Train travel: My experience in the August Kranti Rajdhani Express

I was impressed by the fast complaint resolution. I raised an issue on the RailMadad portal & the Pantry Manager & Train Manager were at my seat in less than 10 minutes.

BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I travelled by the August Kranti Rajdhani Express from Mumbai Central yesterday. This train also sports Tejas style coaches now. I entered Mumbai Central after almost 4 years, and what struck me immediately was the fantastic polished granite flooring on the platform. More on the train, the journey and the on-board service:

Likes

• Neat exterior and interior.
• Travelling Ticket Examiner neatly turned out in a grey suit, and was checking tickets on a tab; no hardboard pads and multiple sheets of paper.
• Fast - peak speed of 130kmph.
• Fast resolution of complaints.

Dislikes

• Onboard food service was mediocre - service pre-Covid19 was better.
• While the flooring is squeaky clean, the hidden parts are almost never cleaned. For eg - cushioned plank for the side lower berth, the leather between the inner edge of the upper berth and the partition panel, etc.

Notable omissions

• Issuing of blankets, bedsheets and pillows hasn't resumed yet.

What was served

• A few mins after the 1710 hrs departure - a small pack of nuts, a small pack of a mixture, a pack of soan cake, bottle of water, hot water in a flask and a tea/coffee kit containing a tea bag, a sachet of sugar, and a sachet of dairy whitener.
• Approx 2035 hrs (late service) - 2 parathas, a paneer veg, a portion of dal, some peas pulao, curd, pickle ending with vanilla ice cream. The veggie and dal tasted neutral with no spice.
• What I missed - soup

The complaint & the resolution process

Dinner wasn't served until 2034hrs; I shot off a complaint on the RailMadad portal and the Pantry Manager, Train Manager were at my seat in less than 10 minutes apologizing, pleading to forgive their "bachcha" for the late service since the staff was in Holi mood etc. Like in all such cases, they gave a dressing down to the pantry steward asking him to take good care of me. I point blank told them that I didn't want VVIP treatment and that my intent of complaining was to improve their level of service.

After a few minutes, I got a call from West Zone Control, who wanted to know if the issue was resolved, if I wanted action to be taken against the pantry staff, and asked for my suggestions for improvement. I told the caller that the intent behind my complaint was on-time food service and nothing else, and they closed the complaint with an advisory to the pantry staff.

Between two platforms at Mumbai Central - note how clean the portion between the two tracks is

Platform 2 at Mumbai Central - neat polished granite

Portion of the on-board snacks

Display right above the cabin door - speedo error of 2 kmph

Here's what BHPian sandeepmohan had to say about the matter:

I am not a fan of those polished new platform floors. They only look good. The surface is slippery. All it takes is a little carelessness or a lack of warning after it's just been mopped for someone to have a bad tumble. Not everyone wears a pair of grippy sneakers.

Unfortunate to hear about the food. Food on the Rajdhani is a highlight as they tend to overfeed you. That said, some of the private food vendors on some express trains do beat the Rajdhani for variety.

For all the hate IR usually gets, quite pleased with how they responded to your complaint with a follow-up. It's not often you hear of that. Heck, I doubt if our airlines follow this as well!

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