Trains running on time.

Why can't trains in India run on time. It is only 3 out of 10 times I have boarded a train that started on time. Every time it is either delayed or cancelled. Today Fri, Apr 24, 2009 we planned at 1400 that we are going to chennai and I booked the tickets via IRTC and it got confirmed at 2000 hrs. Great, so we reached cantonment railway station in bangalore at 2230 hrs and the board was saying 2300 arrival for the Chennai Mail @ platform 2. We sort of asked around for the coach number and sat at a place where someone indicated that the coach will come. Here is what happened after that. 2300 No train. 2310. The display board changed to indicate that the train is coming on this platform and we were sitting at coach S13 so we left that place and walked over to a sign board which displayed B3. 2320 No train. Waiting tweeting and the wife is frustrated. Me checking on trainenquiry.com and it says no delay !!!
 
2335 No train. Me loosing the cool. Board still displays 2300 Hrs. I call 139 and the automated ladies voice tells me that the train is delayed by 50 minutes. WTF. 2345 The train comes, we board my wife is almost swooning. We manage to wake the mallu sleeping at a lower berth shift him to the middle and I wait for TTR. My wife sleeps. 2355 TTR comes. I don't have a printout so have to pay 50Rs fine. He checks my PAN card and says the name where my initial is expanded don't match with my pan card. Grrrrrr.
 00:05 finally convinced him. Payed the fine and got on the top berth. 00:10 Getting your bed set is an art in itself on the upper berth stole a pillow from the opp berth ;) since my pillow was a wasted flatline. The ordeal of a train journey. I am not sure how people do it every weekend from bangalore to chennai and back. Hats off to you guys !!!!
 
Now I need to do this every month for 8 months. The next trip is Kerala on the 13th May and hope we won't be subjected to this again. Why Can't trains leave on time. !!!
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