VASCO: Over 200 pilgrims who intended to board the Suvidha Express – a direct train from Vasco Railway Station to the holy town of Vailankanni – were shocked to learn that the special train had no general bogie, while the ticket prices for the sleeper and air-condition coaches had shot up by 400 to 600 percent.
Over 800 Goan pilgrims reached Vasco Railway Station early Thursday morning to board the special train, which would leave for Vailankanni at 10.30 am. Out of 800 pilgrims, 200 planned to purchase tickets for the general bogies. However, railway officials informed them that the train did not have a general bogie, while few seats were available in the sleeper and AC classes. The rates for those available seats were skyrocketing by the hour.
Chaos soon ensued and it ended when the police arrived two hours later. The pilgrims then decided to search for another train that would take them to Vailankanni for the feast.
“Most of us are from poor families, who are used to travelling in local bogies. Since no newspaper had informed about the absence of general bogies, we reached the station at 5 am to stand in queue for a ticket. However, we were shocked to know that although the train has 16 coaches, the railway department has not made any provision for a general bogie,” said Santan Fernandes, who added that he had been going to Vailankanni for the last 16 years, but now he had to face hardships due to miscommunication by railway officials.
Regarding the exorbitant fares, Vasco Railway officials stated that the fares had not been fixed. Initially, the price of a sleeper-class seat started from Rs 670, but a few hours before departure, the price was increased to Rs 2,000 per seat.
