CHENNAI: One look at the recently introduced non-stop Duronto Express trains, running between Chennai and Coimbatore, and pop comes in mind the adage: ‘Old wine in new bottle’. For, they are all run with old coaches — a blatant violation of railway norms that only new ones must be used.
The decision to use old coaches may have been taken in haste. Reliable sources claimed that the rakes sourced from Northern Railway were much worn out because of their constant use in the past.
Obviously, the commuters bear the brunt.
“Though the non-stop service is good, it is all in the same old coaches,” said Senthil Kumar, an employee of a private firm. “I had travelled thrice, after the Duronto’s launch last week. On Monday, the quality of the food served on the train was worse than what’s given on other days,” he added.
Another passenger felt that even as the body of the train seemed appealing, its cabin resembled a first-class coach available on regular trains.
The six-day Chennai-Coimbatore-Chennai Duronto Express, which runs with eight coaches, including one executive class and seven chair cars, was formally flagged off by Union Minister for Textiles Dayanidhi Maran from Chennai Central on January 25.
Despite the inconveniences, the new train is catching up with the passengers — its average occupancy is anywhere between 40 and 50 per cent on weekdays and nearly 100 per cent on weekends. Railway officials are optimistic that the Duronto Express will be the rage during summer.
On the contrary, the Chennai-Nizamuddin Duronto Express — the first such service in Chennai division of Southern Railway — has new coaches, sources added.
When contacted, a senior official with the railways said the Duronto service was launched as part of the budget announcement for the current fiscal. “The inauguration might have been delayed for two years, roughly, if we had waited for new rakes.”
As things stand today, new coaches were likely to be added as and when they arrive, the official remarked.