Unreserved rail coaches to be back from June?

CHENNAI: Even as the Railways has dropped no hints on when regular train services will be resumed, online reservation of tickets from June 1 has been blocked on the IRCTC portal for converted second-sitting (2S) coaches.

General-class coaches on regular trains were converted to second-sitting coaches when train services were resumed after the Covid-19 outbreak, on June 1 last year to contain the spread of the pandemic. IRCTC officials in New Delhi said they were unaware why bookings were blocked, but added that it could be because the Southern Railway was changing the composition of trains. “If second-sitting coaches are removed by the zonal railway from June 1, the seats will not be available,” they said.

Officials of the Southern Railway, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment. On Saturday, people were unable to book seats in second-sitting coaches (erstwhile general class coaches) on the Chennai-Tiruchy Rockfort Special, Chennai-Coimbatore Special, Chennai-Mettupalayam Special, Chennai-Madurai Pandiyan Special, Chennai-Mangaluru Special, and several other trains. 

When train services were resumed after the lockdown, ‘regular’ trains were renamed as ‘specials’, and didn’t have ‘unreserved’ coaches. So far, more than 60 per cent of the Southern Railway’s regular trains have resumed operations. Passengers have raised concerns on why full-fledged train services haven’t resumed yet, despite a request from the Tamil Nadu government, and general-class coaches are not available.

“Besides the ticket fares, it is inconvenient to book tickets for travel to and fro every day. Thousands of daily commuters will benefit if general-class coaches are attached,” said K Rajan Krishnan, an office-goer from Vellore. Previously, each ‘express’ and ‘mail’ train had at least three or four unreserved coaches.

An official spokesperson of the IRCTC said, “We have not suspended bookings of converted second-sitting coaches in several northern States. No policy decision has been taken to this effect. The coaches may not be available if the zonal railway plans to remove them from June 1.”

‘Why aren’t services back in full swing?’
Passengers have raised concerns on why full-fledged train services haven’t resumed yet, despite a request from the State government, and general-class coaches are not available. Previously, each ‘express’ and ‘mail’ train had at least three or four unreserved coaches.