Ever wondered why retiring rooms at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) always show overbooked?
Ever wondered why retiring rooms at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) always show overbooked?
Not because more passengers are opting for the break-journey option that allows them to stay at the station for a day or two, but ticket collectors are allegedly using these rooms for roosting.
Many passengers have stopped thinking about staying in the retiring rooms and book rooms in hotels close to the station
"Officially, there are seven retiring rooms meant for passengers at CST, but only three of them are being used for the purpose. Three rooms have been unofficially given to ticket collectors and one to the time-table committee," said a senior railway official.
Hundreds of passengers willing to opt for the break-journey option are forced to change their mind as retiring rooms are always overbooked. "They should be given access to all the seven retiring rooms at CST, it's unethical to allot the rooms to ticket collectors at the cost of commuters' convenience," said the official.
Frustrated, many passengers have stopped thinking about staying in the retiring rooms and decided to book rooms in hotels close to the station. "I have tried to book a seat in the retiring rooms several times, but I have always been told that there is no place as the dormitories are already overbooked.
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Now, I don't opt for the break-journey option, instead I would book a room in nearby hotel. It's hassle free and doesn't cost a fortune too," said Anoop Kumar, a passenger at the CST station who had to take a train Nagpur the next day.
Same was the case with Aditi Singh, who was travelling with her husband and two children, from Patna. "We wanted to spend the night in the retiring room as our train is scheduled to depart from CST tomorrow morning. There is no point going home and again coming to the station, navigating through the chaotic traffic of the city, but much to our disappointed we failed to book in the retiring room."
Another passenger Prashant Patil said, "I don't think staying at a retire room is economical by any stretch of imagination as their tariffs are almost similar to that of nearby motels. Why should I bear so much of noise and disturbance in the retiring room when I can spend a peaceful night in a cheap hotel nearby?"
Railway hotels
Retiring rooms are railway hotels where a passenger new to the city can stay over night in the comfort of air-conditioned rooms. Usually, it is for 24 hours, but at some stations it can be booked for 12 hours also. The railway charges Rs 1,600 for AC double-bed rooms, Rs 450 non-AC double-bed rooms and Rs 300 for dormitories for a day.
"The AC and non-AC rooms have been provided at major stations. Only those holding a valid ticket for an inward/outward journey are eligible to apply for the use of the retiring rooms and dormitory beds. In case the rooms are already full, we have to inform the passengers about its non availability," said the Central Railway PRO.
The Other Side
Asked about the alleged unofficial allocation of retiring rooms to ticket collectors, A K Singh, PRO, CR, pleaded ignorance about the issue. "I will look into the matter." The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) has designed a software that will allow a confirmed ticket holder to book a retiring room at CST.
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