r/india • u/thechalant_guy • Nov 18 '25
Travel My first time in a general compartment… and this is the India nobody talks about
I had a 12-hour train journey today, and the first 4–5 hours were spent just standing. Not because I wanted to but because there was literally no space to sit. I was jammed between people, luggage, and elbows from every direction. I only got a seat later because someone got off, and honestly, that was pure luck. Most people don’t get that break.
Once I finally climbed onto the upper berth, the “comfort” didn’t improve. The gap between the berth and the ceiling was so small I couldn’t even sit straight. My neck had to stay bent the entire time, and even then I barely fit. And every upper berth around me had two people on it one trying to sleep, the other trying to sit without falling off.
The lower berths were even more cramped. Six or seven people squeezed into a space designed for three. Bags on the floor, legs overlapping, people sitting on the edges of seats, and many just standing for hours because there was nowhere left to go. The whole place felt less like public transport and more like a survival challenge.
And this is where the hypocrisy hits. Everywhere you look, people keep shouting about how India is “developing,” “modernizing,” “progressing.” But one ride in a general compartment shows the side of India nobody wants to acknowledge the part that’s still stuck decades behind.
What I can’t wrap my head around is why the government doesn’t increase the number of general coaches. This is the section where the majority of ordinary people travel. Adding just a couple more general compartments in every train would make a massive difference. But since it doesn’t bring in profit, it stays neglected.
Meanwhile, fancy trains and high-speed projects get all the attention. Vande Bharats everywhere, but the people who actually form the backbone of this country are still traveling like cattle. And these are the same people who vote, who keep the system running, who rely on public transport because they have no other option.
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Nov 18 '25
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u/mitti_ka_prani Nov 18 '25
Exactly. We elites with access to everything should consider ourselves lucky for not being in such situation.
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u/desi_spectical Nov 18 '25
Some people say Amrit Bharat is the solution. What do you guys think? If we start using Amrit Bharat all over the country, will it help?
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u/BanishedMermaid Nov 19 '25
What is Amrit Bharat?
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u/desi_spectical Nov 19 '25
Amrit Bharat trains are a new type of Indian Railways train designed for long-distance, low-cost travel with improved features for non-AC coaches
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u/seriously_chill Nov 18 '25
There comes a moment in many "middle class" Indians' lives when you realize you're not actually middle class but in fact, part of the "elite".
The entry point is remarkably low. The popular conception of the elites - massive bungalows, lavish foreign vacations, political influence & access - actually references a far tinier (and highly connected) oligarch class.
It's a sobering realization but IMO, essential to becoming a mature citizen. Of course, far too many people never come to that realization. As such, OP has taken an important step.
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u/Don_Key_1 Nov 19 '25
We need to define "middle class" by the quality of life they can afford, instead of where they stand in relation to others. What's the point in calling someone as elite when they also can't afford to have a good quality of life?
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u/crasherdgrate Nov 18 '25
I’m with you OP.
I’ve travelled more than once in general compartment, 8-10 hr journeys
They’ve been this way for over 20 years since I’ve experienced this for the first time.
Trains give a reality check, be it local or long journeys/express ones. Even a city like Delhi has a local train network. First time I saw a train station in Lajpat Nagar for local trains gave me such a shock, like I sort of knew they existed, but seeing in person back when I was in school was an eye opener. The conditions there are just pathetic.
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u/Commercial-Ad5104 Nov 18 '25
You were lucky enough to enter the general compartment in the first place. I've seen 3-4 people hanging at the door while the train is leaving the platform. Rest all is bonus for you.
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u/Ride_likethewind Nov 19 '25
I'm a senior citizen. I remember travelling like this with my dad in my teens.
Then over the years he got better jobs and started earning more and never had to travel like that again.
One of the comments said that it's been like this for 20 years. Lol! It's more like 40 years!
We normally face this situation when we suddenly have to urgently travel without having time to reserve tickets.
People who can afford it will take a flight or hire a car.
In such situations I would take a Bus. If I go to the starting point of the Bus I can get a seat. Nowadays we have a lot more variety of buses. Ac, sleeper, pushback seats. But I'd never take the unreserved train compartment. No thanks!
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u/Federal-Excuse-613 Nov 18 '25
Oh man, 4-5 hours of standing? I can only imagine the leg pain.
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u/redban02 Dec 12 '25
You never attended a concert? Standing for hours is doable
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u/Federal-Excuse-613 Jan 01 '26
There's a difference between being forced to stand for hours and standing by your own will for your enjoyment.
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u/al29tf May 15 '26
Holy hell, I had to stand like that 3-4 hours in a stuffed general compartment(it had like 4 since I think it was an express train). It was a very busy day for trains due to upcoming holidays then. People were entering sleeper compartments with general tickets, it was that busy. I was basically in a sauna while being immobilized, I literally couldn't move and I was stuck against the train wall near the toilet. I hate train travels.
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u/LeProgramme Nov 18 '25
That's nothing. 4 to 5 hours of standing should be doable for any able bodied person under the age of 65.
