TRAVEL BY 16562 - A NIGHTMARE - 852

           A NIGHTMARE OF A TRAVEL 

For want of a better option , we had to book  Berths in AC 3 Tier on Train No 16252 YESHWANTPUR - KOCHUVELI EXPRESS from Yeshwantpur to Kollam on 28 -05-26 . WE , meaning a 75 and 73 Year old couple had confirmed ,  reserved lower berths in Coach B 10 under the PNR 4649729251 .

I am sure many of the readers might be wondering as to what is a Couple whose final destination is Ambasamudram doing in a Train Proceeding to Kollam .

We made the reservation while we were in Canada by the IRCTC Website. A wedding of a very close relative was scheduled on the 28 th of May . We managed to get onward  reserved accomodation by the Nagercoil - SMVB Express , but return was a big issue and hence we chose the Kollam Route .

The Wedding was conducted on a grand scale at the JP NAGAR BRIGADE MILLENIUM SQUARE. 

Having been a resident of Bangalore for a while and also a frequent visitor ,  we were aware of the traffic related issues of this great city . With the scheduled departure time of  3.20 pm we were on our way to Yeshwantpur at 12.30 pm itself .

A fish market would be a very wrong way to describe the scene at the Entrance of the Station on the platform number 6 side . Car parking was a  mess and luggage had to be towed over a long distance in a pathway with stones and pebbles. The pathway had probably seen its best years a couple of decades back . The scene on Platform Number 6 was even worse . Construction work in progress made walking on the Platform very difficult . The BIKANER Express with a departure time of 3..30 pm meant that our train with a departure time 3.20 pm could not be from this platform .

Finding a monitor display meant walking to the very end of the platform . 

Platform no 6 - 3.30 Bikaner 

Platform no 5 - 3.45 Vasco Express 

Platform no 4 Train to Secunderabad 

123 already occupied by other trains .

There was no Audio or Display announcement about our train Platform No . 

3 , 3.15 .3.30 pm  we were still in the dark about our platform . Finally much after the departure of the Bikaner Express at 3.30 pm , the display board finally showed the departure of our train from PLATFORM NUMBER 6 .  Luggage in tow we changed from platform no 5 to platform no 6 . Lift being too crowded we walked the distance after learning that our Coach B 10 was at the other end of the platform . 

THE TRAIN COMMENCED THE JOURNEY 45 Minutes past it's scheduled departure time . After our strenuous experience we eagerly awaited a cup of TEA OR COFFEE which never came . Biscuits , Omlette, Bread etc were all there including the dinner but no COFFEE or TEA

SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY OR SOUTH CENTRAL RAILWAY , CALL IT BY WHATEVER SHIT YOU WANT TO CALL YOURSELF , PLEASE HAVE THE COMFORT OF THE PASSENGERS IN SOME SMALL CORNER OF SERVICE IN YOUR SCHEME OF THINGS .

  The feel good factor that I had about our INDIAN RAILWAYS has come down crashing by this one Experience . 

SAD .