Pongal rush: Railway tickets run out in a flash

Most regular trains scheduled for the weekend before the festival have already been booked way beyond capacity, with the wait list in most of these trains, especially on those south-bound trains to Madurai and Tirunelveli among other places, touching the 200 plus mark. This, barely a week after the reservations opened.

The second class sleeper ticket wait list on popular trains like Nellai Express, Anantapuri Express and Pandian Express have crossed 200. In the case of Madurai-bound Pandian Express, the waitlist for Januray 11 has grown as long as 360. Though Railway operates special trains a fortnight before the festival season to clear the rush, most of them are Suvidha or premium tatkal trains that charge a hefty premium.

According to regular travellers, the national carrier should consider operating DEMU or MEMU specials on main and chord line along with the Suvidha or premium tatkal trains.

“Not all can afford to pay Rs 975 (Suvidha) or Rs 1,055 (premium tatkal) per sleeper ticket. If the Railway operates DEMU or MEMU as it did in 2014, people would be able to travel to Madurai and Nellai for around Rs 180 and a little more for a second-class sitting ticket. People would not mind compromising on comfort as their priority would be somehow reaching the destination,” says railfan M Arun Pandian.

This suggestion seems to have support from Railway officials as well. Senior officials said on condition of anonymity that operating DEMUs would be more pragmatic than Suvidha or special fare trains, as people do not mind traveling without berths or sit overnight. Operating such trains from Chennai Beach would also help prevent overcrowding at Central and Egmore stations, a senior SR officer added.

Pointing out how Railway has already imposed a ceiling of six bookings per month to curtail overbooking online, Pandian opined it was not wise on the part of passengers to expect the carrier to crackdown further on online booking, as they would be the ones facing trouble in such a scenario. 

“Instead, they should start exploring options like Samparkranti Express or Thirukkural Express on which tickets are still available. Those who can afford can even book from far off distances and board at Chennai to reach Madurai or Tirunelveli,” Pandian said.