With trains that never keep to timetables, the concerns of the state's daily passenger know no bounds. Hemanta Pradhan takes a look
BHUBANESAWR: Intercity trains are like destiny itself. Everyone is aware of that they are going to arrive, however as to when, one can never be actually sure. Cheaper than long-distance buses and no doubt less expensive than a automotive for rent, these trains connect a number of stops with the state capital - forming the very artery of a state where lots of the capital city team of workers would prefer to move home to the districts at regular durations. Yet if a timetable exists, the trains scarcely ever keep to it, plunging travellers into an uncertainty that they've had enough of. Harried to no end, the general public have no choice however to select express and superfast trains for trip inside the state.
But construction work and a number of other causes have led to those trains being rescheduled, rather frequently of overdue. Deprived in their second and 3rd options, many travellers had been left with out a selection.
"I always used to take the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Intercity train to reach my school. The train is originally supposed to arrive at 9.08am at Balugaon, but sometimes it reaches at around 9.50am and even manages to arrive at 10am some times, which has become a big problem for me," mentioned Chita Ranjan Rout, who stays in Bhubaneswar and works as a college teacher at Balugaon.
There are 8 intercity trains running across the state and Andhra Pradesh -- seven of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) and one, the South Eastern Railway (SER). As many as 50,000 other people can trip on these trains every day. Setting out from their originating stations between four.20am and 7.35am, some of these trains are scheduled to return to them by afternoon. These timings, although, exist simplest on paper.
Needless to say, scholars and businessmen are probably the most affected. Youngsters in schools these days whinge of missing virtually half in their first morning lecture, while traders lose valuable time waiting for trains.
"I normally take the Sambalpur-Puri Intercity to visit Bhubaneswar and purchase cloth for my shop. But it reaches the capital late by almost an hour at times. It is a waste of time because the whole afternoon hour is spent in transit. So I have started travelling in a bus now, even though it takes longer," mentioned Jatin Pradhan, a shop owner who lives at Angul.
For Bhagirathi Panda, a student from Ganjam, a superfast is simplest 'tremendous fast' in identify. "I travel to Berhampur for my banking coaching classes every day. But sometimes I get late due to the abysmal timings of the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam train," he mentioned.
The first Intercity train used to be started in 2001, between Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar, and used to be later prolonged to Puri due to well-liked call for. By 2003, two extra - the Sambalpur-Rayagada and Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam - were running.
On February 8, 2006, the Balangir-Bhubaneswar Intercity used to be offered to attach the western a part of the state to the capital and quickly turned into one of the crucial well-liked native trains within the state.
The ECoR then offered the Bhubaneswar-Bangiriposhi Intercity on March 30, 2007, closely followed by the Puri-Paradeep Intercity on January four, 2009, and Visakhapatnam-Koraput on March 24, 2012. By then, the Rourkela-Bhubaneswar Superfast had already begun plying since December 2010.
A senior railway officer mentioned there are a number of causes which motive delay in trains however admitted that the majority are virtually with out exception, overdue. "Punctuality rate of all eight of these trains fall under 60 per cent to 80 per cent. This means that most of the trains are running anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour late," he mentioned.
Sometimes, ECoR carries out modernization work at other railway sections, which in flip reasons diversions or partial cancellations of trains. Fog, in iciness, additionally creates issues with regards to trains running at customary pace. Signal issues and lack of enough lines to cross a couple of trains through additionally motive delays.
"In view of the delay of these trains, Umesh Singh, general manager of East Coast Railway (ECoR), has ordered a special drive to improve the punctuality of Intercity trains," mentioned ECoR chief spokesperson J P Mishra.
Mishra mirrored upon the intrinsic nature of the Intercity trains to the daily lives of those residing within the city. "We have identified critical bottlenecks in the sections between Angul and Barang. Forest officials, for instance, block the Dhenkanal-Angul section for the safety of elephants that pass through. We are intensifying our safety drives and will mobilize our resources in this particular section to increase the punctuality of the trains," he added.
