Oops at Garib Rath Kochu Veli

Garib Rath ( Green Budget A/C Train) Pic Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27223684

I prefer trains to bus. In my regular visit to Trivandrum from B’lore, I usually take Garib Rath, Kochu Veli Express on Monday’s. This train saves me from paying arbitrary prices charged by private buses. Moreover, there’re other personal reasons why I prefer train to bus.

First, I love the raw metallic grind of train as it wobbles and sways on the track, making all the screes and metallic grunts. Also, a train travel makes me relaxed – a time to reflect, read, have coffee or even have a friendly conversation with fellow passengers.

On the initial days of  Garib Rath in Kochu Veli, it departed by 20:00 hrs. Now, with popular demand, the timing is from 17:00 hrs from Kochu Veli and reaches Banaswadi by around 9 in the morning.

Also, like every thing about a public service, this train was clean at the time of initiation. Now, the glean is replaced with growing dirt in the corners, broken cabinets and uneven loo floors. Apart from these issues, there’s one main glitch – loo door latch.

Garib Rath Loo Door Lock issues
During one of my train trip I went to take a leak break…too much chai…coffee from the train. I happily closed the loo door, just when I started to pee, one fellow pushed the door ajar. Oops….. I was embarrassed so was him. First I blamed my absent minded nature as I keep forgetting to do things. For instance I forget to zip my pants after visiting the loo or keep the scooter keys on the vehicle, etc. Likewise, I thought it as a case of amnesia. But, later I realized it was the problem with the door latch.

The problem is with the sliding mechanism of this latch. It’s a faulty design, that requires a complete recall or a change in design. What happens is this – as the train moves, the whole bogey jerks and in the rocking movement, the latch comes off from the hook. ( Mystery solved)

And and even embarrassment  happened during anther tip. This time I was the villain. I pushed a door while a lady was inside…Mother of Ooops….lucky she didn’t notice me. I quietly closed the metal door and fled the scene.

Attention Railway Engineers or Employees 
Can anyone from the Railway coach engineering team look into this issue or similar issues? Also, there’s a problem with the toilet seat used in the commode in western toilet loo. Pls take it as high priority and so necessary modification will improve the quality of train travel. And it will save many people from many embarrassing moments for train travelers.

Advice to passengers:
Next time you travel by Garib Rath, double check the loo lock before you start your business.

Your’s in Concern

Charles

NB: I wrote this post on April 2011, but even as on May 2012 the lock issue remains. And now October, they have kept new lock ..but not everything is fool proof… Again, during a recent trip, I had to keep one hand secure on the door, while I used the other hand for the business.

P.S: It’s time Railways start Facebook ( It can start for different zones ) Southern, Western, etc..