Railway platforms have always been a source of attraction and excitement to me. Gone are the days when old people used to enter the platforms at railway stations to breathe fresh air sitting and relaxing under big banyan trees in conventional British-made iron benches.
I remember the days when my college friends used to visit the vegetarian refreshment room at the railway station in my home town to have half a cup of coffee at half the prevailing price. No hotel or coffee shop outside the railway station sold such a half cup of coffee those days. And there is no such visitor to the railway platforms today when good quality coffee or big banyan trees no longer exist.
Recently, I saw a retired loco pilot who had put in nearly 40 years of service in the Railways sitting in one of the platform benches curiously watching the incoming and outgoing trains. My enquiries revealed that he had not come to the platform to receive or send any one, but just to sit and while away the time. He added that he could not sleep at night unless he spent a few minutes at the platform listening to the engine horn and whistle and the noise of the coffee vendors.
Railway platforms always witness sensational scenes at the time of giving send off to loved ones — hugging with tears rolling down the cheeks and display of deep love and affection.
There had been funny situations when the cost of the platform ticket which saw a steady increase over the years stood at ₹5 once, while the minimum second class passenger fare (to the nearest station) was ₹3 resulting in the visitors buying a journey ticket to enter the platform instead of a platform ticket. The mistake was corrected later. The ticket checking at railway platforms appears to have become a thing of the past, resulting in unauthorised people using platform corners for antisocial activities. The ticket collector who once stood majestically in uniform at the entrance and exit gates those days at major stations has disappeared thanks to the mobile phones of passengers containing journey tickets.
One can see crowds of varied nature and culture on railway platforms. There are those who arrive at the platform at least 30 minutes before the arrival of the train while there are the traditional latecomers who run in vain behind a departing train. A benevolent train guard may occasionally use his emergency brake and stop the train to allow these latecomers to board. The public toilets which were once quite clean with plenty of water supply are now in bad shape, stinking and advertising their presence.
The presence of armies of stray dogs that roam about freely on platforms posing a great threat to the visitors, sale of unhygienic food by unauthorised hawkers, and sale of water bottles and other authorised items at exorbitant prices at the licensed stalls depict the darker side of the railway platforms today. Despite all these drawbacks, the platforms continue to be an attraction for many and will continue to be so.
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