Video Shows Reserved Train Coaches Jam-Packed With Passengers, Railway Responds

A concerning video showing the Mumbai-bound Suryanagri Express packed to the brim with passengers has recently gone viral. Passengers could be seen sleeping across the floor, be it the aisle or the toilet area as they make the journey. This clip was recorded at 3.30 am when most people were trying to catch a wink even as they were in overcrowded compartments. The X user who shared the video mentioned that people are forced to travel like this with their families at the onset of summer vacation when a large number of people travel across the country.

This video was taken when the Suryanagri Express departed from Ahmedabad. It has gathered one lakh views since it was shared on May 22. In the comments, many people chastised the Railway authorities for being unable to accommodate the demand and failing to prevent unreserved passengers from entering the reserved coaches.

Commenting on this video, an X user wrote, “The issue is that the number of trains has not increased in the past many years. The same 3 trains run to my hometown even now. No increase in the number of trains will obviously lead to such a situation. Many people are paying double fares to agents- middlemen.”

Another person noted that such overcrowding is a common scene on many busy routes.

Someone observed that it is not fair to blame people for not getting the reservation as booking a reserved ticket is next to impossible due to issues like bulk booking by travel agents and the unavailability of enough trains.

Another person pointed out that delays at different journey points also force passenger load to increase. They wrote, “When tickets are booked in connecting trains, the delays or the railway in punctuality leads to missing of those trains too. The biggest joke is that railways say we do not take responsibility for the connecting journey. Then people travel like these in direct trains.”

In response to this video, the Western Railway commented that after getting informed of the situation, the waitlisted passengers were removed from the reserved coach of the “12479 Jodhpur – Mumbai Suryanagari Exp with the help of RPF staff at Vadodara, Surat & Vapi stations.”

The Railway also added that they are running “summer special” trains to cover the heavy rush during the summer season and doing regular checks to decongest the trains.