Special trains cost more, but amenities missing

Special trains cost more, but amenities missing

No Blankets Or Pillows, Curtains Removed

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 09.11.2021

More than 90% of trains may have resumed with full patronage, but railways continue to run them as specials, unreserved express specials and festival specials, charging high and varying fares without offering onboard amenities.

Concessions for senior citizens have been suspended, blankets and pillows are not given and curtains removed from all AC classes but charges have not been reduced. Passengers say it is unfair to keep fares high under different classifications when reservation status is at waitlist and RAC for weekends and holidays.

On Friday, Southern Railway announced around 11 unreserved specials with fares equivalent to express trains. This means people will have to spend double the money they had been spending for tickets on passenger trains to travel by these unreserved express specials between interior towns.

S Vijayaraghavan, who used to travel by passenger trains, said a passenger had to pay ₹30 or more to travel by one of these trains from one station to another while it used to cost only ₹7 on a passenger train. “Railways should introduce passenger trains instead of running trains that charge more money from the people. It is of no help.”

The railways is also introducing festival specials which have fares that will cost ₹300-₹500 more than regular AC III tier class on scheduled trains on the route. However, these trains do not offer any additional facilities.

Suresh Seshadri, a Kolkata resident who works in Chennai, said that on Coromandel Special and Howrah Mail special, the last few 2nd AC and 3rd AC tickets under premium tatkal category cost ₹4,000 and ₹2,500. “The actual fare is ₹2,500 and ₹1,750. A flight to Kolkata booked in advance will be cheaper than a 2nd AC seat.”

This, said consumer activist T Sadagopan, was fleecing in the name of pandemic. “There is no point in running the same express and mail trains by calling them specials and then cancelling all concessions for senior citizens and others. Curtains are removed, pillows and blankets are not given. Railways should be charging less from passengers who travel by AC class because half of the amenities are not provided on board. There is no justification to continue to charge the same fare.” However, railways maintain that all passenger trains are not being operated because the pandemic is still on. The Railway Board has said that a decision on running of passenger trains and running scheduled trains will be taken only after the pandemic reduces considerably.