'Filthy toilets, crowded coaches': Passengers share pics, videos of packed trains during Diwali rush

Visuals of dirty toilets and crowded compartments shared by @Abhinandan32Sin and @Abhinandan32Sin on X.

The Diwali weekend witnessed an unprecedented rush of passengers across the country trying to take a train home and multiple complaints from confirmed ticket holders of ticketless travellers taking over their seats and sometimes, the entire compartment. Several angry commuters took to social media to share videos of coaches crammed with illegal travellers, slamming the Railways for the mismanagement and demanding refunds for their tickets.

"I bought a tatkal ticket for an AC 3-tier coach to go from Vadodara to my home in Ratlam. I could have taken a bus but the train would have been faster so I bought the ticket at a high price but I could not even board the train," Anshul Sharma, 27, told Moneycontrol. He ended up staying alone in Vadodara unable to celebrate Diwali with his ageing parents.

Sharma blasted the Railways for not being prepared to handle the festive rush. " The screens displaying the trains and their platforms weren't working at the Vadodara station. And even when I somehow managed to get to the right platform, there was no way to even open the door to my compartment. It was completely filled with passengers who did not even have a reservation," he said. Sharma also pointed out that when he approached the police for help, they laughed and said that they couldn't do anything to help.

Others who did manage to board the crowded trains were left with no place to sit and reported that people had even taken over the toilets. The ones that were vacant, were filthy.

@RailMinIndia Unauthorised people travel in 3AC please help us and also cover toilet area we can't use because of unauthorised people train no 11059 #railway #UttarPradesh #ndtv #Ravikumar #Maharashtra #NewsZERO pic.twitter.com/47yBui3tO9

— Bilal Khan (@Khan01028) November 11, 2023

@indianrailway__ Now Vande Bharat and other trains are running and indian railway is continuously improving their service, but I am totally shocked when I travelled on HWH-CKP ex(18011)by Sleeper class.The coach was very dirty and toilets were not clean enough. pic.twitter.com/ca60HSlFKC

— Abhinandan Singha (@Abhinandan32Sin) November 12, 2023

Women passengers also reached out for help via social media claiming they have been unable to use the toilets because of the crowd in the coaches.

Urgent plea to @RailMinIndia @Central_Railway @AshwiniVaishnaw ji Overcrowding in train bogies is causing distress, especially for ladies who can't access toilets.
This is the condition of AC bogies
Train number : 12141
Train name : Patliputra express #indianrailways pic.twitter.com/J1AwFIGrEG

— Rashi Parihar (@RashiParihar) November 10, 2023

Situation of 3rd AC in train no. - 12506 ... We aren't able to go to toilet from 2 hrs.... what's the railway ministry is doing to control the rush of festival? @AshwiniVaishnaw #RailwayNewVacancy pic.twitter.com/0IE5fOA5rj

— Harsh Vardhan (@vardhanharsh45) November 9, 2023

Disappointed with the experience on Dakshin Express 12721. Passengers with confirmed tickets are struggling to find seats. @RailMinIndia,@AshwiniVaishnaw @Central_Railway urgent attention needed to address this issue and ensure a smoother journey for passengers. #IndianRailways pic.twitter.com/7s2eocYjQi

— Akshay Kulkarni

Ensuring family reunions on Diwali!

On Diwali's eve, the Railways' staff and officials are standing guard to make sure every passenger reaches home to celebrate Diwali with their families and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/dcnkzsbBWH

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) November 11, 2023

The Central Railway and Eastern Railway also claimed that it had train examination staff, cleanliness staff, TTEs, train managers and other staff working relentlessly during the festive rush.

Read more: 'Thanks for ruining my Diwali': Crowd forces man with AC ticket to miss train home