The history of Indian Railways is a remarkable tale that traces the country’s transition from colonial dominance to contemporary independence. Having been founded in 1853, Indian Railways has grown to be the backbone of the country. Its network stretches over 67,000 kilometers.
This vast railway system unites the diverse regions of India and fosters a sense of unity across the country. Among the world’s largest railway networks, Indian Railways’ vast network accommodates over 23 million people per day. Through busy towns, lush farmland, and barren deserts, the trains travel from the snow-capped summits of the Himalayas to the serene coasts of the Indian Ocean.
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Despite its achievements, Indian Railways still faces several difficulties, the most significant of which is congestion. Every day, millions of people travel through packed trains on anything from long-distance express routes to tiny suburban lines.
Recently, social media content that has gone viral has brought attention to the problem of overpopulation. An intense discussion between a user and the Railway Ministry broke out on the social networking site X after a video showing an overloaded 2nd AC sleeper carriage with claims of people without tickets was posted.
Man shares video of overcrowded 2nd AC coach of train
A recent social media controversy started after user Kapil posted a video of an overcrowded 2nd AC sleeper class on the Kashi Express, a train that travels between Mumbai and Gorakhpur. Concerning the effect on the train’s air conditioning system, Kapil stated that the congestion had gotten to one of the first-class carriages. He tagged Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of railways, and asked him to take action. In his post, she wrote,
“This is not a General Coach. This is not a Sleeper Coach. This is not a 3AC Coach. This is a 2nd AC Coach!! The crowd has reached one of the most premium coaches of Indian Trains. Only First AC is left to be destroyed by @AshwiniVaishnaw”
This is not a General Coach
This is not a Sleeper Coach
This is not a 3AC CoachThis is a 2nd AC Coach!!
The crowd has reached one of the most premium coaches of Indian Trains. Only First AC is left to be destroyed by @AshwiniVaishnaw pic.twitter.com/qyByUevhUd
— Kapil (@kapsology) April 19, 2024
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Indian Railway shares the reality behind the viral video
In response to Kapil’s post, the Ministry of Railways strangely released an updated video that showed the same carriage free of people. They requested that Kapil refrains from discrediting Indian Railways by disseminating out-of-date and deceptive material. Replying to Kapil, official Twitter account of Indian Railways wrote,
The present video of the coach. No overcrowding. Please don’t malign the image of Indian Railways by sharing misleading videos. https://t.co/70xQkhRVdT pic.twitter.com/ivz9LDyFly
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) April 20, 2024
Due to the peculiarity of the incident, it has gone viral on all platforms.
Many users started trolling Indian railways for their response
People also highlighted how they got entangled in the same kind of situation. The incident has also brought light to the continuous difficulties Indian Railways are facing in controlling passenger numbers and guaranteeing a good travel experience for everybody.
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Shame on you!
Sharing today’s video to call something misleading that happened on 14 April 2024!!!
Your intimidation is not going to stop the Indians from exposing the poor service offered by Indian Railways under the leadership of @AshwiniVaishnaw pic.twitter.com/8A69QrQnhl
— Kapil (@kapsology) April 20, 2024
You are here to serve the citizens by listening to their concerns. What pathetic response is this?
— Rakhi Tripathi (@rakhitripathi) April 20, 2024
Train met with an accident on 19th April.
Indian Railways on 20th April : See the Video of train running fine. Dont malign the image of Indian Railways.
Incompetent🤡
— Gss🇮🇳 (@Gss_Views) April 20, 2024
.@RailMinIndia is misleading as they have posted today’s video to clarify the overcrowding in the 2AC coach that happened on 14 April 2024.
Don’t give a free pass to these Babus of Indian Railways!!
— Anahat🇮🇳 (@AnahatSagar) April 20, 2024
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