Come May and it is time for rush for travellers in the city to book train tickets. With summer vacation, not only the regular travellers but those planning holiday trips with their friends or family also want to book tickets.
Getting a confirmed ticket seems almost impossible for many because of the demand and waiting-lists grow longer for almost every other train.
Having planned a trip for May five months before, Nirmala booked two tickets online. While the onward journey tickets are confirmed, the return journey ones are not. “Though there are special trains during summer, even these do not meet the needs of the commuters,” she says.
A travel agent in the city says that demand during summer is 25 per cent higher compared to other months. The requirement for train tickets comes from different segments – students, businessmen, employees working in different cities, and holiday goers.
When asked about special trains, he says, “Summer trains do help travellers. But not many know about these trains. The Railways should advertise more about special trains.”
When a special train service is announced, 75 per cent of booking happens 60 days before the travel date and the remaining gets filled up in next ten days. Businessmen and people travelling for emergency reasons choose Tatkal, because they commute without planning. Popular weekend destinations are Bangaluru and Chennai and holiday destinations are Udhagamandalam, Delhi and Goa,” the travel agent says.
The rush is quite heavy for Tatkal booking too. Since commuters do not have to go to the ticket booking counters and plan their trip by booking ticket online, there is no clear data available on the rush during summer months. Apart from these, there are passengers who prefer to take an open ticket which allows them to board at any junction.
According to T. Sampath Kumar, president of Coimbatore Railway Coordinators Association (CORACAS), ticket booking has increased by 25 per cent this month compared to other months. “Bulk bookings are always made by people who commute to pilgrimage centres or those who go on holiday tours or visit relatives,” he added.
Information available online says Southern Railways has announced summer special trains to several destinations.