BHUBANESAWR: Intercity trains are like destiny itself. Everyone is aware of that they are going to arrive, however as to when, one can never be actually sure. Cheaper than long-distance buses and no doubt less expensive than a automotive for rent, these trains connect a number of stops with the state capital - forming the very artery of a state where lots of the capital city team of workers would prefer to move home to the districts at regular durations. Yet if a timetable exists, the trains scarcely ever keep to it, plunging travellers into an uncertainty that they've had enough of. Harried to no end, the general public have no choice however to select express and superfast trains for trip inside the state.
But construction work and a number of other causes have led to those trains being rescheduled, rather frequently of overdue. Deprived in their second and 3rd options, many travellers had been left with out a selection.
"I always used to take the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Intercity train to reach my school. The train is originally supposed to arrive at 9.08am at Balugaon, but sometimes it reaches at around 9.50am and even manages to arrive at 10am some times, which has become a big problem for me," mentioned Chita Ranjan Rout, who stays in Bhubaneswar and works as a college teacher at Balugaon.
There are 8 intercity trains running across the state and Andhra Pradesh -- seven of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) and one, the South Eastern Railway (SER). As many as 50,000 other people can trip on these trains every day. Setting out from their originating stations between four.20am and 7.35am, some of these trains are scheduled to return to them by afternoon. These timings, although, exist simplest on paper.
Needless to say, scholars and businessmen are probably the most affected. Youngsters in schools these days whinge of missing virtually half in their first morning lecture, while traders lose valuable time waiting for trains.
"I normally take the Sambalpur-Puri Intercity to visit Bhubaneswar and purchase cloth for my shop. But it reaches the capital late by almost an hour at times. It is a waste of time because the whole afternoon hour is spent in transit. So I have started travelling in a bus now, even though it takes longer," mentioned Jatin Pradhan, a shop owner who lives at Angul.
For Bhagirathi Panda, a student from Ganjam, a superfast is simplest 'tremendous fast' in identify. "I travel to Berhampur for my banking coaching classes every day. But sometimes I get late due to the abysmal timings of the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam train," he mentioned.
The first Intercity train used to be started in 2001, between Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar, and used to be later prolonged to Puri due to well-liked call for. By 2003, two extra - the Sambalpur-Rayagada and Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam - were running.
On February 8, 2006, the Balangir-Bhubaneswar Intercity used to be offered to attach the western a part of the state to the capital and quickly turned into one of the crucial well-liked native trains within the state.
The ECoR then offered the Bhubaneswar-Bangiriposhi Intercity on March 30, 2007, closely followed by the Puri-Paradeep Intercity on January four, 2009, and Visakhapatnam-Koraput on March 24, 2012. By then, the Rourkela-Bhubaneswar Superfast had already begun plying since December 2010.
A senior railway officer mentioned there are a number of causes which motive delay in trains however admitted that the majority are virtually with out exception, overdue. "Punctuality rate of all eight of these trains fall under 60 per cent to 80 per cent. This means that most of the trains are running anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour late," he mentioned.
Sometimes, ECoR carries out modernization work at other railway sections, which in flip reasons diversions or partial cancellations of trains. Fog, in iciness, additionally creates issues with regards to trains running at customary pace. Signal issues and lack of enough lines to cross a couple of trains through additionally motive delays.
"In view of the delay of these trains, Umesh Singh, general manager of East Coast Railway (ECoR), has ordered a special drive to improve the punctuality of Intercity trains," mentioned ECoR chief spokesperson J P Mishra.
Mishra mirrored upon the intrinsic nature of the Intercity trains to the daily lives of those residing within the city. "We have identified critical bottlenecks in the sections between Angul and Barang. Forest officials, for instance, block the Dhenkanal-Angul section for the safety of elephants that pass through. We are intensifying our safety drives and will mobilize our resources in this particular section to increase the punctuality of the trains," he added.
Waiting for Godot: A tale of Intercity trains that never keep to timetables
![Waiting for Godot: A tale of Intercity trains that never keep to timetables]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
January 22, 2018
Rating:
