I was on this ill-fated train....the train came to Dadar at around 10 am, we were waiting at DR since 5.15 am. Announcements started only after 6 am about the delay. The official reason for delay was cleaning coaches.. but there was no cleaning done at all.
The train has very very bad quality old rat-infested dirty coaches with unusable toilets. It does not qualify as a Shatabdi at all. no Shatabdi like priority accorded, service totally absent (no newspaper/ magazine). I wonder why they call it a shatabdi (total rip off in terms of money).
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were jumping and screaming whenever they spotted the rats... who needs Imagica/ Esselworld when you have shatabdi? :)
Pathetic service, the attendants were very rude, back-answered me every time I requested for even a plastic spoon (they claimed we dont have any, while I saw an entire packet of 500 spoons lying there and only interested in gossiping). Veggies got served non veg food and vice versa (totally inexcusable).
I did not bother to tip them (neither did anyone else) when they came to collect tips. Most of us lodged an official complaint and are yet to hear from the railway authorities.
we were served inedible (totally stale/ gone bad) lunch at 6 pm (after Ratnagiri) , reached Karmali at 9.45 pm and then there was a power failure at Karmali station since around 7 pm.. so the off-boarding / on boarding happened in total darkness.
Pls do not bother taking this train.

frustrated passengers who were waiting at Karmali since afternoon too did not have patience and even before we could disembark, they started pushing/ shoving their way into the train... all this in that total darkness.. can you beat this nightmarish story? we stopped at every station possible on our way (and sometimes even between stations & even giving right of way to a goods train). I felt like a fool to have cancelled my 2 ac KK tix for this one. Irate passengers pounced on the hapless TC just before Thvm and insisted on disembarking at THVM. The poor guy made SOS calls and finally managed to get permission to halt the train at THVM.. and since we lost the slot to push ahead, we had to wait at THVM for 45 mins.
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my return journey on 24th dec, took the JNS (bought a non ac current tkt), tried cancelling my shatabdi tix but the cancellatn did not go thru.
I dare not take this train ever now... not for ppl with weak hearts.

yes, the coaches are all rejects and not in travel worthy condition.. My question to KR is why start a new train when you are not fully prepared... Pls do not announce new trains and rush to start them when you have to resort to such cheap tactics.. Everyone on that train and the passengers waiting to board the return train at Karmali were cursing KR. I have been a huge fan of KR but this time KR seriously let people down. What is the definition of Shatabdi? Why call it a Shatabdi and why take such high fares from people? INR 2200 is a huge huge rip off for a 16 hour journey through hell. And the attendants are so so rude.. they need serious training, I wonder how the outsourced contractor hired them in the first case. The sugar and milk packets were in unsealed condition and leaking...
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resulting in a huge white powder mess on the tables for everyone. Even after requesting multiple times, they refused to come and wipe the table. One old lady had the table in front fall on her along with the lunch while eating... the table was in very bad shape already. Her sari was full of the stale paneer curry and the yellow dal.. KR is lucky, if this had happened anywhere in US/ Europe, they would have been sued. When we requested the TCs (who got off @ Ratnagiri) since morning to take down our complaint in the complaint book, they kept postponing and then at Ratnagiri told that the new TC will take it down. KR better pull up its socks now. The attendants on JNS are the only ones good at their work. other train staff needs serious training on professionalism and politeness.

Do you remember I did check on the forum (asking for feedback on the new Shatabdi) before changing my tix? I was so so excited to travel on the 1st Shatabdi on KR... I changed my tix only when you gave me the green signal. :) Re# 938685-14 But you were only trying to be helpful and with the few initial runs we had only limited information. But no one could have thought/ foretold of the nightmare that waited us.. I am ok and adjusted with everything else during the journey since this is a new train and I am a fan of KR.. Just felt miserable when the attendants were speaking rudely to us girls (actually they were rude to everyone, including senior citizens)... those guys behaved as if they were serving us free food (langar ka khana).. so bad was their attitude. Even when...
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the TC asked the guys to apologise when we were approaching THVM, the guys were only smirking/ laughing. Can someone be so shameless and brazen?
On my return journey on 24th, when I took (2S)JNS, the diff in the service part was so obvious (and not just to the discernible traveller). JNS guys were so kind, warm and nice... serving everyone with a smile. And trust me the way we sped on our way back in JNS ... it was amazing fun. THVM to DR in <8 hours..you can even set your watch on its arrival/departure time..we were before time at most statns and waited for departure time to start everytime. I travelled non ac first time and loved it (of course compared to my miserable DR-KRMI shatabdi experience, this was totally awesome) .....

Hey, pls dont apologise.. Its not your fault at all. Thanks for all your help... appreciate it. You have been very helpful and nice to a newbie like me. :) unlike one person here who was treating me with utter disdain and was talking in that condescending tone. I thought may be newbies are not so welcome. Thanks KR needs Goa Rajdhani*^ !
To those here who are blaming me for blaming KR and saying that its my fault to have taken a special... I am not here to blame anybody. It was just a first hand experience/ an honest feedback/ a review ... so that other ppl who are thinking of travelling on this train are aware of what...
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they have possibly in store for them. Also if someone from IR/ KR/ RB is reading these accounts, they could get to know the passengers' side of the story..

well you started it actually.. " FYI, KR is not my family run business for me to give out excuses in its support. If you had that much of a problem, you should not have travelled in a special train in the first place instead of playing the blame game now."
All i do is post feedback for my train ride & there.. you went ballistic. I was never trying to blame anyone. It was meant to be just a review.. there are so many posts of reviews on the forum. You sound so ultra protective about KR... even having a ready excuse for the total pitch darkness at KRMI from 6 pm to 10 pm. I am also a KR fan...
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but I am objective in my thinking and believe in calling a spade a spade (or may be at times even a bloody shovel) : P you did talk abt my exaggerations. but my current report is not exaggerated at all. all the passengers have signed on the complaint... and yes I actually have video clips of the kids/ people jumping on seats/ screeching with the rats scurrying. people removed luggage from the floor, and kept it on the seats worried that it will get chewed by the chuhaas ..I kid you not here... :) really!
Apologies if you were offended by whatever I wrote. cheers