Missed Your Train During Journey- Here’s What You Should Do?
Indian Railways is credited with the title of world’s fourth vastest Railway system. Every day the Indian Railways operate thousands of trains plying from one city/state to other connecting millions of passengers from source to destination. There’re many passengers who board their train on time and on the other end there’re many who miss their train from boarding station or in transit of their journey. A new phenomenon is also on its full swing giving a sharp rise in the rate of missing trains. It is called “Digital-distraction”, mainly leading youngsters to miss out their train or buses. The causes may differ from each other but the result is equally disastrous for everyone.
The 2007 romcom “Jab We Met” has conspicuously portrayed the problems of a vivacious Punjabi girl (played by Kareena Kapoor) who missed her train twice and the effort involved to reach her destination. Once you miss out your train due to any reason, then what you left with is nothing much than regretting on the reasons of missing your train. You will also miss the fun of ordering food online in train and enjoying it with the scenic beauty and landscapes of Indian terrains. If you’re also among those people who have experienced this incident and looking for solutions, then you don’t need to worry. RailMitra shares some tips to you to take out from “What to do dilemma” in such situation and you will have a fair enough idea about the actions you need to take once you miss out your train.
Inform the station in-charge/Stationmaster for Luggage
Station incharge/station master is your first savior. If you have missed your train in transit and left with nothing; the first thing is to contact the station master and inform him about each specific detail like name of the train, your boarding station, seat number, coach number, reason of missing the train and most important luggage details. The station master will contact the concerned authority of the next station and will arrange for your luggage safety. After this, you can collect your luggage from the store luggage counter of Indian railways at the next station or your de-boarding station.
Digitization will Save You
Gone are those days when inquiry counters were thronged with passengers inquiring about trains and its arrival/departure timings. Digitization is adopted by the Indian Railways and as a result you can get every detail right from live train running status to live trains running from a particular station. After you contact the station master for your luggage concerns, try to check the live station feature which will inform you with the next running train schedule. This will help you to reach the next station where your luggage is secured.
Recommended Read: 5 Ways RailMitra Would Change The Way One Travels Via Trains in India.
Check for Nearest Hotel or IRCTC Lounge
Internet will save you every time you’re in trouble. After discovering the live stations feature which enables you to know the next trains and train schedule, you can search for the nearest hotel or IRCTC Lounge which are erected at many stations. These executive lounges have five star services like recliners, restaurants, deluxe rooms, range of tasty food options, etc. If there’s a gap between your next trains, you can book a room/recliner for you and avail their best services. You can book a hotel room nearby the station available on hourly basis to relax and reset your panic levels. Waiting rooms are also available on least charges.
Inform your Parents/ Relatives/ Local Guardian (if any)
Relax and inform your parents/nearest relatives or any local guardian (if you’re lucky). They can also arrange proper help for you like transferring of money, arranging cab or share the location with you to visit their house. Do not worry for your luggage. It’s in safe hands with the railway luggage department.
Check the Next intermediate or main junction where Train halts
Many a time, when the train starts from its origin, it certainly takes its first halt at the nearby station. Try to reach the next station, if possible, to catch your train. You can also check out the live train running status to know about the next railway halt and arrange accordingly to reach there. If you’re lucky, you might see your train placed at the platform to board.
Last but Not the least! Be Ready to book new Tickets
Either online or offline, be ready to purchase a new ticket to your destination. Queue in the PRS window line or log in to IRCTC ticket booking website to purchases the ticket for the next train. Do not buy the tickets online if the ticket availability is shown in GNWL. Online booked tickets are canceled if it is not confirmed and does not allow the passengers to travel with waitlisted tickets. So its better that you buy a ticket from the PRS counter and reserve a berth for your journey as per availability. You can also check Tatkal ticket option or Premium Tatkal Quota (available in selected trains) for instant confirm tickets.
There’re number of proverbs conveying the message to make mistakes and learn from it. But, a number of proverbs also ask human beings to learn from the mistakes. So, be Alert! Try avoiding the mistakes that has caused you to miss your train.