Rail Budget: Dear Suresh Prabhu, big ideas fine but take care of these small needs first

Dr Mr Railway Minister, we know you have a lot going on in your mind now - WiFi, Bullet trains, swanky railway platforms and what not. After all, after raising expectations sky high you cannot afford to underdeliver. And, of course, you need to stamp your vision on the budget you present today. You will make promises reflecting your plan for the railways, which may or may not fit the financial resources you have. If your vision includes making the rickety railways a modern facility, go ahead by all means and find the money for it from many sources. But Sir, as regular commuters we would like you to fix many small things first. That would make our experience on the trains and platforms much more pleasant than what it is right now. Here we go: The Rush Seasons: Why is it so difficult for families to get tickets during vacation time? Admitted, the rush is mindboggling, but the railways with its experience over the decades should be anticipating the demand. Limited seats and tickets and unlimited demand for these creates the situation for the nexus of touts and railway ticketing officials to flourish. They fleece the passengers. We understand the department makes special arrangements, but that obviously is not enough. Why not have more trains to and from metros and other important stations during the rush seasons? [caption id=“attachment_1817067” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Firstpost[/caption] Premium Trains: At present, the Indian Railways run 17 premium trains which are quite similar to Rajdhani trains. These trains have limited stops compared to other express services on the same or similar routes. Because of dynamic fare structure (which varies according to demand and seat availability), these trains run almost empty. The fare is invariably far higher than an average commuter would be willing to spend. Instead of wasting resources on such trains, shouldn’t the government be launching more commuter-friendly services? Reserved for all? Dear Sir, when we book seats and berths in reserved compartments, we expect these to be reserved, not open for all. Once trains, barring the Rajdhanis, Shatabdis and those with limited stoppages, enter stations in smaller cities and towns, we experience a free-for-all situation. Hundreds of short-distance passengers come rushing in and they force those with reserved seats to make space for them. They occupy the upper berths and there will be legs dangling in front of you face. Threats are issued to earlier occupants too and fights are common. This feels unsafe, particularly when you have ladies accompanying you. Why don’t you out an end to that practice? Where’s the safety? If you have travelled on long-distance trains, you would have noticed that coaches often empty out once the destination gets closer. For example, after the Bhubaneswar-Mumbai Konark Express reaches Pune, there are few Mumbai-bound passengers left in the coaches. If the passenger is a woman, the experience becomes scary for her. A few hours before the train reaches Mumbai, there are no policemen visible. And there are too many strangers who are obviously not railway staff. If there’s a problem there’s no one even in the shouting distance for help. Please, let’s not leave everything to chance and luck. Let’s make safety a priority. Tatkal tickets: Because of unavailability of reserved tickets in the time of need, people turn towards tatkal tickets, which are extremely difficult to get. The booking of such tickets starts from 10 am daily, but as it opens, all the tickets are sold in two minutes. Touts use bogus personal user IDs with the railway’s proprietary software to book confirmed tickets en-mass seconds after bookings would open, depriving genuine commuters of tickets. They sell the tickets at exorbitant rates to the public. To solve this menace, more booking counters should be opened. Moreover, providing some refund against confirmed tatkal tickets when cancelled will encourage passengers to cancel their tickets in case of any change in programme. It will make matters easy for the needy waitlisted tatkal passengers. More chair cars: Why not have more trains with chair car facility – like Shatabdis – from state capitals to towns up to a distance of 200 kms? This would be a boon to the office-goers, besides easing congestion on regular trains. Yours truly A regular railway commuter