In the recent past The Garib Raths have been introduced between various cities around the country and the Centre - New Delhi. I had the misfortune of having to travel by this train.by the chaircar. Since mine was a late booking -Tatkaal all tkts had been sold out and only AC Chair car was left. Years back I had traveled the Rajdhani AC CC and expecting similar experience I went for the travel. Then opened some of my worst train journey in my entire life. The "Superfast" scheduled to leave Mumbai’s Bandraterminus at 17:00 hrs aprox left at 19:55 hours.
Anways I boarded the CC bogey close to the engine after a mile long walk puffing panting carrying my luggage. "GARIB RATHs" are a "Clever" idea of our Indian Railways to afford AC travel to lower middle class so in 1 train they have normal 12 III AC+ 2 extra IIIAC+ 6 AC CC Rakes total 20 - 21 Rakes train and obviously CC the economic class has to adjust to their class and walk a mile to their carraige. Further at all stations outside the special Bandra Terminus, Baroda & Nizamuddin stations the platform remains available only to one of the CC carraiges. Other pax have to clumsily move through the carraiges to reach the platform.
The train does not have a pantry and the catering is barely able to service the 12 "main" IIIAC rakes. There is no food left for pax of CC. BEWARE if you happen to travel this class on this train you are the lowest priority passenger in India. How can you expect the Indian Railways to arrange food for you, according to them as it is they are doing you a favour by ferrying you to Delhi. HOW DARE YOU SLEEP on a chair! Thats what the Indian Railways would like the CC pax of this train to understand very clearly. The Lights of the CC carraiges remain ON through out the night and probably even in the yard. They dont have a switch thats what the on duty personnel told us. So we had passengers bravely resigned to fate enduring the journey.
There was no food available from the catering service on the train excepting Mineral water, Cold Drinks and biscuit packets. And since platforms either ended far behind or at this point had no vendors, any one who had boarded without any home resources had to either make do with biscuits or remain hungry till Nizamuddin. I was reminded to trains Hitler used to ferry jews to concentration camps. Tatkaal Pax are a further lower class. they are allotted Seats within Nos 42-48. Now it so happens that 42-45 and 46 to 48 seat rows face each other such that the pax sitting on 47 has to spread his legs and allow pax on 44 to put his legs between his legs! Both facing rows are provided a fixed 10 inch table top in between.so dont dare sit crossed legged.
Thats the way our Indian Railways view "Garibs" in India. Can you cite any better example of uter contempt and apathy to human beings anywhere else in this world? As if this was not enough, on reaching Mathura we were told that there was a cable fault. Since there was no announcement by the Railways regarding the time scale or delay involved.rumours were afloat that the train would leave after 4-5 hours. Soon a lot of pax got down and headed towards the bus stand close by bearing their luggage. I too was tempted to leave for delhi by private taxi but the two pax of our group who had gone to negotiate the taxi arrangements came back running as they had head the anouncement of the train ready to go only then. SO after about 2 hrs delay at Mathura we arrived with a sigh of relief at Nizamuddin at 15:30 instead of the scheduled 09:45 am arrival time at Nizamuddin.
Remeber as a Garib Rath CC passanger you:
Have no right to get an environment to sleep.
Have no right to expect any food arrangements( purchasable ofcourse). 3. if your are Tatkaal pax you have no right to have sufficient stretch space during the journey.