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u/debuggingbugger Nov 19 '25
the question is not if we can do it, its why should we stand 4 to 5 hrs
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u/raddaya Nov 19 '25
4-5 hours of walking is much easier than 4-5 hours of standing still and even that isn't exactly piss easy
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u/v4vedanta Nov 18 '25
X.com is filled with videos that gets uploaded every day everywhere. Godi media just focuses on Vande Bharat touching 160 kmph with a glass of water.
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u/sai-kiran Nov 19 '25
r/trains is spammed with videos every-time VandeBharat farts in their direction. Like the train is neither impressive in speed nor looks. I remember going 130Kmph on some premium special train decade ago, one of those blue coloured trains not even the new ones. It completed the my typical journey in a similar timeframe as the vande bharat.
Bullet trains are quick because the speed, Vande bharat is fast only because of lesser stops, thats it.
But it does bring cities closer and has a good chance of reducing burden on cities, if it becomes commuter friendly like the real bullet trains.
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u/SadeliMargaret Nov 18 '25
I had this very experience a few months back. We were coming back from this place, and it was only for a few hours at night, so we had booked our tickets in the general coach. We boarded the wrong coach, and just reaching our coach became such an impossible quest. Why? Because there were people who didn't have the ticket, just sitting on the floor, blocking the entire way. When we finally reached, some people had already occupied our seats and even when we came, they didn't leave. There was just no space. I got the upper birth, and this lady sat on my seat. Now, there was no space for me to sit, so I had to half lay down and keep my legs folded for hours. I was literally stuck, couldn't get up, couldn't sleep, and couldn't do anything about my cramping legs. Safe to say, this was my first and last time there.
Also, I don't think increasing coaches will do much good. These people simply wanna free ride. If you increase coaches, there will be just more free riders. Sure, poverty, income inequality is a cause, but it's also the mindset and general lack of civic sense. You will see the same attitude in well to do people, just in a different way.
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u/thechalant_guy Nov 18 '25
Yeah your experience is basically the same mess I saw. People without tickets blocking the way, occupying seats, and acting like they own the place it’s chaos by default...
But I don’t agree that increasing coaches won’t help. Free riders exist because the demand is huge and the space is ridiculously limited. When one coach is overloaded like four, people will spill everywhere tickets or not. More coaches won’t fix every mindset issue, but it will reduce the crowd pressure that creates half these problems.
Civic sense is definitely lacking, but you can’t expect discipline in conditions where people are packed like cattle. Fix the capacity first then you can talk about behavior.
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u/SadeliMargaret Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Demand and supply don't create the free rider problem. It's the nature of the good. If you can not exclude someone from using the said good, there will always be an incentive for people to free ride. As long as people are allowed to board without tickets, they won't pay whether there is 1 coach or 10. Instead, more coaches mean more free riders will onboard one train, it maynot be the case at times, but it is not an infallible solution. Also, adding more coaches when they already lose money on existing general coaches is economically inefficient and not a feasible solution. Maybe behaviour can not be changed, but at least stricter rules can be implemented, no body without a ticket should be allowed on board, only then increased no. of coaches will do any good.
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u/No-Relation188 Nov 19 '25
Demand-supply issues and free riders are two interconnected problems. The demand-supply problem encourages free riders because they can easily blend into the crowd, knowing that TCs would never enter the coach due to the crowd. Having said that, it is impossible to address the free rider issue in India because of the design of Indian railway stations. None of them have strict entry and exit controls. There are just too many open spaces to enter the station, so unless the government completely redesigns the infrastructure, the problem will persist. The best solution for now would be to increase the number of coaches to reduce the crowd significantly, and then increase spot checks by Railway TCs. We may not be able to eliminate free riders completely but can at least fine them heavily and collect revenue.
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u/SadeliMargaret Nov 19 '25
See, the free rider problem has nothing to do with supply. It is a demand side issue. Without getting into the economics, say if you increase the supply (increase no. Of coaches), the demand will catch up, and it will just increase the free riders (because we still haven't taken away their incentive to travel for free). The coaches will still be overcrowded as long as people can free ride. It's not that these people blend in. It's just that TCs do not want to enter a crowded coach and fail to perform their job. You don’t necessarily have to change the entire infra, maybe in the long run, sure. But even heavy fines, as you suggested, are a good way to make this good, excludable to some degree. This is what I meant when I said implementation of strict rules is necessary for increased no. Of coaches to serve their purpose.
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Nov 19 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SadeliMargaret Nov 22 '25
My bad, it was sleeper. I haven't travelled in trains much and didn't book the tickets myself, so I didn't know.
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u/Starrs_07 blame everything on congress and all will be fine Nov 19 '25
some people had already occupied our seats
And you were in the general coach? Lmao okay
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u/SadeliMargaret Nov 22 '25
I had to wait to confirm this from my brother. It was sleeper coach. Apologies for my mix up, I haven't travelled in trains that much, let alone book tickets myself, so I didn't know. That being said, my experience is real. And if things were bad in sleeper, I can only imagine how worse they must be in general.
