We were struggling with our luggage, squinting our eyes to check which platform our train will arrive on. That’s when my eyes fell on the unusually large crowd at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus entrance. People, people everywhere — unkempt, hungry, with wailing kids and oodles of luggage, dotting every bit of the floor the terminus entrance had to offer.
Then it struck me — there have been plenty of trains cancelled because of a fire accident around a station called Itarsi. In fact, of many people stranded thanks to the cancellations because of the accident are my parents, too. The status of their train — LTT Guwahati Express was unclear till it actually left for its destination early this morning.Â
Among the many problems that people faced because of the bulk cancellations is the fact that back-up trains don’t come with charts. When my parents were boarding the train this morning, even 10 minutes before the scheduled departure, there was no clue on the compartment numbers. Realising there was no time left, my parents. like many other passengers in hurry, boarded what they assumed to be B1.
To their horror, 5 minutes before the train was to depart, it was clarified that the bogie was B2. And then began the pandemonium. There were passengers trying to board, and then there were passengers trying to get off…with 5 minutes left. In that utter rush, my grandmother, 86 years old, got hurt, my mother fell down and my father was helpless.
Let me tell you another story — of mine and my recent travel from Mumbai to Secunderabad. LTT- Vishakhapatnam Express is by far one of the worst trains to travel — it isn’t just me, ask anyone who’s taken this train and they’ll vouch for me. First, there were no charging points. Fine, it was just a 14-hour journey for us, so I took that lightly. Next, the washrooms had evidence of the last person’s adventures, to put it mildly. With my appetite killed and buried, I continued to sit through.
Chugging closer to our destination, our train suddenly started going in reverse, at full speed, of course. Intrigued, when we asked the TT, he ticked us off. After a good half an hour of reverse journey, we halted at a station, 5 minutes after which, a super fast train zoomed past us. A head-on collision had been averted.
As we entered the suburbs of Secunderabad, it began drizzling outside, and then inside as well. Yes, inside an AC coach. As water started flowing from under our berths, we hastily dumped all of our luggage on our berths and stood for what seemed to be an eternity.
To make matters difficult for us, our coach was like an unreserved compartment, with people boarding at will.
With rats and cockroaches haunting my sanity, we finally reached Secunderabad, and I thanked my stars that it was finally over.
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