Kazakhstani passenger surprised by train rule
Tengrinews.kz - Summer is vacation season, and many Kazakhstanis travel around the country. Recently, one passenger encountered an unusual situation on a commuter train running from Astana to Burabay Resort.
According to the woman, she left the capital on Saturday on a commuter train heading to Burabay Resort. The ticket cost 3,561 tenge, and the journey took 3 hours and 34 minutes.
“It turned out that three of the four seats next to me were free. My seat was by the window with a table. At the Makinka station, a noisy group of women boarded the carriage. Several of them rudely demanded that I give up my seat so they could sit together. There was only half an hour left until my stop, so I refused, since there were many bags around. In the end, three of them sat nearby, but when the ticket inspector came around, it turned out their tickets had no assigned seats. I think situations like this cause a lot of arguments, especially in summer. Why don’t all tickets have seat numbers?” she wondered.
The woman added that the group of women also ended up traveling for only half an hour and got off at Burabay Resort station (Shchuchinsk station).
Tengrinews.kz contacted the press service of “Passenger Transportation” for clarification.
“Selling tickets with assigned seats on commuter trains is not provided for. This is because passengers board throughout the route, including at stations that are not equipped with ticket offices or an automated reservation system. In addition, during peak hours and with high train occupancy, the availability of seats is not guaranteed even if you have a ticket,” the press service explained.
Thus, a ticket grants the right to travel but does not assign a specific seat to the passenger on commuter trains. In such conditions, it is especially important to show mutual politeness and respect one another so that the trip is comfortable for everyone.
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