Passengers Steal Headphones, Damage Screens On Tejas Express's 1st Mumbai-Goa Trip

The Mumbai-Goa Tejas Superfast Express' maiden run on Monday has left Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu understandably chuffed. What Prabhu probably doesn't know, and what has left the railway officials visibly sheepish, is the railway staff reporting that several headphones were stolen from the train during its very first journey. 

 

The impact of the thefts is such that on Wednesday - during the train's journey from Goa to Mumbai - a few passengers complained that they were not provided headphones at all.

 

 

Tejas, hailed as an "aeroplane moving on the ground" by the Central railway top brass, boasts of amenities such as LED screens attached to seats, Wi-Fi, CCTV cameras, and tea/coffee vending machine. Capable of running at 200 kmph, the train covers the 552-km Mumbai-Goa journey within nine hours.

 

At least 12 of the high-quality headphones provided for the infotainment screens are missing, said railway sources. Some screens were found scratched.

 

 

A senior railway official told media that "at least a dozen headphones" were missing from the train after Monday's journey. He also said a couple of LED screens had scratch marks on them.

 

"The headphones were distributed just after the journey commenced. There wasn't an announcement to return the headphones because we expected passengers to not carry them away, just like they don't take away pillows and blankets," the official said.

 

When asked the cost of a single headphone on board Tejas, the official merely said, "Not very expensive". The cheapest ticket on the 992-seat train costs Rs 1,185 (chair car, without food), and the most expensive is the executive class ticket at Rs 2,740.

 

 

A passenger, who travelled on the train the second day, said the train was not properly cleaned. “Toilets too were unclean. Attendants were ignorant. The food was not as good as during the inaugural run,” he said.