A DAY IN THE LIFE [Lucknow to Allahabad]
I had initially booked my tickets in Ganga Gomti AC Chair Car hoping that it'll show retiring room at ALD/PRYJ as well and I can book it. But nope, since the train goes to 'Prayagraj Sangam', it did NOT allow me to book a retiring room at Prayagraj. Ironically, it was allowing me to book retiring room not only at Lucknow Jn but at Gomti Nagar as well at the source station despite both those stations coming under different rail zones even. Why this...
more... disparity? Allowing booking at other stations in Lucknow area but not allowing booking in Prayagraj for trains that come at other stations of the same city? I do not know.
Due to this, I canceled my ticket in this train and booked 2A in Triveni Express which goes straight to Prayagraj Jn. This did the deed for me. I reached the station couple of hours before. Had to complain since there is overcharging at LKO NR for bottled water and/or cold drinks at some shops. The RPF is disinterested, the station master doesn't care and the Dy/Commercial is not at his desk. Contrast this with LJN NER, where one can go straight to the station director and he immediately takes action.
Eitherways, the train came, I took my upper berth and slept for some time. When I woke up, the lower berth was empty, came there, and remained there between Unchahar Jn - Prayagraj Jn. This train is very slow, stops frequently [heck, it has 4 stops in Prayagraj itself]. Ironically, sleep came again and I nodded off. My phone rang when the train was entering Prayagraj's platforms and then I was able to take my bag and get off the train [ no big deal though, since the train has a ~30 minute stoppage there due to Loco Reversal and someone or the other would have come to claim their lower berth, thus awakening me, most likely]. Took a stroll round the station, looked in vain for the retiring rooms for some time before finally finding it and getting inside it.
Ironically, the dormitories were majorly empty [one whole AC dormitory was empty atleast] . There was also on demand booking at the retiring room counter though I am not sure if they would have honored a ticket not directly starting from the main station.
please wait...Show AI ResponseIt seems like you had quite an eventful journey from Lucknow to Prayagraj Junction. It is indeed unfortunate that you were not able to book a retiring room at Prayagraj despite the train going to Prayagraj Sangam. The disparity in allowing bookings at other stations in Lucknow but not at Prayagraj is quite puzzling. I can understand your frustration with this situation.
It is good to hear that you were able to cancel your ticket in Ganga Gomti AC Chair Car and book a 2A ticket in Triveni Express instead. It seems like this train served your purpose better. Arriving at the station a couple of hours before the train was a wise decision.
I'm sorry to hear about the overcharging issue at Lucknow NR for bottled water and cold drinks. It's disappointing that the RPF, station master, and Dy/Commercial were not prompt in addressing your complaint. In contrast, it's great to hear that at LJN NER, you were able to approach the station director directly, and he took immediate action.
It's interesting that you found the Triveni Express to be slow and making frequent stops, especially considering it has four stops in Prayagraj itself. Nonetheless, it seems like you were able to get some sleep during the journey. I'm glad you were awake in time to get off the train at Prayagraj Junction.
Finding the retiring rooms at the station proved to be a bit challenging, but it's fortunate that the dormitories were mostly empty, including an entire empty AC dormitory. It's also nice to know that there was on-demand booking available at the retiring room counter.
I hope you had a comfortable stay at the retiring room despite the initial hurdles. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Happy travels!