By IANS,
New Delhi : It was a harrowing experience for thousands of people Tuesday morning on their way to work in the national capital who were stranded after at least four local trains came to a halt due to a technical snag.
Exasperated passengers got off to walk to nearest bus stops, and a few were even bruised while boarding and getting off as and when trains crawled and stopped.
A Northern Railway spokesperson attributed Tuesday morning’s “train jam” to signal failure.
As per an official estimate, the local trains of the Northern Railway, a zone of Indian Railways, ferry nearly 70,000 people from the city suburbs to different parts of the capital every day.
Commuters, comprising mainly officer-goers, prefer local trains as this mode of travel is inexpensive and faster than buses on Delhi’s congested roads.
Cheaper travel, however, comes at a price – crammed and foul smelling compartments, dysfunctional fans, and delayed trains.
“Local trains take around 20 minutes to reach Shivaji Bridge station from Sahibabad if they ply smoothly, but they rarely ply on time. That is a major problem,” said Ram Avadh Singh.
Singh, who works in a private firm in downtown Connaught Place, buys a railway pass for around Rs.300 for three months, and has to tolerate delays and all problems associated with local trains.
“There is no way out, and one needs to live with all these constraints. I have been travelling like this for nearly 10 years now,” he told IANS.
Archana Kaul and her friend Snehlata Bansal were furious for getting late for their computer training classes at a private institute in Karol Bagh. They board local trains at Ghaziabad thrice a week.
The buses take nearly two hours to reach Connaught Place, and are costly as well.
“No mode of transport is safe for women. We are molested. What can you do?” they asked.
And then there is a new scare after a series of terror blasts in the city last Saturday, which left at least 23 dead and nearly 100 injured.
“We are aware that vigilance is poor. Nobody seems to be bothered about our safety. There is hardly any vigilance on running trains. Ideally, the railway police should engage snifter dogs for carrying routine searches,” said Kaul.
The Northern Railway spokesperson claimed security facilities in local trains are assessed routinely.
“We regularly monitor and inspect arrangements related to basic amenities, facilities and security for commuters,” said Rajiv Saxena, chief public relations officer, Northern Railway.