Its really sad that Newspapers present only one sided information....I will list out a few facts which will give better clarity on the issue:-
Imagine I am an average commuter staying in a far off suburb and the only means to get to my workplace on time is Mumbai EMUs. Now when I go to the station to board the train , here is what I see;-
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1. Long Ticketing Queues (which are being shortened by various measures since last 6 months or so)
2. Shabby Trains but that's not my concern now and I await my train. I will have to leave a couple of trains to get into a train and manage the doorway gangs who don't allow pax outside their group to easily get into the train....
3. Overcrowded trains .. I atleast get a seat in BEST bus or some relief by air conditioning provided in so talked Metro n Monorail. In EMUs from start till end of the journey I am allotted just 1 sqft of space to stand which I have to share with 3 more. And Yes I have to stand in a slant direction My shoulders become a baggage stand for other commuters and same my bag is also kept on someone's shoulders .
4. Somehow I manage to hop in to an empty EMU - empty bcoz it has space for 10 more standees. Now after a couple more stations, the train is more than densely packed than the molecules in any solid item and I find that the blowers are not switched on and I am suffocating. I am inhaling the poisonous gases and CO2 released by other pax.
5. Two more stations go by and I hear two persons have gone under the train. Can't even feel sorry for them and their families who are put into dark bcoz I have to get down at next station and I am wondering how to alight.
6. The next station arrives and by the time we alight hundreds more try to get into the train and with some fights n struggles we get out...I have attached a pic as to how a commuter looks like while boarding and alighting the EMU
7. Now I wonder how will I take train back home......Work repeated pressures come no way when we think abt taking an EMU to work.
8. I decide ..I will buy a pass in First Class but then when I get near the first Class I wonder the crowd is 3 times more and lesser seats for FC and Is paying a charge 4 times higher is worthwhile?
.....To be continued....
