Passengers left in dark after Hwh-bound train ends journey at Santragachhi station
Times of India | 10 July 2024
Kolkata: Hundreds of passengers, including women, children and foreigners, travelling on the 12022 Barbil-Howrah Janshatabdi Express on Sunday were left shocked when the train, running late by over three-and-a-half hours, suddenly terminated at Santragachhi station at midnight. With less than a dozen metered cabs available at the Yatri Sathi counter, touts demanded astronomical sums to arrange for a ride to Howrah or Esplanade.
“The train reached Tatanagar at 6.45 pm, around two hours behind schedule. The journey time is just over four hours and hence, I expected to reach Howrah by 11 pm. However, the train made unscheduled stops and got further delayed. When it pulled into Santragachhi at 11.56 pm, we were relieved that Howrah was now just a station away. That is when the shocking announcement of the train’s termination was made,” said Jamshedpur-based businessman Prakash Khemani.
Initially, passengers were unsure how to react at the news. But with repeated announcements of the train’s cancellation due to “unavoidable circumstances” being made on the public address system, passengers reluctantly alighted with luggage. But that was only the beginning of the nightmare.
With hardly any social infrastructure to cater to passengers at that hour of the night, passengers realized that getting to their destination would be a huge challenge. Booking was suspended at the Yatri Sathi counter after the first lot of passengers emerged from the station as there were no more taxis. Spotting the opportunity, touts offered to get cars that would cost up to Rs 1,000 to go to Howrah station or Esplanade.
A Dutch citizen travelling alone needed to reach her hotel on Park Street. She was in tears after realizing that she was stranded in the middle of nowhere. Khemani, who saw her plight, offered help. Along with nearly 300 passengers, they trudged with their luggage down a slushy path and underpass, in knee-deep water, to reach the northern flank of Kona Expressway. There, Khemani booked an app cab for the foreigner and another for himself. After multiple cancellations, the two finally got cars. “When I left Santragachhi, there were more than 200 passengers still waiting for some form of transport to reach Kolkata,” he said.
South-Eastern Railway CPRO Om Prakash Charan said, “There is an ongoing block at Howrah station for developmental work. The block was supposed to end on July 5 but has now been extended to July 12. Trains like the Barbil-Howrah Janshatabdi Express are being short-terminated at Santragachhi. While it is our constant endeavour not to inconvenience passengers, when a train is already running three or four hours late, there is conflict in arrival timings because the block is in place.”
“The connectivity issues for Santragachhi and Shalimar stations continue despite several reminders to the transport department. The two satellite stations cannot become functional without the state govt’s support, and efforts to decongest Howrah station will remain a dream,” said an official.