[Newpunter]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

There is no issue either in Bihar or Jharkhand and I travelled a lot in both the states in almost all lines. I must admit, there is small problem between Gaya - Patna / Patna - Mokama section and that too because of daily passengers (Max journey time: 2 hours). They just share your berth and ample space for you to sit. In almost all states daily passenger travel to bigger cities to nearby places. In all states I can see they have permit (Unofficial) to travel in any coach of train.

I have traveled a lot between UP and Bihar/ Jharkhand and have to say that it is no worse than what happens here, although at that time, I used to think that it happened only in those states. I witnessed some serious arguments near Gaya-Mughalsarai- Varanasi when people with unreserved tickets sat on reserved berths. At one time, I heard a guy shout " Reservation kara liya tho kaa poora train tera ho gaya kaa? " . But on the whole, it's the same all over india. Witnessed the same thing in other states like Maharastra, Andhra, Karnataka etc.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

There is no issue...far away and commenting.

Boy!!! you got me wrong!!! I've no intention of offending Bihar or any other state in this country. I just picked up Bihar as such, could've been MH/TN/AP/OR or any other state too. All I wanted to say is that this is a national issue & nothing specific with KA!!!

Don't get offended or personal my friend!!!

Edit - See, Newpunter confirms my post on the national issue.

[MX6]

I tend to support Aargee here.

It's not far away and commenting or picking up Bihar per se. But there's a fact that the previous railway minister was Laloo. And my personal view is that the railways incidentally came down in all counts during his tenure, but he always took the cake for being a maverick minister who's credited with the accolade of making railways a profitable venture, which wasn't the case.
So much was desired to see what a person from Bihar would have done to Railways in Bihar. Not much except routing many trains through Bihar I presume.
Now that Mamata is holding that post, don't be surprised if people start asking about experience of train travel in Bengal.

I personally asked anilisanil how his train journey was between Kolkata and Siliguri.
His response was "nothing great. Too many trains. Not much occupancy".

Shashi Tharoor might have got the boot for referring to mass travel as cattle class. But enter any sleeper class train in India. It IS cattle class.

I travelled from Jhansi to Kanpur in the dead of the night with over 350 people occupying a reservation compartment. I was pushed out of my berth and had to sit near the wash basin. Things were ok, till a maveric youngster, upon opening the toilet, deemed it unhygenic and releived himself in the wash basin.
I almost decided to get off and sleep in the platform in Orai (urai) and take some transport to kanpur next day. But a theif running amock on the platform, chased by cops, and events that followed, made me stick to plans.

In all, 5 people slept in my berth. I was sitting on the door step in bitter winter throughout the journey. By the way, this happened in 1996.

[Rodie09]

Hi MX6, just curious from your post if you belong to Jhansi. I have done the same stretch Jhansi Kanpur a lot in 1996 as I was preparing for IIT JEE in Kanpur... I guess the train you refered must be Pushpak express.

I remember once in the same train the sleeper and general coach were so full.... 6-8 people in the toilets as well....that I had to give up.

luckily I managed to convince the train driver that I have an emergency and he let me travel in the engine... a diesel locomotive. and boy !! that was some ride....was like there were no shock absorbers and the train was running on the ballast instead of tracks.

sorry for going off topic, but yeah the problem of regular commuters occupying reserved compartments is present everywhere, but if its not too bad then people are accomodative for an hour or two. well, that doesnt make it a right thing though.

[supremeBaleno]

The exploding population growth plays a significant role here - train capacity cannot catch up with the way we are procreating.

Like some here, I moved from SL to 3AC for my travel, due to this precise issue on the Chennai-KL trains. Since I travel weekly, it became difficult to ignore this menace.

While this reduces the problem to a big extent, it still can be seen rarely. Earlier this menace was restricted to SL coaches and there was a wariness to getting into a/c coaches. Not anymore. I have seen people travel in 2AC also - whose ticket does not entitle them to travel in that coach.

And let us not make this seem as being caused by the uneducated lot - I see lots of students and IT folks (mostly Mallus working/studying in TN) who would be a group of 3-4 or more and among them just 1 guy would have a confirmed berth. The rest tag along creating nuisance for the other folks - encroaching on the already limited space, listening to music on speaker-phones, talking loudly late into the night etc etc.

Am glad there is no unreserved coach in airplanes - else you would have the aisles blocked by standing/sitting passengers, with no one able to go to the loo etc.

