It may be summer vacation time but travelling by trains has been ‘far from pleasant’ for most passengers. The portals and Twitter handles of nearly all railway divisions of the Central Railway (CR), including the Pune railway division, are flooded with passenger complaints about train delays, unclean trains, and heavy rush and mismanagement at railway stations.
Aniket Kale, a passenger travelling from Pune to Jammu by the 11077 Jhelum Express, said, “I am travelling from Pune railway station, in coach number B-6. The toilets are unclean and there are beggars at the stations. While there is no security person and beggars are standing here, the pantry staff are sleeping in front of the toilet. How can ladies use the toilet in such a situation?”
Another passenger Vaibhav Kadu who travelled yesterday from Pune railway station lodged a complaint stating, “I want to bring to your attention that the pillows provided in the train coaches for passenger use were unclean which is quite disappointing. Clean and hygienic bedding is crucial for passengers while travelling.”
While hundreds of complaints have been lodged, there is no prompt action being taken by the railways. A large part of the complaints is about train number 12129 Pune to Howrah Azad Hind Express which is being delayed by over 20 hours in the last few days.
“Trains are running late by more than 21 hours. Such amazing service the railways are providing the public!” Sukhpreet Singh, a passenger, sneered. On Tuesday, the Pune railway division issued a statement about the Azad Hind Express which read, “Train number 12129 Pune to Howrah Azad Hind Express, leaving Pune at 18.35 hours on May 16, 2023 has been rescheduled to leave at 07.25 hours on May 17, 2023 from Pune due to late running of the incoming pairing rake. Inconvenience caused is regretted.”
{{/usCountry}}“Trains are running late by more than 21 hours. Such amazing service the railways are providing the public!” Sukhpreet Singh, a passenger, sneered. On Tuesday, the Pune railway division issued a statement about the Azad Hind Express which read, “Train number 12129 Pune to Howrah Azad Hind Express, leaving Pune at 18.35 hours on May 16, 2023 has been rescheduled to leave at 07.25 hours on May 17, 2023 from Pune due to late running of the incoming pairing rake. Inconvenience caused is regretted.”
{{/usCountry}}A senior official from the railways said on condition of anonymity, “Trains running on the South East Central Railway (SECR) are delayed due to third/fourth line infrastructure works and due to a lot of freight trains getting priority over passenger traffic routes.”
There are also complaints about poor management at the railway station as train arrivals are being announced at the eleventh hour, forcing elderly passengers to run with their luggage in order to catch these trains. Dushyant Lodaya, a passenger, tweeted, “Only 15 minutes left for the train to arrive but there is no platform indicator. Aged people cannot run at the last moment to catch the train. This is pathetic management of trains at Pune railway station.”
On his part, Ajay Kumar, Pune railway division spokesperson, said, “The Azad Hind Express train is getting delayed due to infrastructural works underway whereas due to a large number of train operations, the platform on which the train is arriving is announced only 15 to 20 minutes before arrival. Also, the cleanliness of the trains is being maintained and passenger complaints are being addressed immediately.”