Nagpur: Hundreds of railway passengers trying to book tickets for journeys from Pune and Mumbai to Nagpur during Diwali in the past couple of days were greeted with a ‘Regret’ message within minutes of the reservation window opening. Now, they are left with virtually no regular train option for the festive rush. The same has been observed for other popular destinations in the country.With railway reservations opening two months in advance, passengers logged on to the newly revamped IRCTC app at 8am hoping to secure berths for their journey home. But tickets on regular trains were snapped up almost immediately. The booking system instead flashed the ‘Regret’ or error message.Thousands of students, professionals and other residents working or studying in Mumbai and Pune traditionally return home for Dhanteras, Diwali, Bhau Beej and Chhath Puja, which fall in the first half of November.Passengers said they were frustrated because they couldn’t secure tickets despite logging in precisely at the opening time of booking. The anger spilled over on social media, with passengers questioning the railway ministry and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the lack of adequate seats in regular trains during the festive rush.With journeys in regular trains almost out of the question, passengers now face the prospect of travelling on special trains, often at less convenient timings and with limited berths.Those unable to secure railway tickets are also staring at steep fares for buses and flights, which have already begun rising from the first week of November.The bus fares have shot up to around Rs4,000, with a further increase expected as the festival comes closer. Air fares for the Diwali period too have soared to Rs8,000. Bus and flight tickets usually cost around Rs1,500 and Rs5,000, respectively.The upcoming Ganpathi and Mahalaxmi puja festivals too have led to a rush of passengers, yet tickets are available on the waitlist or RAC. But unavailability of train tickets during the Diwali rush is an annual phenomenon. “This time I was hopeful of getting a confirmed ticket after assurance from our railway minister about IRCTC app. However, it seems nothing has changed. Ordinary travellers like us didn’t get any ticket while agents got confirmed tickets,” said Anand Saha, a resident of Chandrapur who travels to Pune via Nagpur.Pravin Dabli, ex-ZRUCC member, said the Pune and Mumbai routes are high-density and require more regular daily trains. “Special trains too fail to cater to the demand. Central Railway must seriously think about introducing more trains as passengers load has increased manifold,” he said. Central Railway officials didn’t respond to TOI calls in this regard.
