Vijayawada: Passengers aboard the Andhra Pradesh Express, popularly known as AP Express , were in for a harrowing journey as the air-conditioning on the train conked out even before the train pulled out of Visakhapatnam for its journey to Hyderabad on Sunday morning.Passengers said the atmosphere was stuffy at the time of boarding the train, but did not dwell on it as they thought the AC would start functioning once the train starts moving. However, that was not to be, as the AC did not start.“The train started from Vizag at 8.35 am and the AC was found to be not working in seven coaches of the train. We raised a complaint with the railway staff but nothing was done. We began sweating profusely inside the train. It was a horrible experience,” said Srinivasa Rao, a passenger from Visakhapatnam.The passengers endured the ordeal till the train reached Vijayawada, when they disembarked and launched a protest.Vijayawada railway division officials said a technician attended to the problem at Rajahmundry but it was not resolved completely. The passengers pulled the chain at Tadepalligudem and stopped the train but it continued again without the problem being rectified.Irked passengers finally staged a protest after the train reached Vijayawada after six hours. They did not allow the train to move without the AC problem being fixed. Tension prevailed on Platform 5 as passengers got into an argument with officials. Railway Protection Force (RPF) swung into action to control the crowd.The passengers also complained about the way the railway officials responded to the problem. Passengers said they complained several times but nobody bothered to check on the problem. “A senior official in Vijayawada even said in a dismissive manner that the passengers can break the window glass if the AC failed to work,” Srinivasa Rao said.Speaking to TOI, assistant commercial manager of Vijayawada railway division Rajasekhar said the fault lay with the maintenance staff in Visakhapatnam division. He said they must ensure that everything is in order before the train arrives on the platform. He said AP Express has a problem with the power car as the same problem was reported two days ago. He said Vijayawada division addressed the problem promptly and even sent technicians till Dornakal Junction.

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