Train passengers left stranded

Hundreds of South-bound passengers were left stranded at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station on Wednesday night as the train they were scheduled to travel by did not have the required number of reserved coaches.

Around 300 passengers, who turned up to board the Visakhapatnam-bound Dakshin Express scheduled to leave at 10:50 pm on Wednesday with confirmed tickets, were shocked to find that they could not board the train as it was short of five sleeper coaches.

“I had booked tickets over a month back and I have a confirmed ticket. But I could not board the train because the train did not have enough sleeper coaches. When we approached the railway officials at the station, they said we should have confirmed about the status of reservation before coming to the station. Why should I enquire about the status of my reservation when I have a confirmed ticket already?” asked Ramchandra Rai, a passenger.

Railway officials said they can’t be blamed for it as the train arrived in Delhi with fewer coaches. “We were intimated about the less number of coaches in the train. Accordingly, even the reservation chart which was displayed at the station did not have the names of the passengers who could not board the train. But we could have done nothing as we don't deal with such issues,” a senior official who did not wish to be named, said.

However, the passengers complained that change in number of coaches should have been informed to the ticket holders before hand. “Why do we give details like mobile number on the reservation requisition form? Was it not the responsibility of the railway officials to at least send a message intimating about the last minute change?” Rai asked.