Mumbai train brings less drama; coordination still far away

More people arrived in Karnataka from Mumbai on Wednesday morning with 630 passengers, including 90 children, disembarking from the Udyan Express at the KSR Bengaluru station.

After the chaos witnessed during the arrival of the first train from Mumbai on Tuesday, things seemed to have stabilised with officials stating that barring minor incidents there was no confusion at the station.

However, the lack of coordination was still a major problem. Among the 630 passengers, many boarded the train at stations within Karnataka. There was no data on how many were from Mumbai as the railways said the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) keeps count of the numbers.

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A senior official in the railways stressed the need for better coordination to handle the situation better.

“Every department is working on its own and all are sensitive about their respective jurisdiction, which has affected information flow,” the official said.

Passengers, who are angry about paying a hefty amount over hotel tariff, get irritated over minor issues, the official added.

The ‘minor incidents’ include the arguments by passengers about the hotel tariff, which has become a regular affair at the station. Some passengers protested the premium fares collected by the BMTC buses.