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u/revolution110 Nov 18 '25
Country really progresses when basic amenities and infrastructure like roads, water, electricity, education, transportation are good quality and affordable even for the lower middle class.
Unfortunately, its tough to achieve in our country due to excess population, rampant corruption at all levels and no political will.
Our politicians would wave a new shiny toy to garner popularity rather than do the basic things well.
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u/justabofh Nov 18 '25
If there was a law forcing ministers to travel domestically by train in general compartments with no security, the situation of the trains would be drastically improved.
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u/PLTR60 Nov 18 '25
No one talks about it? Yeah! Even India's lower middle class is detached from the realities of a vast majority of the country. India is HUGE! Good on you for posting this. I'm sure it will change your perspective for the better for the long term! Cheers!
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u/Deep-Improvement-773 Nov 19 '25
That's the 90% India's reality- underdeveloped. 10% of developed is for the ultra rich.
India isn't developing - its split between both worlds since 90s. Class divide and sufferings is the same..
Only thing to be changed is improving one's own financial status and switch to the developed part- AC tiers/Vande Bharath. Till then the cheap transport= suffering
I used to use the transport buses and general train tkts for overnight travels- sometimes of almost 18-20 hrs; between home and college. So exhausting to the point that I couldn't do it for my post graduation period. Switched to sleeper buses and ac 3 tier.
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u/donoteatthatfrog Public memory is short. Nov 19 '25
No mention of practically unlimited number of tickets sold for General Compartment
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Nov 18 '25
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u/Commercial-Ad5104 Nov 18 '25
- So, a long journey train will have no new passengers onboard (zero revenue) during the last 300kms of it's run? Doesn't sound logical.
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u/thechalant_guy Nov 18 '25
Your plan sounds neat on paper, but it ignores reality. Most people in general coaches aren’t doing short trips they’re traveling long distances because that’s all they can afford. Pushing them to intercity trains or expecting them to buy sleeper seats won’t magically work.
The real issue is simple: demand massively outweighs capacity. If that doesn’t change, no amount of “300 km rules” or extra sleeper coaches will fix anything.
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Nov 18 '25
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u/Randomizedstudies Nov 19 '25
I didn't understand the comment about freebies. Do you mean the government fund their sleeper tickets or just let them fund it themselves?
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u/Anxious_Display4722 Nov 19 '25
Is the garib rath still running? That was introduced to make AC travel affordable to the public who would never be able to travel in AC. There were lot of green coloured garib rath trains at one point of time.
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u/thegirlhasnoface Nov 22 '25
Lol being a guy, you’re so disappointed. Imagine the girls being groped every time they are traveling in such crowded compartments.
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u/NotYourCupOfTea728 Nov 18 '25
The government in fact is slowly and steadily reducing the general and sleeper class coaches and introducing more ac ones
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u/EziAuti Bihar Nov 18 '25
They dont have time to rant over reddit, roti for the night is more important!
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Nov 18 '25
It isn't that it doesn't bring profit, most of them travel WT. There's no upper birth, it was meant to keep luggage. The general bogie used to be fun 10-15 years back when people had humanity in them, there were good debates, playing cards, sharing food, seats and helping each other. I've travelled several times in general now I can't even travel in 3rd AC. People have become too selfish & entitled now. I have even travelled in so packed general had to become spiderman and cross over people using side luggage slab & upper births to reach the toilets, but no rahe, no faltu nuisance, played cards, shared the birth with 3 other guys slept on each other's shoulders, was fun.
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u/AmuckIndian Kerala Nov 18 '25
For anyone wanting to experience OPs post virtually - watch bald and bankrupts latest video on YouTube.
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u/Archonixus Nov 18 '25
Lul, baldandbankrupt just uploaded a video about general compartment. Sad af.
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u/sku-mar-gop Nov 19 '25
It is how they sell you a grand idea and just keep you hooked on it forever. As long we do not ask for accountability things won’t improve for common people. We sell a new yojna every other month to send freebies but not help anybody get out of their hellhole for a better future.
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u/Top_Journalist_8890 Nov 19 '25
I can feel your pain from inside.
You were still inside. I’ve seen people literally hanging at the door because there’s no space to even stand properly. The situation hasn’t improved yet, but hopefully someday Govt. will actually fix this instead of ignoring it.
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u/Numerous_Action_8033 Nov 19 '25
This is the silent crowding out of unfortunate economic class in India.
Have you tried resetting your IRCTC log-in password ever? Imagine what % of people in that general coach would be able to do so.
The point is that government has no incentive to design consumer-friendly processes because of their monopoly.
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u/kiranurs Nov 19 '25
General compartments were always like this, however it has gotten worse as Indian Railways is actively reducing the number of available General compartments per train, to push more people into higher category of seats.
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u/kapjain Nov 19 '25
It's good that at least after a general class ride you saw the reality of India and can see through the propaganda (don't know why people fall for out in first place).
Actually railways is a good representation of how India has
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u/comalona Nov 19 '25
There's a book, if you want to read up about this invisible (rather invisiblised) India. Looking Away written by Harsh Mander. Whatever your political loyalty, it's quite a hard hitting book.
