Better sense seems to have prevailed over the Railway Board which has finally acceded to the demands for revision in the composition of the popular Nagpur and Mumbai bound Duronto Express. The Board has decided to increase the number of second sleeper coaches in the train from the current two to six. While the change in composition is being welcomed by one and all, including railway officials, the date declared for its implementation comes after Diwali, which makes no sense. In a way, the decision of Central Railway to partially restore sleeper coaches post backlash from travellers defeats the very purpose of change, said Basant Shukla, Secretary, Bharatiya Yatri Kendra (BYK). The notification mentions that composition of Train No 12289/12290 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai-Nagpur-CSMT Duronto Express is being changed from November 22, 2023, onwards.

 

The train is quite popular among travellers due to direct connectivity. Its convenient timings from either end makes it real superfast. Of the 11 coaches of 3AC, four coaches are being withdrawn, while four additional coaches of second sleeper would be added taking their number to six, said Brijbhushan Shukla, Secretary, Rail Yatri Sangh, and Member, Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC). Shukla had raised the issue in a recently concluded meeting of DRUCC and had also successfully lobbied with local political leaders acquainting them with the sentiments of ordinary travellers post curtailment of second sleeper coaches. In fact, Shukla said this had been the basic demand that travellers had raised earlier also prior to change in composition. Had the railway officials realised earlier what havoc their decision would wreck on ticket sales, the travellers would not have to undertake travel in such unsafe conditions. Leave alone the wait-listed passengers, the decision to curtail second sleeper coaches was injustice on reserved ticket holders as they were the real sufferers.

 

Meanwhile, taking note of the newspapers reports about travellers forced to undertake risky journey due to curtailment in second sleeper coaches, local political bosses also took-up the matter with Railway authorities. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari wrote a note to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and demanded reconsideration of decision to reduce sleeper coaches in Duronto Express. He pointed out to difficulties faced by ordinary travellers who cannot afford the costly tickets of air conditioned class and hence pressed for increasing second sleeper coaches. Satish Yadav, Member, Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC), Central Railway, while welcoming the decision of Central Railway on Duronto Express said, the delay in implementation of increasing second sleeper coaches would hardly be comfort for travellers. Agreed that advance reservation period (ARP) consideration might have been a factor, but he feels, an exception could have been made as travellers could have been at ease during the forthcoming festival season.

 

The change in composition being November means, railways is still keen to encash Ganpati, Dusshera and Diwali period when the trains run packed to capacity. However during these peak travel period, ordinary travellers would still have to undergo a feeling of neglected category of citizens as they would have no comfort due to availability of only two second sleeper coaches. Besides Gadkari, even Krupal Tumane, Member of Parliament (MP), Ramtek, also engaged in correspondence with Railway Minister on the issue of trouble faced by economy class travellers in popular Duronto Express. Ever since new composition was introduced in Trains No. 12290/12289 Nagpur-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai-Nagpur Duronto Express, the common travellers were reduced to cattles due to sharp curtailment of sleeper coaches. As against this the number of third air conditioned coaches were increased but there were very few takers and from the time of change, this was done from mid-June onwards, nearly 400 to 500 seats in 3AC coaches are regularly remained vacant.

 

The other hand local representatives faced the citizens pressure as on one hand they talked about reaching out to last man in the society and emphasised Deendayal Upadhayay's ideology, the other way they did not blink an eye while putting same common man in hardship due to reducing in second sleeper coaches. In Duronto Express the problem is applicability of Dynamic Fare, the ticket rates progress rapidly upwards after every 50 per cent booking, that put off the travellers form air condition classes. Now the revision composition from November 21 would be one 1AC coach, 2 second AC coaches, eleven 3AC coaches and six 2nd sleeper coaches plus two power cars, taking their total to 23 coaches. Currently the composition of Duronto Express is fifteen 3AC coaches, three 2AC coaches, one 1AC coaches, two 2nd sleeper coaches and two power cars.