Pushkar pilgrims irate at delayed trains in Vijayawada

Vijayawada: Of the 625 special trains introduced by the South Central Railways to clear the rush for Krishna Pushkaralu, over half are running very late. The Vijayawada railway station is crowded with the pilgrims waiting for the delayed trains.

The Railways had introduced the special trains to clear the extra rush of pilgrims but failed in managing the schedule of the trains and cleanliness in the coaches. More than half of the special trains were running late by 3 to 4 hours, some even more.

Quite a few pilgrims, waiting at the station platforms and in the tents provided by the Railways authorities at the station because of the delay of trains, complained of facing toilet and water problems.

The pilgrims say that the response to their complaints has been lukewarm and the facilities provided by the Railways administration inadequate.

This, they say, is added to their frustration due to the train delays.

“I booked my ticket in Double-Decker Express from Vijayawada which was scheduled at 10.40 am.  The train is late by five hours and is expected to come on 3.30 pm. I request the railway authorities to give us proper information,” said K. Natraj of Vizag.

“Station if flooded with pilgrims because of the weekend and holidays. Facilities like drinking water and more toilets should be provided to meet the rush as the existing toilets are not convenient for ladies’ use,” said Padmaja of Nellore.

“Due to the heavy traffic trains are running late, though several trains are running late, our prime objective is to ensure the passengers reach their destinations safely,” said a Railways official.