The Indian Railways claims to be making efforts to ensure greater passenger comfort and introduce newer trains such as Train 18 but it appears to be a mirage. I wish to highlight the travails passengers on 12626 Kerala Express 3 Tier AC Coach B2 (New Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram route) underwent on December 31. All the 3AC coaches have a new type of bio-toilet installed. But in B2, for example, one toilet remained locked right from departure because, as we learnt from coach staff, it had developed an air lock, a problem associated with the new version. A passenger also ended up getting herself and her clothes soiled when she tried to use the toilet as the water flow was not as it was meant to be. The toilets in the other B coaches had similar problems. We were told that the older version of the toilet did not have such a problem, which is related to the new design, and that it can only be resolved at the coach factory. It is unfortunate that a fancy design of an essential amenity has been introduced without adequate trial and experimentation. Long distance trains must have all amenities in working order. It was a different matter that the ticket examiner was indifferent and that unauthorised hawkers had a free run of the coach.
Radha Seshadri,
Coimbatore
