EMU train from Midnapore to Kolkata.

The post criticizes Indian Railways for neglecting its core purpose of serving the masses, highlighting a stark contrast between premium trains and overcrowded, uncomfortable local services like the EMU train from Midnapore to Kolkata. Key issues mentioned include:

- *Poor amenities*: No washroom, hard wooden seats, no AC.

- *Operational issues*: 30-minute late start, journey took almost 5 hours instead of 3.

- *Overcrowding*: Packed beyond capacity.

The author feels Indian Railways is failing its primary users, focusing more on showcasing modern trains rather than addressing basic needs of millions relying on it daily.

Recently, last weekend, for a change, I took a local train from Midnapore to Kolkata.

The train started 30 minutes late. A journey that should have taken 3 hours stretched to almost 5.

It was an EMU local.

- No washroom.

- Packed beyond capacity.

- Hard wooden seats.

- No AC.

By the time we crossed half the distance, I was drenched in sweat, exhausted, and physically uncomfortable. But what stayed with me wasn't the heat or the crowd.

It was a far more unsettling thought: Is this really where our transportation system is headed?

Sitting there, surrounded by people who had stopped complaining - people who depend on this train every day, not by choice but by necessity - I couldn't stop thinking about the contrast.

On one side, we proudly showcase modern, premium trains.

On the other, millions still travel like this - late, cramped, and forgotten.

And that's when it hit me, which made me write this post.

Indian Railways is not failing because it lacks modern trains.

It is failing because it is forgetting who it is meant to serve first.