The counter has been opened for passengers queuing for long hours everyday only to travel in the General Class compartment in the long distance trains; especially those heading to the northern part of the country.
An old, semi-dilapidated booking counter at the Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) is giving hundreds of passengers respite from the summer heat. The counter has been opened for passengers queuing for long hours everyday only to travel in the General Class compartment in the long distance trains; especially those heading to the northern part of the country.
This booking office is located just as one walks from Tilak Nagar Railway Station towards the LTT, adjacent to platforms 3-4. "I came at 1 am to buy ticket for Pawan Express. The ticket had a numbering and we were asked to wait at one corner of this huge hall," said Dinesh Singh who was travelling to Chhapra in 11065 Pawan Express.
Dinesh wasn't the only one waiting. A serpentine queue of passengers along with their luggage, utensils, steel boxes, and children were seen sitting or standing under the shed. Passengers heading to Darbhanga had queued up in the hall and a notice board about the same was kept outside on Wednesday. The room has 11 ceiling fans, which rotate slowly and 7 wall mounted fans, which are covered in cobweb and dust.
Majority of passengers, including children, women and men were sitting or sleeping on the floor. A were seen sitting on the few benches. The queue was toed with a yellow rope that acted as a borderline. The RPF staff guide pushed and whistled these people towards the coaches. These coaches are part of Deen Dayalu and Antodaya coaches meant for the weaker sections of rail commuters.
"We saw that there were passengers who were staying back for more than 24 hours as well. So we converted this old booking office into a resting room," said SK Jain, Divisional Railway Manager (Mumbai), Central Railway.
The CR officials claim that the office is structurally strong. There is a facility of dormitory at LTT where people need to pay Rs 150 for 12 hours and Rs 250 for a 24-hour stay. However, most people waiting for their trains in the hall are from an economically weaker section who wouldn't want to spend money for resting in such rooms.
Another group of passengers had started queuing for the Gorakhpur-bound Kushinagar Express. As most passengers are from Uttar Pradesh and are Bihar-bound, the rush is usually high.
The CR officials also claim that in April more than a lakh people, as compared to last year in same corresponding month, bought unreserved ticket (UTS) and travelled from Mumbai.
The CR launched 28 additional trains between April 15 and June 15 for these extra passengers, mostly heading to Gorakhpur, Patna and Varanasi.
GOING EXTRA MILE
- 28: Number of additional trains
- 512: Total trips that these trains are making
- 9600: Number of berths that these coaches have
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