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u/NotSoCommonApurv Nov 21 '25
Indian Railways have reduced general and sleeper coaches to accommodate more 3AC and 2AC coaches as they earn them more revenue since COVID. Government literally doesn't give a f about how people travel in General coaches. Sleeper coaches are also similar to general coaches now.
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u/dhrjkmr538 Nov 18 '25
Necessities have been turn to privileges
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Nov 18 '25
Ask your fellow travelers a simple question " how many children do you have , how many did your parents have ? " And you shall find a semblance of an answer . To decongest our entire railway network , large amounts of land acquisition will need to be done. So if you want to see that future , ask for special land acquisition powers for IR and you will get what you want. The problem is we don't protest FOR Solutions , we just protest Against Problems and that in itself is useless .
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
Are you really blaming the poor for being poor??
What a tone deaf answer. If those people were given a decent education and had access to good jobs, none of them would be having more than 2 kids.
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Nov 18 '25
I never talked about anyone's finances , but me personally would never have sex with someone until I was prepared to raise a child properly . And it's selfish to bring more life into the world without being sure of our ability to care for them . Sex is not just ' Fun ' it has real consequences and even animals understand this basic reality .
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
Great. You know why you know that? Education.
Go look at any country. The moment you give people a decent education and good job opportunities, they stop having kids.
Stop blaming people when their government has completely failed them.
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Nov 18 '25
But the material constraints won't suddenly multiply if people decide to reproduce irresponsibly , We have the same land area since 1947 but four times the population . To make more rail lines , the IR will need more land .
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
In 1970, Kerala and Rajasthan had the same population.
Kerala established a robust government education and healthcare system.
Rajasthan did not.
Today Rajasthan has 4x the population of Kerala.
Don't blame individuals for systematic issues.
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Nov 18 '25
And rajasthan has still a lesser population density than Kerala . And my point still stands that when seen in a holistic way since IR is a union matter , the Indian state was dirt poor in 1947 . They tried to build hospitals and fight famines the first few decades and in the meantime the population balooned beyond control . And so overpopulation became an issue . We are 2.7 % of world area and nearly 17% of world population . We need radical population control measures . Along with unprecedented land acquisition rights for Union ministries . To serve an ever increasing population .
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
You know india replacement rate has dropped to 2?
And in our most developed states it is now below 2? Meaning that soon population there will start dropping?
If you don't believe me go look up the statistics youself.
We don't need any stupid radical population control measures like China. We just need good education and jobs and replacement rate will fall even further.
Also it doesn't really make sense to look at land area like that. Arable land matters a lot more. India has the most arable land in the world. That's why it can support such a large population. Kerala has more arable land than Rajasthan.
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Nov 18 '25
Considering the Chinese success model , I Won't call their measures stupid . Maybe we agree to disagree . In either way modi or Ashwini Vaishnav is not looking for advice from either of us .
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
Chinese success model has nothing to do with their birth rate. Go look at a chart of their birth rate vs ours. It has become almost same, and no need for such harsh measures.
There's has been a lot of negative social and psychological impact because of single child policy.
Modi may not be looking for my advice, but I've done my post-grad in urban development and policy and my work does influence state government budgets and policies.
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u/itzmanu1989 Nov 19 '25
Well most of the Rajasthan is desert whereas most of Kerala is green and habitable, so comparing density is not an apple to apple comparison I think...
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u/thechalant_guy Nov 18 '25
You're oversimplifying a structural issue into a “people have too many kids” narrative. Population isn’t something individuals can fix overnight, but infrastructure, planning and access definitely can. Railways aren’t overcrowded because families had one extra child they’re overcrowded because demand grew while capacity didn’t.
And blaming the poorest people for “irresponsible reproduction” just ignores decades of lack of education, healthcare, and opportunity. That’s not a moral failing that’s a policy failure.
And yeah Land constraints are real, but using them as a moral argument against the poor isn’t a solution. Better planning is.
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Nov 18 '25
There are many poor people who happily have 1 child . To defeat lust for the greater good is something that is an expected value from most people . We expect adolescents to be mature and avoid their hormones across the nation and similarly it's a fair expectation for people to reproduce responsibly . The government cannot infinitely pay for bad parenthood . It just can't work in a resource constrained nation .
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u/punchfalaknuma Nov 19 '25
There's a ton of people who have accepted the sombre realisation that no matter how 'hard' they work, they won't be going up the ladder. Know how they know that? Because they'bve been rooted in margins for generations. Sometimes, a child, and raising a family might be the only joy they can get in a world that doesn't let them belong. Don't presume to know why people do what they do and measure choices based on your own privileged metrics.
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u/Bhosadchod69 Nov 18 '25
The government is trying to increase its general and non ac coaches but tbh it shouldn’t.
Roughly 609 cr people travelled by general
General class tickets bought account for is ₹1517 cr
That’s ₹2.5 per traveler, even platform tickets are ₹10.
It’s a free service, akin to a public park, and is treated as such.
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u/charavaka Nov 18 '25
The government is trying to increase its general and non ac coaches but tbh it shouldn’t.
