Patna, Feb. 10: Train passengers of the state capital are a hassled lot these days because of the ongoing route relay interlocking (RRI) system work, but railway officials claimed it is a small price for a safe future.

The passengers were confused, as several trains were diverted. But railway authorities said once RRI system is in place, the movement of trains would be faster.

The commuters were in no mood to listen, though. They were visibly cut-up with the diversion of several trains to Danapur from Patna Junction. Confusion was writ large on their face, as enquiry counters were far less than required at Danapur.

Kartar Singh, a resident of Ludhiana, had to struggle to locate his train when he reached Danapur Junction.

“I have been trying to enquire about the platform from which my train (Sampoorna Kranti Express) will depart. But there is hardly anybody to reply to my query. The railway official sitting at the enquiry counter gave me vague replies when I asked him about the train. Even he appeared confused and unaware of the exact platform number from where my train will depart,” said Kartar.

Trains going towards Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore and Ajmer departed from Danapur Junction and those going to Bengal departed from Rajendra Nagar Terminus. But the facilities provided by the railway at the stations were not enough to cope with the passen- ger burden.

Even the computerised phone number 139, which provides information on departure and arrival of trains, does not seem to be providing the correct information because of the RRI system work. Many passengers complained about wrong information being provided by 139.

“When I reached the station after enquiring about the Patna-Dhanbad Ganga Damodar train, I came to know that the train had left long back. I was shocked. But it is the fact. The information we are getting dialling 139 is no more trustworthy,” said K. Kishore, a resident of Danapur.

Many passengers said the railway should have informed them about the RRI work and also about the diversion of trains at the time of ticket booking.

Mukesh Kumar Singh of Patna City said: “When I booked the ticket a month ago, the railway should have informed that the train will not depart from Patna Junction and will leave from Rajendra Nagar. It was really a tough task for me to reach the Rajendra Nagar today because I first went to Patna Junction. I had to pay Rs 300 as auto fare.”

He further said: “If I would have been informed in advance, I would not have faced such a problem.”

Total 40 trains have been cancelled since RRI system work started from February 7. The initiative taken by the railway did not give any satisfaction to the passengers. Patna Junction looks deserted and Danapur Junction was found crowded.

The railway officials, however, claimed that they had tried their best to provide all possible help to passengers.

Danapur divisional railway manager L.M. Jha told The Telegraph: “It is very easy to blame the railway for everything but whatever we are doing here is for the safety of the passengers only.”

He added: “Once the RRI system work is complete, it will be a boon for the railway passengers. The division has been coping with about 180 pairs of passenger trains, including mail and express. They either pass through or originate from Patna Junction. The RRI system can monitor train movements from a centralised point. After the new system is introduced, two trains will not be able to run on the same tracks. Thus, the chance of head-on collision between two trains will be almost nil.”

He admitted that passengers might face some problems because of the RRI work, but the move- ment of trains will become faster once the system becomes operational.