[naveenvenkatesh]

I was a regular on Myladuthurai express for the past 3-4 years. And my wife was also there for 2 years till i bought my car.
This train has S1 -S3 coaches as reserved. So if you have an unreserved ticket, you are supposed to pay the difference or birth charges and the TTE will allot a birth.
But on Sundays, its very crowded. Sometimes the TTE will announce that these are reserved coaches but sometimes, he is nowhere to be seen.
I shifted to AC 3 tier after some time, but even these are usually crowded. And guess by whom? Infy Trainees leaving Mysore after training!! Pretty ironic isn't it!!
No offense to any infy employees but these trainees think they own the coach. They are usually in a group and create one hell of a racket. My wife once lost it and gave them a piece of her mind.
I shifted to 2 tier AC after that.
Now i drive down to Mysore ever weekend and its been blissful!!!

The trains on the weekends are really crowded. More so on Sunday late afternoon to evening.
I have traveled in the 20:15, Kaveri express. Its pretty good and you have ample space to sleep on the births.

[anujmishra]

I am narrating one real life experience in Sevagram express which runs between Nagpur and Dadar (Mumbai) in year 1998.

I was traveling in Sleeper and had reserved berth for me and my friend. We were both going to Mumbai for attending some examination. Train departed at its usual time 8:30 PM out of Nagpur and in another 30 - 35 minutes it reached near Butibori. Butibori is industrial area situated at outskirts of Nagpur. Suddenly train stopped with three horn signals (means somebody pulled chain of train from inside) in pitch dark and out of no where. All commuters were curious to know what happened as they were listening some noise.

Me and my friend were busy in conversation unfazed by chain pulling. Suddenly a big rock came inside and hit upper eye portion of a commuter in our compartment. He started bleeding profusely. Then again ladies/gents were putting their head outside maximum possible through window grills. Outside were dacoits (chaddi-baniyan clad). They were snatching gold chains from neck/ gold ear-rings from ear lobes. In our bogey there were some 3 - 5 people injured either due to stone pelting from dacoits from outside or by snatching. There were chaos everywhere and people were searching for first aid kit. Injured persons were continuously bleeding. We tried to help some injured person with whatever possible manner at that time.

After some time train started moving and reached Wardha. All the commuter have done hungama there and railway doctors came and gave first aid to all affected 20-25 commuters all together. For this our train was got late by 4 - 5 hours.

It was real life dacoity experience by me on train in Maharashtra.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by MX6

In all, 5 people slept in my berth. I was sitting on the door step in bitter winter throughout the journey. By the way, this happened in 1996.

I cannot withstand hearing this!!! Totally atrocious!!! Considering the matured forum, I don't wish speaking anything more against the Govt!!! In this country, the Govt is surviving only because people have the attitude of "solpa adjust maadri"

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

The exploding population growth plays a significant role here - train capacity cannot catch up with the way we are procreating.

I wonder if that the same case in Japan where the density of population is almost the same compared to India!!!

But it doesn't justify on Govt not to catch up right? The root cause is CORRUPTION due to which lack of ENFORCEMENT

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Earlier this menace was restricted to SL coaches and there was a wariness to getting into a/c coaches. Not anymore.

+10000...; Strongly agreed!!!
Its like first the cyclists started riding on wrong way & their reason was they find it hard to pedal to take a U turn; slowly the menace started to two-wheelers, then cars & now everyone including buses & lorries do it!!!

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

And let us not make this seem as being caused by the uneducated lot

+10000...

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Am glad there is no unreserved coach in airplanes...go to the loo etc.

Lol & well said!!! You forgot one more thing...foot board travel on a flight & using parachute to land; probably they'll ask the pilot to slow down when they're nearing the suburbs of the city to jump via parachute

Originally Posted by anujmishra

I was traveling in Sleeper...real life dacoity experience by me on train in Maharashtra.

Yes, I've heard about it & somewhere its even acute than what you've experienced. The dacoits (called as freedom fighters or something) rob the rail that brings food into the town. They're harmless to people as long as they're allowed to rob the food & medicine. Can't recall which place, but I remember reading it on a Thamizh magazine.

[MileCruncher]

Oh boy!!! So many experiences here. I travelled by train after 2 years and that too in SL and it wasn't too bad. It was between Hyderabad and Goa and I liked it. Then after a month I again used the services of the Indian Railways for travelling between Hyd and Calcutta. This time it was with 1AC and I had an issue there. Only difference was in SL you will have problem with the masses, over here in 1ACmy problem was with the cronies and the security staff of a particular AP Govt Minister who was travelling on that day.

