[porsche_guy]

Likes

• Cleanliness- super clean!
• Travel time comparable to flights
• Spacious and extremely comfortable seats
• They fill your stomachs to the brim
• Attention to detail for small things(papercup design, frequent sanitization)

Dislikes

• Not the most affordable (Executive class)
• AV systems were non functional
• Very short duration stops
• Drab colour scheme for the interiors
• No non vegetarian food options

About the ADI-MMCT Tejas Express

The Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central Tejas Express is India's second privately run train fully operated by IRCTC. It was launched in Jan 2020. It runs as 82901/02 from MMCT to ADI and vice versa and gets pulled by a WAP7 loco both ways. These use special Tejas rakes and have two classes- AC Chair Car (CC) and Executive Chair Car (EC). This train should not be confused with the MMCT-NZM Rajdhani (also known as Tejas Rajdhani) which only happens to use the same type of coaches.

I was always intrigued by this train and wanted to travel in it since a long time, however, as is with most things in the past couple of years COVID meant that was not possible. So finally when the opportunity presented itself I didn't wait before booking tickets in the EC section just to experience the journey aboard it. I will keep this crisp since most of the things about the coaches have been covered by BHPian Vigsom in his thread about the Tejas Rajdhani

[porsche_guy]

The Journey

I was to travel from Mumbai Central (MMCT)to Vadodara Junction(BRC) in the EC coach. As I reached the station about half hour early, I had some time to spare. The very first thing I noticed was the bright yellow and orange livery on the coaches. There is no way you will miss them with that scheme. On few coaches though you could see the "wrap" peeling off at some places. Note- these rakes don't seem to be painted but have a layer of (wallpaper?) on them.

While I was waiting outside, a thorough cleaning and sanitization was taking place with boards placed outside to warn passengers to not climb in just yet. 15 minutes prior to departure, boarding started and we were greeted to a brown interior. Each passenger's temperature was diligently checked and luggage sanitized.

Right off the bat, the coaches seemed very spacious with the overhead luggage racks having more than enough space (unlike a few other chair car rakes). The seats were arranged in a 2x2 format (3x2 for the CC) with a total of about 56 seats. They looked pretty neat with overhead speakers although I would have preferred a more refreshing colour instead of the brown for the interiors though which makes it look quite drab.

Coming to the seating comfort, the seats were immensely comfortable- comparable or even surpassing those found in Business Class on long haul flights! They were nice and wide and offered perfect back support. A calf rest, footrest and even two individual armrests were also on offer along with a super cool height adjustable headrest to sleep without your head on your co-passenger's shoulders

The legroom was in word- fantastic. I at 5'10 still had a very good foot and half of space left before touching the front seat.

The electrical window blinds felt very cool to use although they aren't much more than a gimmick. You can open, close, move up or move down the blinds.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qlcmHvhKNr0?feature=share

By this time, the train had started its journey right on time at 15:45 hrs. What came as a major disappointment here was the fact that the AV Entertainment units which were touted as one of the highlights of this train did not work. Not an "issue" as such but a bummer anyways. I guess they must not be operational anymore after the various reports of thefts of headphones. Sad situation due to few unruly people.



Periodic announcements in English and Hindi were also made on the speakers informing everybody of the auto-closing doors of the train as well as upcoming halts.

Soon enough, we were provided with a 1L water bottle and a newspaper.

Another thing that I immediately noticed was the superior NVH and stability of the said coaches. There was a lot less swaying compared to the regular ICF and even the standard LHB coaches. Outside noise was also extremely well controlled.

[porsche_guy]

The Journey (contd.)

Soon enough, we left Borivali and snacks were served. A cup of instant tea/coffee was served to everybody. A choice of 5 flavors of tea were given! Snacks soon came about and in true Indian Railways fashion, they were not going to let us go without a fully filled tummy

The snack tray included a packet of Chaas(Buttermilk), one Kachori, a Munch bar, a cheese sandwich, some salted almonds, two pieces of bhakarwadi, cake and condiments along with wet wipes and hand sanitizer.


Notice the cup having the same design as the train

As we went ahead, out of curiosity I opened the GPS speedometer on my phone and we were already doing 130 Kmph! It certainly did not feel as fast and that just goes ahead to prove how much better engineered these coaches are. Note- These rakes are rated for speeds upto 160 Kmph but they operate at a max of 130 Kmph only since the tracks aren't upgraded to handle those speeds on this route yet.


Post a short nap and watching an episode of Top Gear, we were once again treated to the 3 course meal. Instant soup was served first, with an option of hot and sour and Tomato. Breadsticks and some bread was also provided post which we were served dinner.

Soup and appetisers(?)

Oddly enough there was no non vegetarian option despite specifying it in the ticket. Could be some logistics issue for that day perhaps. Again, pretty much of a non issue.

