New Delhi: Indian Railways is one of the largest rail networks in the world. In our country, train is possibly the most popular mode of public transport, as it connects every part of India and offers people a cheap and convenient mode of communication when traveling long distance. Every day in India, lakhs of people travel by train, making it a safe and sough-after mode of public transport.
Among the numerous people who travel by train every day, some travel in reserved coaches while some people travel in unreserved coaches. To travel in reserved coaches, one has to book the seats in advance. These include coaches like Second AC, First AC, Third AC, AC Chair Car, and Sleeper. On the other hand, among the unreserved coaches, there is a general coach.
While traveling in the general coach, one does not have to book ticket in advance. It can be bought from the railway station and crores of passengers travel in general coaches every day. However, the Indian Railways reportedly can change the rules for the passengers traveling on general tickets.
What change is Indian Railways thinking about?
Recently, a stampede took place at New Delhi Railway Station when a huge crowd of passengers were waiting to catch trains to Prayagraj to attend the Maha Kumbh. The tragedy claimed the lives of 18 people and has brought into focus the rules of traveling with general tickets.
In such a scenario, the Indian Railways is reportedly considering to implement a system to include the name and number of the train on general tickets. As per reports, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has stated that to manage the crowd, general tickets will have name and number of the train. At present, the lack of these information enable passengers to travel in any train’s general class. However, if the proposed changes are implemented, passengers can then travel only on the designated train and any violation may result in penalty.
The new proposed rule will cap the number of general tickets issued for each train. It will bring down the likelihood of the general coaches getting overcrowded. As per the regulations of the railways, general tickets are not valid for premium trains like Rajdhani, Vande Bharat, Express, and Superfast. If anyone uses general tickets on these trains, then the passengers will be designated as ticketless travelers.
Following a stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, Indian Railways is considering adding train names and numbers to general tickets. This aims to control overcrowding, especially during peak travel periods like religious festivals. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
