[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Which one was your berth ? Try getting onto the top side berth and you would know a new meaning for "uncomfortable".

Quite right! The curvature of the roof makes sure you can never get into a comfortable position. I've had sleepless nights whenever i was unlucky to get the side top berth. Worst part is, noone is even willing to trade their berth for yours, whatever be the case.

[ashwinsid]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Which one was your berth ? Try getting onto the top side berth and you would know a new meaning for "uncomfortable".

Oh. I had the lower berth. Just by observing I thought its not uncomfortably (meaning the length of the bed is almost same as the regular berths). Did not observe the top curvature

[EssYouWe]

Oh, I didn't know this ever happened.

I traveled on Diwali this year and just had a Filipino couple and a hippy for company in the whole bogey.

The lower side berth is a serious pain in the backside if one wants to sleep. Cars are so much better than trains.

[finneyp]

Just travelled by Garib Rath to & from Kerala, and this damn train still has 3 berths on the side!
The TTE says that Garib Raths will retain this 3 side berths nonsense!

[rajesh1868]

can anyone pls confirm if these trains have side middle?
1) 2684 ERNAKULAM SF EX (Bangalore- ernakulam)
2) 2678 BANGALORE EXP (day train) - Ernakulam - bangalore

i have booked tickets and got side berths in both these.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

can anyone pls confirm if these trains have side middle?
1) 2684 ERNAKULAM SF EX (Bangalore- ernakulam)
2) 2678 BANGALORE EXP (day train) - Ernakulam - bangalore
i have booked tickets and got side berths in both these.

Hold on, just because some trains no longer have 3 side-berths does not mean that things are good. You could still get 'tortured' like I learned last week.

When there was an outcry about the new system, Railways did dismantle the extra side-middle seat and went back to the old scheme. But this was not done uniformly. While in most coaches, they removed the middle seat and lowered the side-upper seat to old height, in some coaches they did a hasty job and just removed the side-middle, leaving the side-upper as-is.

So, if you are unlucky to have your side-upper berth in such a coach, you are in for trouble. Why can't these guys do a complete job ?

[condor]

Rajesh, what is the seat num ? Your ticket will contain enough information to decode for the details you are looking for. Pls provide seat /berth num, and the suffix - like 'SU' 'SL' or 'SM' or 'UB' 'LB' etc
.

+1 to the comments by @SB. Even if the coach has 2 side berths, you will often find that all berths except the main lower berths have a much slimmer cushion, making it not so comfortable to sleep on.

Have actually started to explore bus travel, after this SMB fiasco by IR.

[gt_bhp]

+1 to @condor & @SB comments. Was assigned side upper berth and though the mid berth was removed the upper berth wasn't lowered to it original position and I couldn't even get on to it as the roof was very close. Disgusted with this incomplete work.

[shamanth]

I traveled from hyderabad to Bangalore Yeswantpur garib rath on 26th. In that side middle seat was still there. I had got upper berth found out that even normal upper berth height was more and was difficult to sit.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Hold on, just because some trains no longer have 3 side-berths does not mean that things are good. You could still get 'tortured' like I learned last week.

When there was an outcry about the new system, Railways did dismantle the extra side-middle seat and went back to the old scheme. But this was not done uniformly. While in most coaches, they removed the middle seat and lowered the side-upper seat to old height, in some coaches they did a hasty job and just removed the side-middle, leaving the side-upper as-is.

So, if you are unlucky to have your side-upper berth in such a coach, you are in for trouble. Why can't these guys do a complete job ?

This sounds bad

Originally Posted by condor

Rajesh, what is the seat num ? Your ticket will contain enough information to decode for the details you are looking for. Pls provide seat /berth num, and the suffix - like 'SU' 'SL' or 'SM' or 'UB' 'LB' etc
.

+1 to the comments by @SB. Even if the coach has 2 side berths, you will often find that all berths except the main lower berths have a much slimmer cushion, making it not so comfortable to sleep on.

Have actually started to explore bus travel, after this SMB fiasco by IR.

I have booked for side seat specifically . Its SU and SL (me and wife) what i wanted to know was will anyone come in between

But SU being as it was earlier will be really uncomfortable

[rajesh1868]

here is an update. no middle berth for the above mentioned trains and upper berth isnt too up. it has been restored to its normal position

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

So, if you are unlucky to have your side-upper berth in such a coach, you are in for trouble. Why can't these guys do a complete job ?

I was at the receiving end of this last Thursday. Me & wifey both got side-upper in adjoining 3AC coaches (she had booked later) of 2623 Tvm Mail. And both coaches did not have the side-upper berth restored to old position, though side-middle was removed.

And as if this was not enough, we had our son with us. Decided to spare my wife the trouble and I shared the uncomfortable berth with my son. Sleepless night, to say the least.

Can we sue these guys ? I mean, we pay the same money that the guys in other berths pay and why should we be put to such torture ?

[roadracer]

Guys, Could somebody post a picture of the side middle. The reason,which I have heard, for the removal of the seat is not due to public outcry but due to the fact that software could not be enhanced to support reservation for this additional seat :-). Not sure if this reason is true but this is what I heard from one of my colleagues.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

I was at the receiving end of this last Thursday. Me & wifey both got side-upper in adjoining 3AC coaches (she had booked later) of 2623 Tvm Mail. And both coaches did not have the side-upper berth restored to old position, though side-middle was removed.

Accept my condolonces. I am a regular on this train from ERN to TVC at least once a week, and I know the pain of traveling in these coaches.

Originally Posted by roadracer

Guys, Could somebody post a picture of the side middle. The reason,which I have heard, for the removal of the seat is not due to public outcry but due to the fact that software could not be enhanced to support reservation for this additional seat :-). Not sure if this reason is true but this is what I heard from one of my colleagues.

1. SMB is removed.
2. Removal coincided with fixing the software to accomodate SMB.
3. The seat allocation previously was such that the number on the coach was different from what is printed on the ticket, but the allocation was fixed - means if you got a UB on the ticket, you actually got a UB on the train, but the seat number may be different. This too was fixed, but by then, the policy decision to remove SMB was taken.

To be on the safe side, I always book side lower berth nowadays, (while travelling alone) and ask the passenger for permission, if the SUB is restored to its former position. I nowadays travel only between ERN and TVC, up to 4 months back, it used to be ERN > TVC > CAN > KKD > TVC > ERN, every 10 eay.

ERN = Ernakulam North; TVC = Trivandrum central; CAN = Kannur, KKD = Kozhikode.

[sudharma]

SBMs are existing in some of the trains even now. eg:- Garib rath from Yeswanthpur to Ernakulam have the SBM. It is a pain to get into this berth. Also I have noticed that there were no modifications on theSide Upper Berth. They had just inserted the Middle berth between the Side Lower berth and the Side Upper Berth.

Also unless the guy in the Side Middle Berth wakes up and the Lower Berth where his seat is alloted is available, all the 3 side passangers have to remain in horizontal position.