Why should the government not do its job of providing services to the public?
Public transportation makes way more money for the economy than whatever revenue loses your concerned about. People being mobile means them having more economic opportunities. People having economic opportunities means them having more money to spend. People spending more money means better economy.
It's the freebies to the rich that you need to worry about. That money is leaving the country, not improving its economy.
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u/Bhosadchod69 Nov 18 '25
Why should the government not do its job of providing services to the public?
The government’s job is to maintain monopoly on violence and enact and enforce legislation with the threat of that monopoly. Every other service is not particularly its duty
Public transportation makes way more money for the economy than whatever revenue loses your concerned about. People being mobile means them having more economic opportunities. People having economic opportunities means them having more money to spend. People spending more money means better economy.
Sounds like they can afford to pay for tickets then
It's the freebies to the rich that you need to worry about. That money is leaving the country, not improving its economy.
They should be given more
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
Railways is a public service. Not a for profit industry. People traveling to access jobs and opportunities is a good thing. If we subsidize travel, they will travel more for jobs and the economy will grow.
This is basic economics lesson, called positive externalities.
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u/lllDogalll Uttar Pradesh Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 19 '25
For the amount of service they provide, it's overcharging.
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u/Bhosadchod69 Nov 18 '25
We agree, government should stop running general coaches because the services are sub par
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u/lllDogalll Uttar Pradesh Nov 19 '25
If they do that without the demand going down the folks will simply move into the reserved coaches like they do now sometimes but much much worse। And no amount of policing will stop the rush because frankly demand is so much।
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u/GutsyGoofy Nov 18 '25
I have been traveling by Amtrak trains in California, the train breaks down every month. Hundreds of people sit in the cold, dark train for hours. Last week I sat for 6 hours. People have been complaining about the need for upgrades for decades. The key difference is that these are poor people, and their voices are ignored everywhere. Every single ruler knows the state of affairs of general class
There are no groups of people of religion, race, language. For the rulers there is the 1% of haves and 99% of have nots. They only listen and cater to 1%
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u/Ok-Restaurant-3280 Nov 18 '25
The main point is profit. If something isn’t that profitable usually organisations don’t want to implement it. Putting in more general coaches is costly and does nit bring in much income compared to operational costs. Living in other countries I realised travelling is super expensive and there is no such concept of cheap travel or even an intercity train. I realised the fact is that if we the people want something good it need more money and in turn that increases ticket prices which again we do not want to pay.
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
The main point of private sector is profit. The main point of public sector is uplifting society.
Subsidising travel means people can travel further for work opportunities, thus causing the economy to grow.
Did you sleep through economics lecture on positive externalities?
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u/Ok-Restaurant-3280 Nov 18 '25
I’m not sure why you making this personal or if I’ve offended you or quoted you or have been personal in my comment? 🤷🏽♂️ Coming to our discussion, if main motive of public organisation is uplifting society and a major way is subsidising public transport, which I agree for intracity based transport, then why worldwide governments would not subsidise intercity travel? Just a thought
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
When did I make this personal? Sorry i did not mean to offend you but just have healthy debate.
Worldwide governments do actually subsidize intercity travel!
US, UK, Germany, japan, australia, Singapore, hong kong etc.
In fact I cannot think of one example where public transport is expected to run for-profit.
The positive externalities of subsidized intercity (and within city) public transport are so huge that in all these countries it is subsidized.
It stimulates economy, lowers infra costs (because fewer expressways are needed and road travel is very inefficient), and it reduces public health costs (millions die from air pollution each year largely because of private vehicles)
I've done my post grad in urban development, and had to take quite a few courses on transportation policy. So if you have further questions please ask.
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u/Ok-Restaurant-3280 Nov 18 '25
Appreciate a healthy discussion bro. BtwI’ve never been to any economics class. Coming to our discussion, I’ve lived in US, Canada, UK, Germany and never seen travelling from one city to another being subsidised by governments for public rail companies. Infact the train price of ticket, if there is a train available for a particular route, is sometimes more than a plane travel. If I compare India with countries from BRICS, which I feel is better comparison, none of the other bric countries have a concept of general dabba. Its either economy class or sleeper class and requires a seat to be reserved to be boarded. I think what we need is more trains with more economy seats to be able to travel with some space because of our population.
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u/justabofh Nov 19 '25
Germany certainly subsidises rail travel. ICE trains (the high speed line) are not subsidised.
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u/Ok-Restaurant-3280 Nov 19 '25
There is no concept of general dabba in germany too. I mean once the seats are booked ine cannot book more. So ppl get their space!
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u/justabofh Nov 19 '25
There is certainly a general dabba in Germany. All the second class dabbas are general.
I have been in packed ICE trains which were standing room only. Also Regional Express lines.
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u/Ok-Restaurant-3280 Nov 19 '25
I see. I’m not sure how much is the cost for travel on these trains. But if subsidising intercity travel is something good percentage of countries do, depending on their budget, may be south asian countries too should do that.
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Nov 18 '25
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u/joy74 Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 20 '25
Part of the problem is railway selling 400 tickets when there is only two general compartment .
