'Why pay for AC if we have to suffer like general class,' asks passenger of crowded AC 3-tier coach

Nilisha Mantri said that despite confirmed tickets she and her friends did not get to sit properly during the journey. (Image credit: @nilishamantri_/X)

Nilisha Mantri and her two friends travelling from Delhi to Chittor had confirmed AC 3-tier tickets for Chetak Express. Still, they, along with other passengers, had to travel in discomfort, even restricting visits to the toilet after ticketless passengers took over the compartment.

A photo shared by the 28-year-old on X showed passengers crammed into the coach, with several people taking over even the upper bunks.

"Railways have become a joke. Why are we even paying for AC if we have to suffer like the general class?" Mantri wrote tagging the Indian Railways, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This is the condition of 3rd tier AC in chetak express 20473 @RailMinIndia @AshwiniVaishnaw railways have become a joke why we are even paying for AC if we have to suffer like general class?? @narendramodi no place to even sit properly even after paying pic.twitter.com/zUQO3utYHM

— Nilisha Mantri (@nilishamantri_) March 19, 2024

Speaking to Moneycontrol, Mantri said she and her friends were returning from a trip in the hills and had booked the tickets well in advance. But, mid-journey, ticketless travellers took over the compartment. "We could not leave our seats for four to five hours to even go to the toilet. There were women with children who did not get to sit. The people who boarded the train abruptly were also bossing people around," she said.

Mantri added that she had faced similar circumstances during the festive season last year.

Reports of crowded coaches, filthy toilets, and ticketless passengers taking over reserved seats had flooded social media last year around Dussehra and Diwali, with many passengers opting to miss the crowded trains rather than take a risk travelling like that with family.

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