Rajasthan: Empty Special Train Runs Due to Railway Negligence, Social Media Notice Two Hours Prior Leads to Trolling

Kota Railway Division: A special train was hastily run from Kota to Bhopal by the railway administration in the Kota Railway Division of West Central Railway, with only two hours' notice given on Thursday night. This lack of timely information meant the train ran almost empty. This move by the railway administration has angered passengers, especially considering the high demand for travel around Raksha Bandhan.

The Kota Railway Division announced the running of a special train from Kota to Bhopal via Nagda on Thursday evening. However, this information did not reach the public. A special train (09822) departed from platform number 3 of Kota station at 11.10 PM on Thursday, but its compartments remained largely unoccupied. Normally, the railway provides at least 48 hours' notice for special trains, but in this case, information was given only two hours prior, around 9.15 PM.

11-Coach Unreserved Train

Railway officials stated that this special train was entirely unreserved, comprising 11 coaches – four general and five sleeper coaches. Although the train was operated in anticipation of passenger crowds between Kota and Bhopal, the lack of a timely announcement resulted in it running almost empty.

Running a Train Like This is Ridiculous

Dheeraj Gupta Tej, a member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee, commented that the railway's decision to run this train without prior publicity was ridiculous, as it resulted in an almost empty train. He demanded that the railway management clarify when they received information about the need for the train and when they took action. He pointed out that passengers did not benefit from this decision, and that if there was extra crowding in Bhopal and Sehore, the decision could have been made earlier in the day.

Post Subsequently Removed

The Kota Railway Division announced the operation of the special train via the social media platform X around 9.15 PM. The train departed at 11.10 PM. Following criticism of this short notice, the railway deleted the post at 10.08 PM and announced that the train was unreserved.

An unreserved train was sent from Kota in anticipation of extra crowds in Bhopal to bring back passengers. This decision was taken immediately, leading to the operation of the special train.

Saurabh Jain, Senior DCM, Kota Railway Division