for us. We found all the escalators and lifts were closed. Wasn't the journey horrific?
Now, I have a few questions even though I know nobody is there to answer.
● What is the purpose of running such a train?
● Why did the train start late at the origination station?
● Why did the train delay 45 minutes to cover a distance of only 153 KM?
● Why did the train get delayed by two and a half hours to reach Balasore?
● Why was the train stopped at Gudur and another station for almost one hour and a half to make way for an express train?
● Why were the escalators and lifts closed at SMVT station when the train arrived?
After that nightmarish experience, we have decided not to travel by any long distance train any more. Incidentally, as both our children stay in Bangalore, we preferred to come by train only to bring some vegetables and sweets which are normally not available in the city but while going back, we invariably take flights. It goes without saying that while we can afford to travel by air, the train is the conveyance mode of journey for the masses. In this particular train there were a large number of patients and their relatives who got down at Chennai (a few) and Katpadi (a good number) stations.
While there might be some genuine reasons for some delay, such an abnormal delay is due to lackadaisical attitude and absence of accountability on the part of the personnel responsible for the running of the trains.
I have a few suggestions for the railway authorities.
● When a Long - Distance train reaches the destination station late (Say, more than an hour) the reason for the delay has to be invariably examined and accountability has to be fixed if the personnel are found to be negligent / violator of rules..
● At every station, the trains halt for more time ( At time, even 10 / 15 minutes against 5 minutes) than that given in the Time Table. This trend has to be stopped forthwith as it initiates a chain reaction and other trains also follow suit.
● Stop tom-tomming on the glory of running Vande Bharat Trains and Amrut Bharat Stations and focus on the main area of timely running of trains.
● If they cannot be run on time, discontinue the services of all weekly trains.
● Change the age-old practice of giving least priority to an already late-running train.See less