Dinner was quite tasty and filling and it was over soon. I can't say everybody could finish dinner given how filled up to the brim everybody was. An ice cream cone served as dessert and an end to a very stress free and quick journey followed soon after.


One thing I must mention here was that cleanliness and hygiene was something taken very seriously and the staff was always properly masked up throughout. The aisles were cleaned every hour and the fold-down tables were also sanitized after every serving. The washrooms were kept clean and had facilities such as vacuum flushing toilets like airplanes.

[porsche_guy]

End Note

All in all, it was a very good experience barring a couple of minor niggles and I would definitely recommend it to anybody. The time taken from Mumbai Central to Vadodara Junction was 4hrs 30m which is quite fair. The time difference vs taking a flight is also not that much (considering an hour of flight time, reaching 2hrs before departure at the airport and waiting in the baggage claim queue at the destination). And while the fare difference is still fairly significant, the Tejas provides a much better way of travelling than in those cramped IndiGo seats and provides you with a full blown meal instead of a 150 rupee sad and cold vadapav you'd otherwise have to pay extra for on the flight. Oh also no baggage restrictions and security checks. The AC Chair Cars are even more value costing just above a thousands bucks typically if you can make do with the smaller seats.

This is the best mode of travel for senior citizens on this route as well according to me since the older folks are not very comfortable in the air and luggage limits are also an issue. A plus point for them is that the crew onboard here is very helpful in stowing the luggage and assisting people in need which can be a big problem otherwise.

I can only imagine how seamless the journey will be once the tracks are upgraded. I am proud to see rail travel getting so much better.

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[V.Narayan]

The times they are a changing.....

If the Indian Railways continue to improve their coaches, speed, service and timeliness very soon we'll get to a point where if you wish to travel in comfort without long queues at every step, cramped seats, little to eat, pushy security staff then you go by rail. Otherwise if you want inter-city travel to be a pain including the long times needed pre- and post- the actual journey then go by air.

I hope in due course we have this high quality fast train travel over longer distances of 600 to 1500 kms too. I would prefer that to the environment unfriendly jet airliner. For those who will jump and talk of the electricity coming from a coal burning plant I have this to say -- a 6000 shp electric locomotive fed by coal burning powerplants pulling (say) about 700 passengers is far better than an Airbus A320 carrying 180 passengers powered by a total of 24,000 kgf of jet engine thrust. Very very roughly, as a thumb rule, that is like 72,000 shp. In terms of a carbon footprint there is no comparison.

Thank you for this useful thread.

[vigsom]

Thank you @porsche_guy for showcasing the nicer points of this train.

Originally Posted by porsche_guy

- would have preferred a more refreshing colour instead of the brown for the interiors though which makes it look quite drab.
- the seats were immensely comfortable
- the legroom was in word- fantastic
- superior NVH and stability
- best mode of travel for senior citizens on this route

1. Agree on the brown theme - it looks plain ugly against the refreshing theme in the other AC chair cars.
2. The legroom in the EC has been carried forward from the older Shatabdi, where one would have to bend forward to an almost brace position to reach out for one's meal. I've always preferred to hold the tray in hand in the Executive Class.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

In terms of a carbon footprint there is no comparison

Absolutely, @V.Narayan. I've been asked several times in the companies that I've served in as to why I choose a train over air for journeys upto, say, 500kms. I just smile every time and tell them that I choose a mode that takes me from point A to point B with least hassles and the most optimum cost-time trade-off. Carbon footprint just isn't understood by these folks. Add to that security hassles at airports and ever changing rules around what should be put on a tray and what can remain in the bag.

Here are a few pics from my ride on this train in Feb-2022. Although trivial, this is the first time I was able to sip black coffee on a train.

Breakfast - full of colours


Cabin View - AC Chair Car


Seats


The food cart


Passenger information - vague


Some stations weren't programmed to feature on the screen


Below average under-thigh support



The Executive Class on the Madurai - Chennai Tejas Express is in a league of its own, and perhaps the best in the country - leather/leatherette seats and supremely comfortable

[AVIS]

The coach interiors look great! One gripe, though. Just look at the amount of plastic waste/trash created for such a short journey!

[Atom]

Amazing times to look forward indeed with the way our Railways in upgrading. The Tejas trains, decreasing travel times courtesy increase in speed, the swanky new Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal in our Bengaluru is no less swankier than an airport. Kudos to Indian Railways, Way to go!!

Thank you for a useful thread @porsche_guy. A look at the onboard meal and snacks menu itself is a treat.

[ninjatalli]

Nice report. However I wish they didn't serve that amount of junk (5-6 snack packets); but I see the same happening on the Shatabdi and other similar trains so I guess that's the norm. I generally opt out of the food option on Shatabdi just for this reason.

