PUNE: Hrishav Das would have been spending the weekend at his home in Kolkata had the Azad Hind Express left the city on time. But he is still cooped up in his coach, unsure when he will reach his hometown.
"My train was supposed to leave Pune on May 18 at 6:30pm. I reached the station but found out the train had been rescheduled to 2:30pm on May 19. I had no option but to spend a lot of money on booking a hotel room. When I reached the station on May 19, the train was delayed again, and it finally left at 4:50pm. I should have reached my home by around 3am on Saturday. However, the train is now late by 24 hours and 30 minutes and I think I will reach Kolkata late on Sunday but cannot say anything for sure," he said. Das had reached Pune on May 14 by the Howrah-Pune Doranto, which was late by 10 hours.
Ankush Prakash, student, also faced a similar ordeal. "While I went back to my friend's place after finding that the Azad Hind Express was delayed by over 18-19 hours, many passengers, especially labourers and their families, had no option but to remain at the station in this heat and humidity," he said. Train trips for many have turned agonising owing to inordinate delays. Many east-bound trains have been running late by several hours, frustrating passengers.
"My parents have a circular ticket, and with the Azad Hind Express to Kolkata delayed, they will miss the connecting train to Bhagalpur," said Keerth Rai, a Pune resident.
On May 10, the Azad Hind Express, which leaves Pune at 6:35pm, was rescheduled to 12:15am on May 11. Pune divisional railway manager Indu Rani Dubey said the train had been rescheduled due to the late running of the incoming rake. The South Eastern Railway had announced on May 8 that the same train had been rescheduled to leave Howrah station at 2am on May 9, instead of 10:10pm on May 8.
"The railways do give a prompt reply when one complains about any issue on the RailwaySeva portal, but nothing is done about the delays," Shadab Khan, another passenger, said.
" Both the railways and airlines think that passengers' problems will reduce if they are informed in advance . But a delay is a delay no matter what," another passenger said. "The railways should start a provision of partial refunds if the trains are delayed by several hours. My 3-year-old child was restless, and he fell ill due to this," Pallavi Singh, a passenger, said.
Last year, during Durga puja and Dasara, the same train witnessed similar delays, rattling passengers. "This is peak summer season and travel for vacations is on a high. Most of us cannot afford airfares and rely on trains. What is the use of train like Vande Bharat when the core issue of delays is not solved?" another passenger said. "Even premium trains like the Howrah Pune Duranto Express are delayed for hours together," said Aniruddha Ghosh, a passenger.
Pune's divisional railway manager Indu Rani Dubey said that most detentions were taking place on the Bilaspur and Raipur divisions of the South East Central Railway. Another railway official said that after the the Azad Hind Express arrives, it has to go through periodic maintenance for around 5-6 hours before it can commence its journey back from the city.
Santosh Kumar, senior public relations officer, Bilaspur division, said, "Yard remodelling of Raipur is going on and also the commissioning of bidirectional line is being done due to which blocks are being taken."
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