Cancellations by Southern Railway force public to spend 3X for train ticket

CHENNAI: In 28 days of October, the Southern Railway cancelled as many as 92 trips citing reasons like unavailability of rakes (each rake consists of a series of connected coaches), Cyclone Dana, Chennai rains, and Kavarapettai train accident, sending passengers scrambling to make alternative arrangements in the last minute.

However, this cited reason of rake shortage did not stop the national carrier from operating special trains, 34 of them, running as many as 320 trips. Making matters worse for many of the passengers, the only tickets that are available are in the premium Tatkal and dynamic fare categories, for which they have to shell out as much as three times the fare.

For instance, the fare for a second AC premium Tatkal ticket from Chennai to Delhi on Grand Trunk Express on Sunday is Rs 10,665, while it is Rs 7,005 for a third AC ticket. Compare that with the normal fare of Rs 3,100 and Rs 2,140, respectively. Incidentally, one ticket of a flight leaving on the same day, at the same time is Rs 8,500.

Then there is the issue of inconvenience when it comes to special trains. Noting how most regular long-distance trains are operated at night while the special trains are run during odd times in the daytime – which results in wasting a day in travel - Dayanand Krishnan, an activist from Tambaram, said, “Cancellations claiming non-availability of rake shows improper planning by the Southern Railway."

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Earlier, Railways used to focus on freight transport to earn its revenue, while passenger transport was a service, said T Sadagopan, president of Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre. “But now, it is also focusing on dynamic fares and looting the passengers. The extra amount they charge is not worth it, as there is no additional service provided to the passengers," he said.

When contacted, a senior Southern Railway official blamed the non-availability of rakes on inclement weather that causes delays and cancellations. On special trains being operated at odd hours, he said better slots are unavailable due to the operation of express trains.