Mumbai: How hard it is to get a seat in general coach during festival season

Large crowds are a familiar sight at Mumbairsquos Bandra Terminus BDTS and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus LTT during festival season but recent scenes of chaos and the stampede at BDTS have raised urgent concerns In response midday conducted a groundlevel investigation to uncover the factors behind these dangerous crowds and the conditions that make travelling especially hazardous for general coach passengers While railway authorities have introduced some preventive measures after the Bandra incident our findings at LTT in Kurla reveal that overcrowding and disorganised queues persist particularly among those travelling to UP and Bihar for Chhath festivitiesTickets procured by middayrsquos reporters after paying a tout in advanceAmid a surge in passengers many were left stranded in long lines with some denied tickets as touts profited by exploiting desperate travellers Joining the queues and riding along with passengers midday reporters witnessed firsthand the struggles commuters face from endless waits to unsafe boarding conditions showing how overcrowded platforms remain a ticking time bomb for another stampedeTo understand the ground reality of UPBihar trains departing from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus LTT midday conducted an investigation on November 1 The midday reporters arrived at LTT at exactly 930 pm on Friday and planned to travel on the Kushinagar Express scheduled to depart at 1235 am on Saturday November 2 Outside the station thousands of passengers waited with their families in tents RPF Railway Protection Force and GRP Government Railway Police personnel were present at the station RPF constables stationed at a help desk provided information on train statuses and restricted passengers carrying large drums from enteringmidday reporters travelled alongside these passengers to better understand their challenges arriving at LTT at 930 pm on Friday Passengers attempting to buy tickets at the counter were often turned away and told that tickets would only be available two to two and a half hours before departure Meanwhile touts were able to book tickets for various trains from select windows charging passengers inflated prices and defrauding themThe midday team went to purchase tickets from the counter and upon entering LTT headed straight to the ticket counters where long queues had formed As the reporters waited in line 56 touts approached them offering tickets and even guaranteeing seats in the general compartment of the Kushinagar Express The touts explained that ticket counter employees wouldnrsquot issue tickets for this train until two hours before departure Several passengers also shared their experiences of being turned away until the twohour mark Although the actual ticket price from LTT to Gorakhpur was R415 the touts claimed the price to be R480 and charged R700 per passenger which included a ldquoguaranteedrdquo seat in the general compartment The reporters paid R2100 for three tickets By 1030 pm these touts had disappeared from LTTFor those waiting on the platforms the queues seemed neverending As reporters reached the counters to secure tickets for the general compartment staff informed them that tickets would only be available two hours before the trainrsquos scheduled departure However agents standing by the window managed to obtain tickets much earlier through backdoor channels charging commissionsOne of the touts bypassed the queue approached counter number 4 and obtained three tickets for the reporters within a minute Upon inspecting the tickets the reporters noticed the printed price was R415 When questioned about the R700 charge a tout explained that they paid R100 to the ticket counter staff and kept the rest as their income The tout assured the reporters that they would have first priority in the queue at platforms 23 for boarding the general compartment He also promised that a colleague would meet them there at 11 pm to assist with boarding and securing seatsThe real struggle for commuters begins on the platforms Reporters carrying luggage observed a mass of people moving aimlessly on the platforms awaiting the Gorakhpur Express scheduled for 1235 am on Saturday Roughly 1000 commuters stood in a halfkilometrelong queue managed by RPF officials equipped with lathisThe reporters enter platforms 23 with their luggage only to be shocked by the long queues for general compartments for the UPBihar trains They reached the south end of the platforms and joined the queue for the Kushinagar Express realising the touts had misled them with false information PicsAnurag AhireMany had been waiting on the platform since the afternoon already having missed several trains Some individuals tried to bypass the line but were held back by the presence of police After nearly three hours of waiting as the Khushinagar Express train approached the platform turned chaotic with commutersmdashwho had seemed disciplined minutes earliermdashbreaking all orderAny fear of police presence vanished as commuters ignored lathi blows The constables who had held their ground against the crowd until the train arrived now feared for their lives amidst the risk of a stampede With no other choice the officers moved away from the mob leaving the crowd to fend for themselves After almost 45 minutes of jostling only about 10 per cent of the crowdmdashapproximately a few hundred commutersmdashmanaged to enter the coachSome desperate to board clung to the doors hoping for space inside once the train departedDisheartened passengers who couldnrsquot board lined up again for the next Gorakhpur Express scheduled five hours later at 535 am on SaturdaySince railway regulations restrict photography on platforms we provide an illustration to help understand why therersquos no assurance that the Bandra stampede wonrsquot happen againOct 27Day stampede occurred at Bandra Terminus10No of people injured in the stampede10per cent of crowd manged to board945 pm multiple queues build up before the train arrivesAt platforms 2 and 3 a massive crowd gathered in multiple queues for various UPBiharbound trains Over 1000 passengers waited in line for the Kushinagar Express RPF personnel tried to manage the queues The reporters noticed many passengers attempting to cut the line resulting in skirmishes RPF constables resorted to using lathis to maintain order and discipline The reporters joined the long queue for the Kushinagar Express hoping to secure a seat in the general compartment1149 pm but rogue passengers break the queue when the train arrivesThe Kushinagar Express arrived at 1149 pm on Platform 2 RPF personnel had set up rope barricades As the train approached the crowd surged forward breaking the queue and rushing toward the moving train to board the general compartment The RPF personnel seemed overwhelmed and became spectators Many passengers including those with large drums managed to board while others climbed over each other to secure a spot Only 200300 passengers succeeded in boarding while the majority remained in line530 am more passengers join the queue for another long waitDue to overcrowding the reporters were unable to board the Kushinagar Express Their only remaining option was to catch the next train to Gorakhpur scheduled for 530 am They checked the queue for the 530 am train and found that 200300 passengers were already waiting in line at platform 2 IllustrationsUday Mohite