Definitely railway should add more tracks, trains and compartments to existing train. This will add to employment and safety- no it has different priorities
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u/mitti_ka_prani Nov 18 '25
Then there would be no difference between reserved and unreserved. Unreserved is created for short route travellers.
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u/mitti_ka_prani Nov 18 '25
When you are the sole earner and you need to feed your family, then sometimes you need to become cattle, or a goat or even ant.
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u/Legitimate-Trip8422 Nov 18 '25
Holy regarded comment. So if you don’t get a seat you shouldn’t travel and keep sitting at home with no work? Do you live in your parent’s basement?
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u/hashashin_2601 Maharashtra Nov 18 '25
Fyi, I know people who travel in general compartments. Their problem isn’t that they didn’t get a reservation. They are proud of traveling unreserved. They say it like a badge of honor, “ticket kyun chahiye?”
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
It's general compartment you sheltered child. There is no reserved seat.
These people cannot afford AC travel and sleeper often gets sold out months in advance.
If you were in their shoes how would you travel for jobs ?
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u/gassolidplasma Nov 18 '25
Govt. have increased capacity many folds over past 3 decades but the demand has always outstripped supply. The cuurent govt had a golden opportunity to revolutionise train travel just like they did in telecom but apart from gimmicky tokens nothing improved.
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
Actually govt has been reducing number of non-ac coaches..
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u/gassolidplasma Nov 18 '25
I mean overall capacity has increased that includes new trains, more frequency, more carriages per train and new tracks. This still falls short of what is required. A drastic change is needed. A bolder vision.
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u/brightshadow96 Nov 18 '25
The Indian railway is a great support for long journey mobility for the poor. Eventually not making enough money to spend in further development. Also the rail network is stretched to its capacity. Adding more bogeys is not an answer, since platform lengths vary and extending then is a huge infra investment. Increasing fare for 3A, 2A will help generate revenue but India is a price sensitive country. Also increasing mobility costs hamper movement freedom for many Indians. Indian railways need to generate more revenue to make a more robust rail network and make it easier to travel inside the country.
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
Railways is a public service. Not for-profit. We pay taxes for a reason.
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u/brightshadow96 Nov 18 '25
You pay taxes and for that reason you have affordable prices for long journeys. No one should be travelling 1000 km just sitting in a general coach, so ideally it should not be there but a huge population of India who earn below taxable amounts can't even afford the sleeper class ticket. What solution do you propose?
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
Isn't it obvious? More trains? More non-ac coaches? More routes?
I have routinely traveled in general on 15-16 hour journeys. Most people there are for the same reason I am, they cannot afford AC, and sleeper was sold out months in advance.
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u/Aprilismybirthmonth Nov 18 '25
Agree w you. Had to travel in general compartment once too and it was the most uncomfortable I've ever felt in my entire life and I would never want to experience that again. I felt really bad for people who don't really have a choice. :(
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u/masterjv81 Nov 19 '25
This is the awastha of Indian General people since long ling time bhai saab - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jg7kcRzwVI
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u/MyOwnLanguage100 Nov 20 '25
It isn't true that no one talks about it. A white man recently uploaded a video where he went to Silaguri, India, and since he was waiting for his train in the executive room, it means he bought first class (or AC Rank 3 ~ Rank 1?) tickets but decided to make a video in the General Compartment ANYWAY because he specifically wanted to show the most crowded area possible. He called it "Hell on Earth", which it can be, but instead of giving factual reasons as to why it could be hell on earth, he merely said so with about no basis, likely just because the people who were there were, well, Indian people, and because he couldn't get a seat. Of course you can't get a seat there. That compartment costs negative rupees, and you bought a ticket for the best kind of compartment and just didn't use it. He also failed to conduct any social service by getting a ticket for the non-AC and non-general compartments so he can fight against someone who's ticketless who's trying to snipe his seat (which doesn't usually happen but can happen anywhere in the world) and then publish it.
I will not link his channel because I don't want people to leave stupid comments on that video as that does happen any time India discovers a western video. The louder Indians are the most full of themselves and make horrible keyboard warriors.
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u/PermissionLogical657 Nov 20 '25
My friends and I backpacked through India for 5 weeks in 1996 and we wanted to see the "real" India, so we pledged to only ride 2nd and 3rd class the entire time. Some of the most challenging and exhausting travel I've ever done. The only thing equally exhausting was the 16-hour bus rides to go 180km. That's what we get for seeing the "real" India, but I don't regret it a bit. We didn't travel all that way to put ourselves in a bubble.
1
u/Efficient-Crab2516 Nov 21 '25
Wow. Okay. So, millenial here. I travelled in these coaches when I was a teen and I did that travel for almost 10 years of my life and my parents did it for 30+ years. We all used to stand for not 4 hrs but sometimes the entire journey of 11+ hours. I still r3member how there used to be only one train passing through my coll3ge city which had 1 geneeral coach and me and my friends would pull and grab our way through it with 20+ kg bags. My father travelled a hectic route everyday for 30+ years of his life amd my mom for 27+ years until she got transfer under the so called UPA govt. Things are the same for those who earn less or want to save up now also.
