Rlys cuts amenities, charges high fares, passengers unhappy

POOR SERVICE

Rlys cuts amenities, charges high fares, passengers unhappy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12/03/2021 

Most services have resumed, but travellers are irked that railways continues to charge the same fare as earlier despite offering few amenities.

Passengers are no longer given linen, pillows and towels, curtains have been removed from coaches and food vending inside trains halted. In addition, unclean berths and faulty fixtures mar the travel experience.

Chennai-Madurai Yercaud Express, Chennai-Kollam Express, Chennai-Madurai Tejas Express and Chennai-Bengaluru Double Decker trains are a few of the many trains that have drawn the ire of travellers.

“People spend more money to travel in AC coaches thinking the level of hygiene will be better here. But the berths were not clean. I did not get bottled water at en route stations. Railways should cut fare if they are not giving these amenities or should offer linen and pillows to those who ask for them,” said H R Ananth, who paid ₹1,075 for his journey from Chennai to Erode on Yercaud Express (02649).

Despite paying close to ₹2,000 for an executive chair car seat and ₹920 for an AC chair car seat, passengers on Chennai-Madurai Tejas Express too are inconvenienced.

“There is no food and water, WiFi was off and plug points were not working in the executive chair car. The TV screens at the back of the seats are no good. Distribution of food may be limited due to the pandemic, but what do other facilities have to do with it,” asked Priya, a recent traveller. “Without providing any facilities, it is unfair to charge the same rate.”

T Sadagopan, a frequent traveller, too had a poor trip on a Double Decker train. “The C3 coach had too many mosquitoes as the sliding door was broken. The food trays were broken too,” he said.

Sources said more than 60% of complaints were regarding linen and food. Passenger misuse, fixing facilities on time using contractors and sourcing of spares continue to remain problems. “Steps are being taken to ensure amenities are maintained on trains like Tejas,” a senior official said.