- By Ridhi Suri
- Thu, 04 Jul 2024 01:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Marathi actress Akshata Apte recently criticised the central railways in an Instagram post. The actress, known for, Guni Jodi, and Dagdi Chawl 2, expressed her frustration about the punctuality of AC trains on the Central Line, stating that they should arrive on time. Akshata suggested that if no tickets are available after boarding, the Ticket Collector should upgrade first-class tickets without charging a fine. She highlighted that when AC trains are delayed, she and others are forced to take non-AC trains.
She said, "On the Central Railway line, AC trains should either arrive on time or the TC should upgrade the existing regular or first-class ticket without any fine if no ticket is available after boarding the train. When preparing to catch an AC train, if the AC ticket is bought but the train doesn't arrive on time, the waiting time is wasted, and eventually, one has to take a regular train, wasting the money spent on the AC ticket. Often, thinking that the AC train must have already departed, passengers buy a regular or first-class ticket, only to find that the delayed AC train arrives just then."
Akshata mentioned that she commutes by train to reduce traffic and save time, but the problems with AC trains are causing inconvenience. She pointed out that despite significant investment in AC trains, they should be discontinued if they are not functioning properly. "In a rush, there isn't enough time to go to the ticket window and buy a ticket, and not every station has an ATVM machine. In such situations, if you board the train, the TC will impose a fine even if there is only a difference of ₹15. This means you end up paying the fine even when it's not your fault. This confusion has happened to me many times. I've even paid the fine while holding a first-class ticket, and once, when I saw an AC train unexpectedly on the indicator, I ran up from platform 8 at Dadar to the main window to buy a ticket, only to find the train had already left by the time I returned. In both cases, the AC train was severely delayed, and I was in a hurry to reach somewhere. The money was wasted in both scenarios. So, whose fault is this?" Akshata has questioned.
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"AC trains have been started to reduce traffic congestion, save travel time, and provide a slightly more comfortable journey, right? But if these rare trains come at such unreliable times after honestly spending so much on tickets, how does that work? In fact, they should be top priority, right? What do you think? And how does M-indicator also fail at such times? I don't understand!," she further stated.
In her caption, Akshata wrote, "Received many replies on this story I’d put up some time ago. Now COMMENT and SHARE if you know this struggle. Let’s try to make a change."