Indian Railways to offer more torture - adds extra berth
August 7th, 2008
In order to squeeze the last bit of money and to torture its customers, Indian Railways is taking a number of steps. In this post I will point out two of such nonsense steps. I don’t know who gets such idiotic ideas, but anyway for passengers it is going to be a lot of hassle.
1. Advertising through announcement speakers - A recent phenomenon where you are bombarded with advertisements through the high volume announcement speakers. Right now it preceeds every announcement and in future this is guaranteed to be a real noise pollution.
2. Extra berth in sleeper coaches - In an effort to get more money, railways has decided to introduce a side middle berth in sleeper and 3 tier AC coaches. The problem is - where will the extra guy sit during the day time? No problem, they have decided to squeeze him on the lower birth on the other side. That means 4 people on a seat which is barely sufficient for 3 people! So instead of increasing seating compacity and putting more compartments and trains, Indian Railways has decided to torture passengers.
Check out the new side berth arrangement below. The upper berth is so close to the roof that the guy lying there can barely breath!
Now here are some interesting things to note,
- In the new arrangement, 9 people will share a space which is suitable for 6 people. 3 tier arrangement itself was a torture.
- Where will the new guy put his luggage? Already people fight with each other for luggage space is long distance trains.
- Earlier families with small children used to prefer side berths since it offered them some freedom/privacy especially when the child starts crying in the night. Railways seems to consider passengers also as some commodity to be transferred.
I personally think that the person who got this idea and the guy who approved this, both needs to get a psychatric evaluation. They could be sadists waiting perform human torture experiments.
Idea :- Why don’t they use cargo trains to transport people? We can use returning cargo trains to transport people. Railways can market every cargo compartment as some sort of dormitory. Then each compartment can transport at least 200 people!
Trivia:- When you get time, visit Trivandrum railway station. You will be amazed at the number of useless LCD screens at the station. I could spot over 40 LCD screens in the railway station! They even have a large Samsug high definition LCD tv to display time!!! I wonder how much Samsung has paid to get these lucrative contracts!
Then you visit official railway canteen filled with smoke, dust and heat.
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August 7th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Oh yeah I have heard about the LCD screens at TVM station, I read that on the news that the huge number of screens are under scrutiny. The newspaper says that there was some discrepancies. Well its clear that some officials have made some money
That berth is just great ! I wonder how the person underneath will get up, may be will just roll till he fall on the floor and then get up.
May be they can use a couple of Nilkamal chairs which they can place it at different parts of the compartment. The passengers can use it like the way we use it at home.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:01 am
I dont believe what I’m seeing here!! Is this true guys???
Oh I’m just after commenting in Nikhils blog that I love train journey…especially Indian ling trips…And how quickly I’m going to eat my words!!
This is appaling…no consideration for fellowmen…
August 8th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Are you serious? Is this for real?
@Xylene567 : Roll over,get up from the floor and Nilkamal chairs –LOL.. Your comments killed me, can’t stop laughing
August 8th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I had written about the same a year back and dang! its reality!
Its one of the dumbest ideas that has materialized.
http://blog.nikhil.co.in/2007/09/inconvenience-on-wheels.html
I have a question. The extra side berth guy will sit in the 3×3 coupe. That means one side will have 4 and the other side will have 3 people. Is that fair?
Ayyo! How do I go home! Bleddy bus lobby not letting trains to run at convenient hours and trains taking so long to reach.
Buses, even Volvos are torturous and flights have become so expensive now! :((
Guess, moving to Trivandrum is the best thing I can do now!
On TVC station-I have seen the LCD displays. Come what may, I feel , TVC platform is the cleanest in India. (read this in Vindo Mehta’s column)
-Nikhil
August 8th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
@Nikhil
When it comes to cleanliness TVM station is good. But millions of rupees that they spent on HD TVs could have been used for more passenger facilities.
Another interesting example is the way things run in Trivandrum. There is an AC waiting room which is available for passengers at a rate of Rs.10 for two hours.
In Trichy this room was well maintained and there was uniformed guy giving receipts and ensuring that everything is maintained as per rules.
In Trivandrum you see someone without ID card or uniform in charge. Most of the time you see NOT passengers, but others like police or coolis or other railway exployees sleeping inside! I agree they deserve to have proper resting place, but at the cost of passengers?
August 9th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
There are times that all that you want is a train ticket, you know!
Maybe they could keep this as another class or something, and keep some seats in the current format and maybe increase the price for that.This would give some choice if there are people who are ready to pay more for a more comfortable seat. The intention is to increase the number of seats without much investment, i guess. Sometimes, people would prefer these seats to travelling in the Gen compartment if they have to travel urgently.So, am sure there are people who dont mind this.
August 10th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Bombaydosti, I am sure you will find people ready to get into a cargo compartment since they somehow want to reach their home. So are you going to open cargo compartments for passenger travel?
August 10th, 2008 at 11:27 am
With profits up to 20,000 crores what prevents railways from rolling out extra coaches or trains?
August 15th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Rail coaches and trains are not a prob for North Indians and Chennai guys, eventhough the North Indians don’t usually travel with a ticket. We keralites are condemned to travel like this since there are no trains or coaches, although we fill the coffers of passenger dept of Indian Railways. We are getting this because of the lack of voice to oppose these things. Keralites, uprise against this step motherly treatment by Lallu.
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:46 pm
The first time my brother travelled on the AC 3tire, he remarked it the mortury class. It really must fit the bill. Leave aside human diginity, this is certain measure to have frayed tempers worn even thiner. Anyway, Lalu was visited by cocroaches, and he ordered the trains be visited by terminators. Wonder if he ever dared travel again by train. Wonder how the Babus of railway policy making department would like if they were allowed only a pass to the class that they thought they were improving (sic No wonder the First Class, Second AC and First AC remain untouched)
October 7th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Recently I had toured in the North in West Bengal by train. The 3 tier Slepper
Class has become absolutely unsafe to travel in respect of emergecy rescue
operation as the middle births added on the sides are heavy blocades for
cutting and opening the windows. Rescue is not possible when any accident
happens These berths will only ensure inescapable death and emergency exits
provided are really goinf to meckery. Even now Emergency Exits are a mockery as
these exits are blocked by the middle berths during night.
times. Railways are only bothhered to make more and more money in the name of
providing more facilities but they are only farce. More over the side beths are
having lesser berth size along width by few inches. By adding sidee middle
berth the head room of the side upper berth has become so less a stout person
cannot enter to go inside and lie down. In fact they are like mortuary trays. I
sincerely hope that the Railway Minister will look into these aspects of rail
compartments meant for public use for travel and take a humanly approach to
provide better berths for travel and do away with the middle berths on the
sides and near the emergency exits inside for safety and comfort as rail
charges for ticket reservation, camcellations, tatkal are very high. Tatkal
tickets should not be covered in regular bogies as geniunely travel planning
persons are put to disadvantage of loosing the accomodation very much when
booking in advance. Tatkal should be included only as a separate bogie and as
railways are able to collect higher fares in the name tatkal fees.
October 29th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I would request all the big universities to call the Railway Minister for teaching, so that he will stop thinking how to torcher indian people by way of increasing the births in the railway compartments, which are already stinking with worst smells and high noice pollition.
My suggestion to the Railway minister to reduce their share in bribes and try to pay attention to the people. Each MP will be provided with 1st Class Rail ticket FREE of cost. If you put compulsory on MP to travel only in IInd Sleeper class, then the MP or his minister will know. Stop eating and enjoyment public money.