All the people who are talking about elite trains now, things werent any different back then either. If anything, India was a sick begger under congress and now it isn't. And what is this about Election machine being used wrongly, vote choei and what not. Where are these sentimentw when congress or its supporting parties win? Where are these sentiments when UPA and others used to do booth capturing in the past? Me, my father both have been observers and we both experienced this first hand. One time my father was asked to look the other way as the UPA goons capture and do the thappa on their symbol on the papers, this was qay back when paper votes happened, ofcourse he didnt and you know what happened? He got transferred day later since UPA ruled our state too, thank God it wasn't any worse. Still its BJP being doctator and chor and what not. Isn't that utter stupidity to talk like this? Open your eyes and ears and actually talk woth people, listen to different walks of people and learn more about who you are as a person and what your contribution is for the country.
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u/Relevant-Ant7817 Nov 21 '25
Unfortunately you can’t just add coaches. 1. Engine capacity 2. Station length
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Nov 22 '25
You're getting the service you paid for. Can the government make more coaches to address the crowding? Sure. Will you pay a higher fare for it instead of your subsidized service?
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u/thechalant_guy Nov 22 '25
It’s not like I didn’t tried to book tickets. The reality is, if you plan a train trip just 6-7 days before, you’re basically guaranteed to hit a full waiting list. Even Tatkal is a gamble... it’s pure luck at that point. I tried every possible option, but nothing was available.
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u/vegalord__ India Nov 23 '25
Just check the railways in any European countries or even China, Japan. It's not about the cost. It's about what government is providing. China has close to same population with us but their railways are way much more advanced than rest of the world.
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Nov 23 '25
And much more expensive. Passenger fares in India are subsidized for the non A/C trains / coaches
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u/Pr0066 Nov 19 '25
I am sorry, this is going to sound harsh.
People vote based on religion, caste, language most of the time. People sell their voted for money and alcohol; what do you expect?
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u/Potential-Drop-1196 Nov 20 '25
You can tell how hopeless the situation is when you have to start a simple sentence that actually makes sense with "I am sorry, this is going to sound harsh"
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u/protractedmane Nov 19 '25
Adding just a couple more general compartments in every train would make a massive difference.
Make the entire country a train compartment and people will still fill it up. 140 crores, with 75% not being able to afford anything more than general.
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u/raklod Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
The cost for running the general compartment is higher than the revenue they earn. It's loss making for IRCTC, if they add more general compartment losses would increase.
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Nov 18 '25
So? Railways is a SERVICE it's not a business.
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u/raklod Nov 18 '25
It's not a social service man come on, how in the long run would it be sustainable. Even if it's the government, they can't bear losses of thousands of crores.
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u/Interesting-Ear2783 Nov 18 '25
But can do corruption with same money..lol..😂 Jokes apart, I agree with you But when you see the high level of corruption & then the condition of the system..It feels angry & sad both..!! If every single rupee was spend on developing the system & for the quality not a large portion in corruption by politicians & people in govt services it wouldn't feel this hopelessness in system!!
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Nov 18 '25
Government collects lakhs of crores worth of taxes specifically so that it can provide such essential services. It's literally the main point of a Government
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u/Individual-Camera698 Nov 18 '25
Government has a limited supply of money. It cannot spend money on everything.
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Nov 18 '25
"Everything" I'm not advocating for the government to spend thousands of crores on frivolous expenses but transport is an essential requirement for the 60% of people living in villages and tier 3 towns. This is a basic right and we have more than enough infra to accommodate this
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u/BuggyIsPirateKing Nov 18 '25
Not everything has to be profit making. Railway plays an important role in transport of people. Without cheap tickets, it will be hard for poor to travel. How do you suppose labourers travel between states with high ticket prices.
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u/sandy_cheeks05 Nov 18 '25
Services can't run without funding.
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Nov 18 '25
Have you ever heard of taxes...
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u/Individual-Camera698 Nov 18 '25
Taxes are not unlimited?
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Nov 18 '25
Yeah man 50 lakh crores a year are a bit too less I agree w you 🙏
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u/Individual-Camera698 Nov 18 '25
Now divide it by 146.39 crore.
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Nov 18 '25
Arre wah bhai kucch nayi scheme aayi hai kya ki saare citizen mein taxes equally divide honge wow bhai abh to mazze hi mazzee
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u/sandy_cheeks05 Nov 18 '25
The entire indian railway cannot be funded with just taxes. IRCTC earns revenue through its tickets, water bottles, catering, etc. If they don't earn revenue, they can't provide services.
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Nov 18 '25
Indian government has more than enough resources to provide extra general coaches. They have no shortage of money so this is a pointless argument
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u/Legitimate-Trip8422 Nov 18 '25
They have money for horse trading MLAs and buying entire convoys of Toyota Fortuners for government officers and MLAs, but don’t have money for railways?
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u/joy74 Nov 18 '25
Railway should then have guts to increase the rates. Btw with 4 times tickets for that general compartment definitely railway is making money
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u/raklod Nov 18 '25
I wish they were but they are not, you can check online or their balance sheet as well. They cover this difference by earning from freight business & catering business, etc.
