Trains booked solid8217; for three weeks at least

CHANDIGARH, April 26: quot;There are no seats available on this train,quot; comes the monotonous voice of the clerk manning the railway...

CHANDIGARH, April 26: quot;There are no seats available on this train,quot; comes the monotonous voice of the clerk manning the railway inquiry counter. quot;The earliest is after three weeks,quot; he adds, tapping on his computer keyboard.

The next in line gets a similar answer for several inquiries and a middle-aged man, fanning his face with the reservation form, remarks sagaciously: quot;Don8217;t expect to get quick reservations in the holiday season. One has to chalk out travel plans weeks in advance and get necessary reservations done.quot;

The story is the same year after year. Summer vacations actuate travel plans and the railway reservation system goes into an overdrive. Railway sources say that with the summer rush, passengers have to get their bookings done weeks in advance.

As per available information, there are no berths available on long distance trains destined to Mumbai and Howrah from Kalka or Ambala for the next three weeks. The situation, officials say, is not much different for trains originating from other stations. Rather, it is worse for some of the more preferred south-bound trains originating from Delhi.

Railway sources say that berths on trains for Howrah passing through Ambala are booked solid till May 20. There are five direct trains to Howrah from Ambala, including one originating from Kalka.

quot;It is always advisable to get reservations as early as possible to avoid disappointment or upsetting of travel plans later,quot; said Subhash Gupta, an executive in a local firm who plans to travel to Allahabad with his family in the first week of June.

quot;Though the waiting list varies for each day, the minimum number is 50 for all trains,quot; an official here commented. quot;On the Kalka Mail, for example, we have a quota of one coach. This means that for 72 berths, there are 120-130 bookings,quot; he added.

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The situation, railway officials say, is a bit easier on Mumbai bound trains. Berths are available on all four trains passing through Ambala from May 15 onwards.

A summer special from Kalka to Mumbai introduced this month is running four days a week 8212; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. Though the reservation quota from here is the same as that of the Kalka Mail, officials say it is sufficient. Berths on this train are available after four or five days.

Sources say that during the peak season, over 3,000 bookings are done daily at the Sector 17 reservation office, in addition to the several hundred at the Railway Station counter. The average reservations done per day during non-peak season is between 2,500-2,700. These figures do not include second class reservations for trains running on the Kalka-Shimla route as booking of this category is non-computerised.

While seats are generally available for short distance travel, it is only berths for long distance travel which require reservation weeks in advance. Railway sources say that emergency requirements can be catered to under the Tatkal scheme, where about 60 to 70 berths are made available in each train.