Water, hygiene woes on Shatabdi Express

The Pune-Secunderabad Shatabdi Express train was supposed to offer the latest in passenger comforts.

But a recent journey on the train and interviews of passengers uncovered numerous complaints regarding quality of food, dirty headrests, smudgy windows, snack trays that don't fold and worst, scarcity of water in the train's toilets.

At ticket prices ranging from Rs 1,105 to Rs 2,500, the Shatabdi is one of the most expensive trains for regular travel today. The superfast is air-conditioned and its speed is matched only by the Rajdhani and the Duronto, which can go up to 80kmph.

"Travelling by the Shatabdi Express has never been a pleasant experience for me," said Harsha Shah, president of the Pune-based Railway Pravasi Group.

"There have been complaints of water scarcity in most of the train's coaches. Senior citizens and children are the worst affected."

Shah explained certain logistical problems the train still faces. "Water for passengers is filled at Pune and Secunderabad railway stations. But there is no refill facility at intermediate stations such as Solapur and Gulbarga. This is why the train runs out of water."

The activist said the train's delays are because it is not given right of way at signals - a privilege both the high-speed Rajdhani and the Duronto Express enjoy. "It also stops along the Pune-Solapur single line for a long while because work to turn the stretch into a double line has been going on at snail's pace for a few years now," Shah said.

As per railway rules, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation must offer passengers breakfast and meals for free if the train is delayed. "Passengers pay heavy fares and they can expect services to improve," Shah added.

Regulars say they would love to use the Shatabdi more if services are improved. One of the biggest advantages of the train is its ability to insert passengers right in the middle of Secunderabad - saving them the one-hour commute to the heart of the city from Hyderabad domestic airport. Hyderabad and Secunderabad are twin cities

"I have been using the Shatabdi for the past four years. When the train nears Pune, water tends to run out in toilets. I love travelling by train and I'm ready to pay the high fares, but if I'm being offered sub-standard services by Indian Railways, I might just take a flight," said Nakul Jadhav, a hotelier.

Pune-based businessman Zakir Shaikh, meanwhile, is worried about passenger safety.

"I have been using the Shatabdi since 2011 - from Pune to Gulbarga in Karnataka. Window glasses in some coaches have been damaged. These windows needs repair because passenger safety is a concern. I'm also disappointed to see torn seats on a train this costly," Shaikh said.

Software consultant Sayed Shaikh says it's nearly impossible for passengers to immediately raise complaints regarding quality of service.

"Once, I raised the matter ofwater scarcity in the toilets with the ticket examiner. But he was helpless. A facility that can take complaints from passengers during a trip must be created. The Shatabdi has improved rail journeys in India by leaps and bounds thanks to clean compartments. The train offers a pleasant ride but niggles remain," Shaikh said.

The lack of water in the loos was a major irritant for most of the passengers interviewed by this reporter.

"I boarded the train at Secunderabad, but no water was available in the washroom until the train reached Pune. I was shocked. The TTE promised to look into the problem, but there was no solution," said Ram Sampat Kumar, a retired engineer from the Military Engineer Services. "There is no system that can refill water in the storage tanks at railway stations in Vijayawada, Wadi, Gulbarga or Solapur. The Railways must increase tank capacity or ensure that water is refilled whenever needed ." A retired mechanical engineer, S Shrinivas, said general hygiene in the Shatabdi's coaches can be improved only if regular inspections are carried out.

"Coaches need maintenance once every six months. Some snack trays on this train don't go back to locked position after use. The covers on the head rests are dirty too - they need to be dry-cleaned weekly. Also, foot rests don't deploy easily. Quality has improved, but services must be an absolute match with fares," he said.

Passenger Anand Kulkarni said en route Secunderabad, no lunch is provided until the train reaches Gulbarga. "Staff should at least provide snacks, he said.

TOI was able to study first-hand the inconveniences faced by passengers during a journey on January 7. Passengers were seen complaining to the TTE about the lack of water in the train's washrooms.

But a labyrinthine feedback process turned out to be a bigger problem. The TTE asked passengers to register complaints on 8121281212. A passenger later sent a text to the number only to receive a "reference ID number". He was then diverted to www.scr.indianrailways.gov.in (the website of the South Central Railways) to check the status of the complaint. Incredibly, he later received an SMS saying his complaint did not concern South Central Railway. He was then asked to send an SMS to 09717630982 or dial 138. Confounded by the system, the passenger gave up.

Pune divisional railway manager, Milind Deouskar, said: "We are making 1,290 litres of usable water available per coach from Pune station. But I will look into the water scarcity complaints. We are also undertaking emergency repairs on the Shatabdi once a week. Damaged foot rests, snack tables and windows will be repaired too."

But Deouskar added that some of the damage was being caused by passengers themselves.

"Passengers keep luggage on snack trays. Also, we replace at least five window panes every week that have been damaged in stone pelting. We have issued pamphlets via the Railway Protection Force s urging people living in areas prone to stone pelting not to indulge in such activities. It's under control," he said. Railway public relations officer, Manoj Jhawar, said all complaints raised by passengers will be addressed. "If one coach has run out of water, passengers can use other coaches of the train. About food, we have not received any complaint of bad food on the Shatabdi.

Jhawar also explained what the railways were doing to improve Shatabdi's low passenger occupancy. " On an average, 50% of the train is empty. We are using social media to encourage people to use the Shatabdi."