Are the western, central and harbour lines in Mumbai city or in different countries?
Are the western, central and harbour lines in Mumbai city or in different countries? Fined for travelling on one route despite having a valid ticket of another route for the same destination, a passenger questions the logic of having separate tickets for different routes to one destination.
“Why can’t a passenger buy a ticket that is relevant on all the three lines? It is one of the least smart ideas that one can borrow from abroad for the convenience of passengers. I was fined despite having a valid ticket for the destination,” says Natasha Zarine of the Government Law College, Churchgate.
“I wanted to travel from Vile Parle in western suburbs to Byculla and bought a ticket for Reay Road as it is close to Byculla and that I would get a direct train instead of switching trains at Dadar. However, despite a long wait at Vile Parle, no train came in and I changed platforms and boarded a Dadar-bound train which came first to reach the destination. But I was caught by a TC at Dadar and fined for ticketless travel and had to pay a fine for Rs250,’’
she said.
“This is unfair. The distance and the journey fare for both the distances are same and I think, it is due to the fact that the railways shun their old divided system of ticketing and use a blanket anywhere to anywhere ticket for Mumbai suburban railways as one unit, instead of separate divisons,’’ she told DNA.
Subhash Gupta, a former member of the National Railway Users Consultative Committee, said it was high time that ticketing patterns in Mumbai required to be changed. “The BEST had started such tickets and old Mumbai trams too had one. There is no harm of starting such tickets on railways. It will be of immense benefit to commuters and even cut down queues,’’ he said.
Commercial department officials said the passenger was wrong as she had a ticket for Reay Road and travelled to Byculla.
“Though the places are close-by and fares, distance almost same, it was against the existing rules,’’ an official said justifying the fine.
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