Vacations Lead To Heavy Rush In Long Route Trains

LUDHIANA: Vacations have caused a huge rush of commuters in trains on long routes. A long waiting list is causing inconvenience to many, who are not getting confirmation of their seats. If railway officials are to be believed, the situation would continue to be such till January 5 that there would be no space in trains.

According to railway officials, there are several reasons behind the rush in trains- on Monday, it is Moharram, New Year is around the corner and vacations would last till January, so commuters are making the most of them. Those who cannot afford to travel by air, prefer railways, as they are the cheapest mode for commuting, be it any part of the country.

Sources revealed that commuters are largely opting to travel towards Nanded Sahib because there is hardly any room for them in Sachkhand Express, while the second preference in this regard is Mumbai. Owing to winters, in Punjab, commuters are travelling towards Mumbai to escape the chilly weather. Third preference for commuters is Guwahati and other stations in Assam. The condition in almost all trains is the same. The authorities had extended the time of operation of the two winter special trains by 11 days. It is being felt that a few more trains plying on other routes could be added to the list of winter special trains.

Passengers are demanding more special trains so that they have more choice when it comes to rail travel. It is often difficult to get hold of seats till the train reaches Delhi. The authorities do not care for commuters, who end up jostling for space in general coaches of trains, said Himanshu, a commuter. He added that authorities should work on increasing the number of coaches or running more special trains towards Mumbai or Goa. On the other hand, authorities say the rush is attached to the winter season- it would last only for 15 days and after that, there would be a lean period. As RK Sharma, station superintendent, expressed: “The rush, that is linked to winters and new year season, would continue for a few days.” He said there is rush in trains, but they are able to cater to it.


Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com