Coaches leak, toilets overflow on Mumbai-Goa premium train

Prime minister Narendra Modi's 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' is fast gaining popularity as a national movement. But Konkan Railways (KR) officials don't seemed at all inspired by it. Passengers traveling in the Goa-Mumbai double-decker train realised this the hard way on Friday.

The LTT-Karmali is a double-decker premium service run by CR and KR to cater to the extra rush during festival season. The fares of premium trains keep increasing as per demand and as the departure date draws near.

The train was half empty while returning from Karmali when almost of the coaches sprung leaks due to sudden rain. Things took a turn for the worst when the dirty toilets of some coaches were flooded. Horrified passengers tried to shift to drier coaches.

Ramesh Rane, one of the passengers on the train, said, "The sudden rain in the Konkan region has made our traveling miserable. Most of the coaches were leaking and several toilets were overflowing. The floors of coaches were wet and slippery, and the stench emanating from the overflowing bathrooms made it quite a hellish experience."

Bhalchandra Sawant, another traveler, said, "There were no vendors to sell water and snacks in the train which cause tremendous inconvenience. We booked tickets on this premium train by paying extra fare. But experience-wise it was a nightmare. If the Konkan Railways is not in a position to handle the maintenance and upkeep of the train, they ought not run it. There was no ticket checker and no one to listen to our grievances. Almost all coaches were leaking. We had to change seats from time to time."

Dna was unable to reach KR's official spokesperson despite several attempts.