AC coach or general compartment? Overcrowded train in Katihar leaves passengers fuming

Time of India

6 days ago

If you thought booking an AC 3-tier ticket guaranteed peace and privacy, think again. A video of the Sikkim Mahananda Express—where unreserved passengers allegedly stormed an AC coach at Katihar station—has gone viral, and it's chaos on wheels.
The viral video has raised fresh concerns about Indian Railways' ability to manage crowd control and passenger safety.
The clip, originally posted by the X handle 'ILoveSiliguri', with the caption read, 'Despite being an AC coach, it turned into a packed general compartment, raising serious concerns about railway management.'
Watch the video here:
As the video picked up steam online, Indian Railways' 'Railway Seva' issued the standard regret note and asked for details via DM.
'We regret the experience you had. Please share your journey details (PNR / UTS no.) and Mobile no. preferably via DM to enable us to take immediate action,' Railway Sena said in a post on X. The response added that the issue had been escalated to the Katihar division.
However, this video didn't go well with users as some of them commented: "So what exactly are we paying reservation charges for?"
One of the users also said, "No matter how empty a train is, once it passes through Bihar, there's not even space left to place your foot. Seriously, the kind of chaos Biharis create on trains is unbearable — they barge into every coach, whether it's AC or sleeper. It's a complete mess."
Another said, "At some point Railways has to have trains that do not stop at Bihar... Let them have an all General class train...even better...have a all standing ."