Train enquiry system has false info: Passengers

Chennai: Passengers, who use National Train Enquiry System (NTES) application, think twice before relying on train details uploaded to the application as the Southern Railway has adopted a ‘novel’ method of updating false information to the server to make the records ‘right’.

“Actual departure time of Kovai express (12676) from Coimbatore is 2.55 pm. But the train had left the Coimbatore junction only at 3.55 pm on March 28, with a delay of one hour,” a passenger said.

Although the train had commenced its journey at 3.55 pm, the NTES application showed the departure time as 2.55 pm. “The railway had delayed the commencement due to some problems. But they had created false records to evade Railway Board’s query,” the passenger said.

According to NTES data, the train reached Tirupur, the immediate next station, with a delay of one hour. “The train did not stop between Coimbatore and Tirupur. But it had reached Tirupur with a delay of an hour,” the passenger said.

National Train Enquiry System had been rolled out to provide real-time data on plying of trains across the country with the location of the trains. “NTES is supposed to locate the train precisely so that the passengers could make arrangements accordingly. With Southern Railway bolstering such practices, the intent of NTES is spoiled,” the passenger said. Southern Railway officials remained unavailable to comment on the complaint.