Travel in VSG HOWRAH EXP/Amaravathi Express (18048) on 02-Sep-2010

IRCTC’s E Ticket, Tatkal quota, 2 passengers, Auto cancelled, as the Ticket did not got confirmed
Pnr Number: 4320948312	Transaction ID:		Train No: 8048	Age	Sex	Status
Train Name: VSG HOWRAH EXP	From Station: HOSPET JN(HPT)		To Station: VIZIANAGRAM JN(VZM)	27	Male	CKWL 14
Date Of Journey: 02-Sep-2010 (Thursday)	Class: SL		Boarding: HOSPET JN(HPT)	61	Male	CK WL 15
Resv Upto: VIZIANAGRAM JN(VZM)	Date Of Booking: 31-Aug-2010		Total Ticket Fare: Rs 832.00 (= 822 + 10 )
Refund Details
Cancelled Date: 03-SEP-2010		Refund Amount: Rs 782		Refund Status: Refunded
Receipt Number:		Refund Date: 06-SEP-2010

I had planned my journey and booked this waitlisted ticket with hope that it will confirmed. But when the rate of decrease of waitlist number was very less, I got worried, whether my ticket will get confirmed or not.  There was no other convenient mean to reach the destination on time.

The time of arrival of the train in Hospet was 14:53 (2:53 PM). I was frequently getting the status of my ticket by dialing/sending SMS at 139 on my mobile. But when at around 12:00 noon, I saw that the chart has been prepared, and my ticket did not got confirmed, I got very depressed and also angry at the Railway. The feeling that now I will have to buy general ticket and along with my aged senior, we will either have to travel in general boggy or travel in the sleeper class, by utilizing the available seats or by standing near the gate/toilet after giving fine to the TTE, was horrifying me.

I said my senior that since the Railway has rejected us; we should also reject it and try to travel by bus. But there was no direct bus service.

So with dejected feelings we reached the railway station. On the General Ticket counter, I could not control my emotions and shouted, “May Lord Shiva Privatize this Railway”.

My senior was successful in getting a birth by paying some money/fine to a TTE at the station. This “blessing” from a TTE, managed to get by my senior, gave some comfort to me. It was seat number 12 (lower birth) of the S 4 boggy. We had got a place to seat in the overcrowded train.

In the way, one another TTE came, seen our ticket, asked how we got this seat and then went away without much speaking.

In night when our co-passengers got ready to sleep, I asked my boss to sleep on the seat, and I will seat by spreading paper on the floor space available between the two lower seats.

But a difficult time was waiting for us. At around 10:00 PM, a person with a big family came to our seat telling that it is his seat and we should vacate it. He was having a “counter booked” ticket, which was also waitlisted (53, 54 General Waitlist), which he was claiming to get confirmed.

I was not ready to believe his argument and asked him to call the TTE. I assumed that he has paid some money to the TTE to get that seat.

But when the TTE came and asked us to vacate the birth, my senior had to follow, with a kind request to give some vacant birth on which the TTE said that there is no vacant birth. I argued with the TTE saying that they are selling the same birth many times. The TTE got angry on me and said that with I having general ticket, with fine, should not talk like that and he may even ask us to get down of the train.

My senior asked me to be cool and pleaded the TTE to forgive me. A old lady came and slept on the birth and my senior along with some other family members of the old lady, shared the floor space along with me.

I was enraged by seeing the condition of many “customers” of the Indian Railway. When the TTE passed near to me, I just couldn’t control and shouted, “O' TTE, how much money you want, tell me”, but the TTE ignored my angry words and some of the co-passengers tried to cool me saying that he is ready to offer his own birth to my senior, but I should control my emotions.

(Later I repented for my emotional out bursts and like to say sorry to the TTE and the Indian railway).

At early morning, some births became vacant, and some of my fellow passengers helped me and my senior to get a birth to sleep.

After that we were able to reach our destination on time. I will like to thanks the railway for the hospitality and the tolerance.

Our return journey e-ticket was too waitlisted, and to manage the risk, I booked, three waitlisted e-tickets in three different trains, on two different dates.

On 4^th September, I also sent a request email to the care@irctc.co.in

“Dear Railway Customer Care,
 I have a Wait listed Ticket (PNR No.: 6444136073) in 5902 train for 5th September. Fearing the worse situation when the ticket is not confirmed, I have booked another two tickets for my journey.
The Details Are as followed:
1) PNR: 6246594000, Date of Journey 6th September 2010.
2)PNR: 6246594494, Date of Journey 6th September 2010.
If my train on 5th gets confirmed, Kindly Cancel my other Two Tickets. If I get access to a networked computer, I will try myself to cancel. But You can understand the difficulties.
Kindly help.”

Fortunately I was able to get 1 confirmed-1 waitlisted e-ticket in Dhanbad Alleppey express. I got the waitlisted ticket, confirmed after a persistent request to the TTE. 

Also read: Wait Listed Passengers in Indian railway