Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Ordeal for rail passengers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: High-capacity coaches introduced on popular trains as a short-term measure to address the travelling needs of commuters are posing problems to commuters and travelling ticket examiners (TTE).

Confusion prevails on long-distance trains that operate using rakes with high-capacity coaches, with passengers complaining that seats allotted to them are occupied by other commuters. This often leads to commotion and verbal duel between commuters. Passengers boarding the train from small stations, senior citizens and women are the worst hit. The TTEs have a tough task pacifying the commuters. As the additional berth is located between the upper and lower side berths, commuters find it difficult even to switch on the lights and fans. The two hooks that suspend the additional berth are not sturdy and chances of the hook slipping and the berth coming down, causing injuries to passengers, are high.

As against 72 berths in a Sleeper Class coach, a high-capacity Sleeper Class coach has 81 berths. Compared to 64 berths in AC 3-tier, the high-capacity coach has 72 berths. Both AC 2-tier and First AC high-capacity coaches can accommodate two and four additional berths.

On Friday, hundreds of commuters on the 6343 Thiruvananthapuram-Palakkad Town Amritha Express were shocked to find that the berth numbers in the reservation chart did not match the number in their ticket. The berths were changed as the rake was of high-capacity coaches. The railway station authorities also did not make any announcement at the Central station.

Things were not different on the 6344 Palakkad Town-Thiruvananthapuram Amritha Express that left Palakkad on Sunday. As the reservation chart was not put up on the coach, the commuters had to depend on the TTE to find their seats.

The Southern Railway has seven rakes with high-capacity coaches. The zonal railways has already announced that high-capacity coaches would be inducted in trains.

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