A railway station has a carnival atmosphere with vendors, passengers, hustle and bustle with plenty of activities all over the place. If you are absent minded and wait at the wrong platform, it may spell disaster, especially so when the train may stand at a designated platform for a couple of minutes and you have a lot of luggage to carry. So how do you find and board your train!
Once you reach the station
After reaching the station, the first thing that you need to do is to find out on which platform your train will arrive. Particular place where your coach will stand also needs to be found out. One cannot ignore this as most trains have standard 18 coaches and during peak seasons it increases to 24 as well. Imagine such a situation where you are stuck at the wrong end of the platform when the train arrives. Most of the stations have electronic boards that clearly mention the coach positions along with the arrival and departure of the trains. If you are still in doubt, you can ask a railway employee.
Each compartment is numbered by their coach position like S1, A1. If you are still confused, then it would not be a bad idea to ask any vendor? Their knowledge can be trusted and they seldom mislead you.
On arrival of the train
Recently on train food in Surat station, I came across a publication illustrating on what best needs to be done when the train arrives at the railway station. Firstly, the platforms at most of the railway stations in the country are crowded. There is utter confusion when the train enters the platform as each one wants to enter in first. Not only you have to dodge people, there are suitcases and sometimes even steel trunks to be dealt with. If you are brave, then be content to deal with all these; otherwise, wait for the other passengers to board.
Once you enter the compartment, you will find that all the seats are numbered. Surprise might be in store for you as someone might have already occupied your seat. Usually, they move apart when all the organizing aspect is taken care off.
Hire a porter
This might sound simple as you can avail the services of a porter who will find your compartment, and place your luggage for a fee. Plenty of them can be found at railway station, and they can be identified by their red jackets. Licensed porters have fixed charges, but in the case of private ones, it is better to bargain before you strike a deal with them. Generally, the rates are Rs. 40 for one bag that is carried on their head. But rarely you will find a porter agreeing to this and generally they ask more.
If you follow the above-mentioned steps, you can find and locate your coach, as well as seat numbers in an easy manner. If you are confused, seeking professional help would not be a bad idea at all.