Furthermore, I realised in my return journey in 2AC that I was unscrupulously charged anywhere between 50-100% premium on the Pantry good items just because I was in 1AC

Bottomline is "Just Live with it"

[anujmishra]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Bottomline is "Just Live with it"

Do not live with it. Railway has introduced a new number in which you can complain from train about quality of food, toilets condition, coach cleanliness etc. Either you can send SMS or call to that toll free number and it is promised that your complain will be resolved by the next station.

More information here: Bad railway food? Call 57886 to complain - The Times of India

[Samurai]

I was a regular non-AC train traveler between Bangalore-Mysore in the 80s. I can't remember any time when the train was more than 50% occupied. So I used to love train journeys then.

Then I traveled sleeper (Udyan express) from Bangalore to Bombay in 1992. What a nightmare! To start with I found that my berth was also reserved to another guy. The TT came, looked at both the tickets and asked us to adjust for the night. That means I had to sleep in 69 position with a stranger, staring at his foot whenever I woke up.

Is there a foot version of Karaagre Vasate Lakshmi?

Next day morning, we both were rudely woken up by day passengers who wanted to sit in our berth. Upon reaching Bombay for the first time in my life, I found that my company had not booked any hotel room for me. That's a story for some other time.

After that I have never traveled in non-AC train, sleeper or otherwise.

BTW, in villages and small towns, Infosys is a generic term for software/call-center company. Lot of locals in my village refer my company as Infosys.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

Do not live with it. Railway has introduced...promised that your complain will be resolved by the next station

Well, like to state one of our experience somewhere during 2008 Oct. We were on 3rd A/C & our Son was about an year old & his diapers didn't do a good job due to which the floor was soiled!!!

Fortunately there weren't any passengers nearby atleast for next 4-5 rows & as a matter of gesture, we felt we're liable to clean rather than depending on the railway cleaners.

Since we didn't have additional newspaper or the existing diaper couldn't be used, we approached the TC & asked if he had any provision. He simply passed the buck saying BS3 was under a different TC's control. Now I knew all these drama & I had to rag pick a newspaper when the train stopped in middle of nowhere (most TVM mail people can see an improptou stop before or after Kayamkulam).

So we cleaned using the newspaper, however required pehnoyl or something to make things better. So I approached the said TC & he smilingly asked me to wait until the next station or approach the attenders. The attenders came hesitantly, put a cloth on the floor & asked us to clean. I mean, literally asked my Wife to clean. I never let my Wife out from seat & asked him authoritatively, if I'm the person supposed to clean up? Hesitantly they wiped the floor & went away.

Originally Posted by Samurai

BTW, in villages and small towns, Infosys is a generic term for software/call-center company. Lot of locals in my village refer my company as Infosys.

I guess every state has something like this; One of my friend from AP say that when he goes to his village, ppl ask with enthu that if he works for Satyam.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by arsudarsan

No surprise this. Both this train and Mysore Tuticourin express are the same. Both trains act as reserved ones between Bangalore - Trichy and Bangalore Madurai respectively. For the rest of the journey, they are just normal passenger trains.

True. These trains are usually booked from Bangalore onwards and it remains unreserved from Mysore on most occasions. Hence, the people get in to reserved compartments. Even I have travelled in a sleeper compartment most of the times in these trains, but I make sure that there is no reservation between Mysore and Bangalore on that compartment before I get in.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by aargee

So we cleaned using the newspaper, however required pehnoyl or something to make things better. So I approached the said TC & he smilingly asked me to wait until the next station or approach the attenders. The attenders came hesitantly, put a cloth on the floor & asked us to clean. I mean, literally asked my Wife to clean. I never let my Wife out from seat & asked him authoritatively, if I'm the person supposed to clean up? Hesitantly they wiped the floor & went away.

Good to know that you cleaned initially using the newspaper.

As for the second part of your statement, sadly, that's India.

Had it been US, you'd be picking up your dog's poop (if you have one there) yourself from the park. That question (if I'm the person supposed to clean up), would never arise there!

In India, no one is now willing to clean up the dirt (not even the one's who are paid to do that). They are however willing to tolerate the stink!

That way Aargee, good that you soaked up things using a newspaper and went ahead finding the person paid for cleaning to clean up things. Had I been there, I'd have cleaned it up completely myself, and dropped all the muck in the place where the attender of the A/c coach sleeps!

[snorting bull]

Who knows, that guy might have bought infy shares and would have become a beggar.