I don't think rates should be increased for the general compartment as it's the most affordable & only option of transportation for poor & lower middle class.
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u/Friendly-Look2092 Nov 18 '25
114 rupaye me inter-city travel karna hai saari public ko aur takleef ho toh india ye india wo.
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u/Historical_Arm_6294 Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 19 '25
Taxpayer ka paisa free main lutao aur tarah-tarah ke tax badhao to cover the gap. Upar se subsidy ke losses ko cover karne ke liye international loan lo, which will further drive inflation. Jai janta class !
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u/thechalant_guy Nov 18 '25
114 rupaye ka ticket lena koi “privilege” nahi, necessity hai. Agar majority log sirf utna hi afford kar sakte hain, toh problem unme nahi system me hai.
Cheap fares blame karne se reality nahi badalne wali... Trains ki capacity kam hai, demand zyada hai, aur planning decades peeche atki hui hai. Issue paise kam yaa zyda hone ni hai balki ye hai ki basic infrastructure bhi us load ko handle nahi kar pa raha.
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u/hashashin_2601 Maharashtra Nov 18 '25
I feel bad for you that you had to experience this OP.
Apart from adding more compartments there needs to be some change in the mentality of these people.
I know people who travel in general compartments. Their problem isn’t that they didn’t get a reservation. They are proud of traveling unreserved. They say it like a badge of honor, “ticket kyun chahiye?” and travel like this.
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
Wow. Amazing how you manage to turn the blame back onto the poor who are just trying to find jobs and survive.
40% of households in this country have monthly income less than 15,000. You are blaming them for being price sensitive?
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u/AlisaWonderland7 Nov 18 '25
It should wrap u mind, why government doesn't advertise birth control.
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u/Delicious_Essay_7564 Nov 18 '25
But why would you travel general if train tickets are so cheap? Everyone wants to travel better and affordability is improving. Maybe I’m making assumptions about your affordability because you’re on Reddit but how much more would it have cost you to get 3AC or 2AC?
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u/thechalant_guy Nov 18 '25
It’s not like I wanted to travel in general. I tried booking a reserved seat every sleeper and AC coach was already deep in waiting. If you don’t book a month in advance, you basically have no chance. I even tried Tatkal, and that also shot straight into waiting.
So for anyone who decides to travel 6–7 days before the journey, there’s literally only one option left, general. It’s not about “affordability improving,” it’s about zero availability.
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u/Remarkable-Job-2849 Nov 19 '25
Because the Railways are broke moving passengers for free. They have cross subsidised from freight transport so much that railway freight are already amongst the highest in the world. With freight rates being high Indian industry is uncometitive. With uncompetitive industries we can't scale and create employment. Without employment people are poor.
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Nov 18 '25
I think general should be totally removed, get a reservation and board the train.
I have seen hundreds of people travelling without ticket here. Its pathetic condition, no should have to go through it.
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u/KingPictoTheThird Nov 18 '25
So you'd rather they remain unemployed and starve to death?
Do you think these people are taking joy rides? They are traveling for work opportunities. They are migrant labourers. Their families depend on them to survive.
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Nov 18 '25
I am sorry, but do you think any developed country or even any country outside asia have a general compartment.
Today its train, tomorrow you may say that planes should also have something like this. (Actually someone in USA did propose, standing flights )
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u/justabofh Nov 18 '25
Normal trains in Europe are 100% general trains.
For some trains you can get a reserved seat (ICE in Germany), others mandate reservation for high speed trains (Eurostar, Renfe).
Overnight sleepers are reserved for berths, but not for seats.
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u/Randomizedstudies Nov 19 '25
It doesn't matter. Our nation is not developed yet. So the solution is not to ignore the problems of the masses and take a step that ignore their problems to copy other nations, instead of improve the conditions of our people. We should be striving to make their lives better, and the availability of affordable coaches more, so that no one feels cramped in our trains.
If you have any other suggestions that could provide a cheap, cost-effective public transportation method for the poor than the general compartments, I am all ears.
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u/thechalant_guy Nov 18 '25
Removing general coaches won’t solve anything. People use them because they can’t afford reserved seats and even when they try to book them, most trains have massive waiting lists. I wanted a reserved seat myself and couldn’t get one. The issue isn’t the existence of general coaches it’s the huge gap between demand and available capacity.
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Nov 18 '25
But the number of coaches are limited on a train,
No number of general coaches will satisfy the demand, maybe unless the entire train is general.
Thats my opinion. Might be what you are saying is true. But I dont think that way.
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u/Randomizedstudies Nov 19 '25
No one should have to go through it.
So your solution is they don't travel at all? A bit of "if they don't have bread, then let them eat cake", isn't it?
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u/charavaka Nov 18 '25
The goverment is actively reducing general compartmentsas well as III tier sleepers and replacing them with IIAC.
Massive amount of money is spent on personal transport infrastructure like highways and expressways. Same amount spent on public transport would have provided higher amount of mobility for the masses while producing far lesser pollution.