Originally Posted by porsche_guy

The time taken from Mumbai Central to Vadodara Junction was 4hrs 30m which is quite fair. The time difference vs taking a flight is also not that much (considering an hour of flight time, reaching 2hrs before departure at the airport and waiting in the baggage claim queue at the destination). And while the fare difference is still fairly significant, the Tejas provides a much better way of travelling than in those cramped IndiGo seats and provides you with a full blown meal instead of a 150 rupee sad and cold vadapav you'd otherwise have to pay extra for on the flight. Oh also no baggage restrictions and security checks. The AC Chair Cars are even more value costing just above a thousands bucks typically if you can make do with the smaller seats.

That's not bad - iirc the Mumbai - Ahmedabad Shatabdi also takes about 4H30 mins to reach Vadodara. The Karnavati which leaves about an hour or two earlier takes around 4H40 mins so this one fits among the faster options (Rajdhani & Duronto trains which pass this route in the night take about ~4H).

Instead of Indigo/airlines, I would probably compare this to the Shatabdi/Karnavati/Rajdhani & other fast train options for that trip. Vadodara (unlike the rest of Gujarat cities) benefits from a wide variety of trains to Mumbai at ever hour of the day.

I don't think regular/local folks take the flights between Vadodara and Mumbai, unless of course a company is paying for it But good to have competition, although I wonder how much the average Shatabdi/Rajdhani traveler would be ready to pay the premium for this private train option. Would be interesting to hear a comparison of this train with those options.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I hope in due course we have this high quality fast train travel over longer distances of 600 to 1500 kms too.

We do have it today - Rajdhani (and a few more). To be factually correct, the Tejas trains haven't yet gone faster than the existing superfast options (whatever the track & other constraints be). That is probably the area of dominance for the Bullet trains, whenever they do arrive eventually.

[vishchan]

Nice thread.

On popular train routes ~ 350km it doesn't make sense to take flights. SBC-MAS Shatabdi takes 5hrs and it takes 1hr overhead to travel to railway station and board the train. While a flight takes 50mins, but has over head to checkin 90mins before depature, travel 90-120mins to airport which ensures that there isn't much of a gain taking a flight.

With better service, speed on trains this will hopefully improve. This might also free up space in airports for long haul flights.

[Eddy]

Thanks for the review.

While all other things are good, I personally would have been a lot more pissed off at the non-functional AV system and the non-availablity of non veg food. Passengers have paid for these facitilities, and they should be available.

Let's hope these things are sorted out soon

[sukhbirST]

Changes in new trains has evinced my interest in train travel over short haul flights. People like me in small towns/cities have to travel 2 to 4 hours for catching a flight(with hops) with more time in hand. Also due to covid protocols and expensive fuel, the road journey cost (no sharing taxi) to airport is becoming equal to flight ticket. Reviews like these and some more started my search for trains. Was surprised to know that all big cities are connected by train from Kakinada and some have 1st AC also. In fact the timing also meets my work requirements. Thanks for sharing as am yet to see such trains.

[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I would prefer that to the environment unfriendly jet airliner.

Plus travelling by Jet is not even nearly as cheap as it was just 2 years ago (Pre Covid), I would always pick the air travel over something like Rajdhani 3AC because of almost the same price +–500 and ultra fast speed and convenience, the decision was simple.

But today the price of train travel is still pretty much the same but by air is atleast 2x now with no sign of reduction anytime soon thanks to the massive losses they have incurred in covid era plus higher fuel costs.
It makes sense to revert back to the good old trains now.

[warp_10]

Thanks, nice review. Nice to see more private players. Now we also have the Coimbatore-Shirdi south star private train as well starting today, hope to see more healthy competition (sure someone will post a review of it soon).

I believe competition is required just to ensure no complacency. AirIndia was the sole flyer and were super complacent. With private players, they realized what on-time services are, and got wiped out.

Indian rail in south (my experience) is not pretty bad with timings. But in general, I hope indian rail gets their socks up soon to face competition.

Originally Posted by Rocketscience

Plus travelling by Jet is not even nearly as cheap as it was just 2 years ago (Pre Covid), I would always pick the air travel over something like Rajdhani 3AC because of almost the same price +–500 and ultra fast speed and convenience, the decision was simple.

But today the price of train travel is still pretty much the same but by air is atleast 2x now with no sign of reduction anytime soon thanks to the massive losses they have incurred in covid era plus higher fuel costs.
It makes sense to revert back to the good old trains now.

Btw, it's not a slam dunk decision for me as above. I do Bangalore - Chennai frequently. And for me to get to BLR airport (1.5 hrs), do the 1-1.5 hour pre-arrival, 1 hr flight and out of chennai airport to home (1.5hrs) adds up to about 6 hrs and train definitely fits that timeline (probably by an hr here and there), but I hope you get my point.