Train journeys are truly interesting ones. Being a non residential keralite, I made a number of such journeys on my way to Mumbai and back home. Journey in local trains is of another class. Fully packed vessels running 24 X 7, Real heartbeat of Mumbai. Being in a location where all the three major suburban routes meet, I prefer to travel via train. It’s also because of its easiness, less time consumption and wide route coverage.
In one such hurry travel; I and Sreekanth boarded the train from Matunga station which is just 10 mins away by walk from our hostel. We were heading to Mumbai central in order to attend a program. As there is no direct train, we need to have a switching from central railway to western railway in Dadar station. Actually we were running out of time. So as we reached Dadar station we ran towards the western suburban network platforms for the next connection train. But before a train in our platform, one for the same direction arrived in the next. Without a second thought both of us ran towards it by crossing the tracks and managed to get in some fraction of seconds. As it was on the same direction that we need to go, we haven’t checked the sign boards and all. After some time the train started moving, but in the opposite direction.. ! sree asked the fellow passenger about it and came to know that it was a Dadar ending local and now on its way back to the starting point, Virar. We jumped out of the train and got a safe landing in the platform. “Whatz next? “, I asked sree. “Next local” he replied. We moved to next platform, this time we used FOB to reach there.
While we were to next platform, the ticket checker asked us for our tickets. As we gave our tickets, he told us to stop. “This ticket is not valid in this platform” he said. We were amazed. I asked “why? We just took this ticket from Matunga and it’s clearly written via DADAR in it”. He was not at all ready to accept what we say and told us that only DADAR – VIRAR or VIRAR- DADAR ticket is valid in this platform and nothing else. Pay fine of Rs. 500 towards entry with invalid tickets, he added. We really got shocked. First, we were having tickets with us still he is stressing on the point Invalid ticket. Second, we were not having more than Rs 100 with us. We pretended not to give fine and told that being new to the city we don’t know about the system and more to that we are students and can’t bear this amount. He was not ready to leave us and took us to his office to meet his boss sitting there. We repeated the same story. After long conversation and clarification of our position, he gave us a “student’s concession” i.e. Reduced rate of RS 250. I told him that we are not having cash and can’t pay the fine at any cost. Sree gave his purse to the officer and asked him to take whatever he needs from it keeping in mind that only Rs 80 is left in it and we need to reach Mumbai central and back to hostel. Seems ticket checker was not convinced with sree’s dialogue. He started checking our pockets and finally found nothing. He was nothing left to claim, so turned us and said “Being students and new to the city this time I am leaving you people”. Don’t ever roam around Mumbai with an empty purse like this, he added…!
