Sometimes there is non-display of platform numbers on the electronic board and lack of display on coach indication boards causing inconvenience to passengers waiting to catch through trains or those waiting at the station to receive their near and dear.
“I went to the Visakhapatnam Railway Station on June 22 to see off my wife, who was scheduled to travel by Falaknuma express to Secunderabad. Scores of passengers were waiting near the entrance of the foot over bridge to find out the arrival time and platform number of the train and thereby proceed to the right platform,” says M. Srinivasa Rao of Midhilapuri VUDA Colony, Madhurawada. “We reached the station at 8.30 p.m. There was no mention of Falaknuma Express on the display board for unknown reasons, even though many trains, before and after Falaknuma express were being displayed,” he says.
“When, I approached the Enquiry Counter, I was rudely told by the clerk either to see the display board or to wait for the announcement at an appropriate time. I was at a loss to understand when the appropriate time would come.”
Ultimately, there was announcement for Falaknuma at 9.55 p.m. When we moved to platform No.4, to our utter dismay we found there were no coach indication numbers.
“Of late, I had to travel by the Inter city Express from Bhubaneswar to Visakhapatnam as I missed the Prasanthi Express due to the late running of my train from Kharagpur. As there was no reservation, I boarded the unreserved compartment thinking that like any other inter city express, this train too have chair car-type compartments,” says A.V. Many of AIR Staff Quarters at Siripuram.
“But to my surprise, all the unreserved compartments are like the ones normally used in the passenger trains. The train has only one reserved coach of substandard quality, there is no AC chair car and a pantry car. It stops at every other station just like a passenger train, making one wonder why it is called an express train. It stopped in between stations to give way for 3 to 4 super fast trains. Though the train is very convenient for passengers travelling to Bhubaneswar to catch connecting trains, nobody prefers it due to these reasons.”
“The train reached Vizag nearly two hours behind schedule. If the train can be converted into a real intercity express by adding good quality chair cars and AC coaches, more people will prefer to travel by it and the Railways too can make good money”.
