[aargee]

My last memorable journey by train was somewhere in 2008/09 or so; it was endured (yes endured) just to give an experience of train for my little Son then. Post that, I might've taken train hardly some 2-3 times. WagonR, SCross & CBR have pampered & spoiled all of us to core. Not just Children, even we were dreading to take public transport for last few years, nevertheless we've been thinking in recent times on how to get over with it. However, we weren't scared as much as our Children due to our recent trip to DL via Duronto, but still we had our concerns due to our return journey from DL-TN. When returning our train departed nearly 4 hours late & finally 8 hours delayed when reaching Chennai due to derailment of a good train in the Jhansi sector. Only positive attribute was, due to the 8 hours delay it arrived around 5:00 Am instead owl hour of 1:00 Am.



So in 2022, we decided, we will do what we need to do!! In the month of October, we made the necessary foundation by planning a trip to be done entirely in public transport & also added some masala just so as to make it a tasty journey. Besides Gustavo Petro's quote (Mayor of Bogota Columbia) always rings in my mind


Thus the trip was planned with utmost cautiousness & we deliberately avoided AC as much as possible due to 2 reasons:
1. Need to show some life's realities to Children
2. Month of December means over half the world is on holiday & the Weather is pleasant

Light wallet comes free; but still the Duronto's delay left us with deep apprehension due to our tight train schedules; if there were any delays reaching some of the stations, then it would have a huge impact on entire trip.

Sat 24-Dec
- Reach Chennai Central at 07:00
- Take train 22625 (KSR Bengaluru AC Double Decker Express) at 07:25 to reach KSR Bengaluru at 13:15
- Take Greenline Metro at 13:50 to reach Yeshwantpur at 14:30
- Take train 17309 (Vasco da Gama Express, 2S) at 15:00 to reach Madgaon

Sun 25-Dec
- Stay at OYO Flagship 11950

Mon 26-Dec
- Take train 10104 (Mandovi Express, The Food Queen of Konkan Railways) at 09:00 & GET DOWN at Dadar at 21:10
- Take train 12927 (Ekta Nagar SF Express 2S) at 23:50 to reach Ekta Nagar

Tue 27-Dec
- SOU + stay at BRG

Wed 28-Dec
- Take Bus/Train at 08:00 to reach Ahmedabad by 14:00
- Take train 20902 (Mumbai Central Vandhe Bharat Express) from Ahmedabad at 15:00 to reach Mumbai Central at 20:15
- Stay at Heraa International

Thu 29-Dec
- Take train 22159 (MGR Chennai Central SF Express 2S) from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 12:45 to reach Home

Fri 30-Dec
- Reach home

[aargee]

Day 1

Took EMU to Chennai Central, had breakfast at Madras Hotel instead of regular A2B for a change (for which we regret) & then boarded the double decker train. We got the normal regular seating experience. From Bangalore Cantt when almost the entire train got empty, we switched to those empty seats & enjoyed the upper & lower deck travel to SBC.

At SBC, we took the metro to Yeshwantpur station. An elderly person who was issuing tickets at SBC ticket vending machine suggested taking a walk to Metro.

The metro was damn crowded, unbelievably crowded like a town bus which is much unlike Chennai!! Finally reached Yeshwantpur & then boarded the train to Madgaon.

Nothing particularly to note except for I couldn't sleep properly due to people talking in loud voices, loud YT shots from mobile due to which I had severe headache. These noise jokers ensured to wake me every 1 hour or so (22:53, 23:53, 00:17) until 1:00 Am!!! We had ordered food through Food on Track to deliver Sabudana Vada, beetroot cutlet. Food was extremely good & the packing was extraordinarily great as well. Worth the money!!

The train was also late by more than an hour reaching Madgaon
Chennai to Bangalore






At Yeshwantpur


Sceneries enroute from Yeshwantpur to Madgaon












Dinner at Night

[aargee]

Day 2

When we reached Madgaon station it was 5:00 Pm. OYO was hardly a Km away, say some 7 min leisure walk. The guy at reception stated we're doing an early check-in that attracts ₹700 per room, so ₹1400 for 2 rooms that are kept ready for us. We couldn't persuade him as he kept showing us the rules. Then we had to read the terms & conditions which offers a complimentary 2 hours early check-in. Showed him & said we'll be back by 10:00 Am & keep the rooms ready. When he said he'll try, I told him firmly that the rooms has to be ready as per the same rules he showed; that re-energized & gave me respite after losing my remaining little energy due to near sleeplessness from last night.

Then all us walked all the way from OYO to Colva beach which we underestimated a distance of 6.7 Km which was actually 8 Km. It was good to be at the beach for sunrise just that it was on the West coast & a different city. All we did was watch our surroundings & kept talking. After spending sometime at beach, we had food at Sagar Kinara that reminisced our last visit in 2017 & having our breakfast at the same table.

Post breakfast we hired a WagonR through GoaMiles as Uber & Ola are kept at bay (wondering how OYO made a breakthrough) & then we all had a sleep of a lifetime. We woke up by evening, then Googled for a restaurant to have dinner for more than an hour. Finally settled at AJ's & booked GoaMiles for ₹241. But when we were there, the place seemed to have been closed or atleast that's what the driver showed us. Till now I don't buy that point because AJ's must've been nearby somewhere & the driver showed something else. But then owing to poor public transport in GA, we didn't want to take chances to have another walk 5 Km walk & hence settled with Smokin Joe's Pizza that was a little closer to OYO (3.5 Km instead of 5.5 Km). Damn we paid another ₹200 for 2 Km!!

Anyway we had good pizzas & we all had to walk as there were no cabs!! Once at OYO, we all slept well to leave for Bombay by Mandovi Express the next day.

Good morning GA






Breakfast at Sagar Kinara






At Smokin Joe's






At OYO

[aargee]

Day 3

Children, were more than ready by 6:30; the plan was to walk to Madgaon railway station, have breakfast & then board the train. Fortunately, we had one pure veg (God knows!!) Benjoe's hotel at Madgaon station. We had breakfast, samosa, bread pakoda & Puri Bhaji; we had a little as our hopes were quite high on the food served at Mandovi Express.

Just for records, here's the list of food that were bought for sale in the train that lasted from the time we boarded at 9:00 Am until 19:00 a little before we could reach Mumbai. All of them were snacks & hence we had dinner at Udupi Hotel outside of Dadar station.

Any food is ₹50 max...
1. Masala bhel
2. Samosa
3. Cutlet
4. Bread Omelette
5. Dahi Vada
6. Cool drink varieties & Lassi
7. Lunch varieties
8. Khanda bajji
9. Chicken lollipop
10. Gulab jamun
11. Cut fruits
12. Vada pav
13. Matka Dhahi
14. Sheera Upma
15. Dosa
16. Water Melon
17. Sabudana Vada
18. Mirchi Bajji
19. Medu Vada
20. Icecream
21. Tomato Soup
22. Methi Bajji
23. Sandwich
24. Dhabeli

The journey was slow, delayed by nearly an hour but somehow Indian Railways did a trick & reached Dadar nearly on time. I think what they do is to have over pessimistic buffer time built somewhere in the last leg of the journey between the stations that compensates for the delay. For eg: Panvel to Thane is a distance of ~33 Km that is estimated ~90 minutes & Thane to Dadar is ~24 Km & estimate time being 30 minutes; so ideally the 90 & 30 minutes already have a built in buffer to compensate the delays during the journey & finally when it reaches CSMT it should be on time or perhaps 2-3 minutes delayed. This is what we could make out from our journeys.

At Benjoe's










River Mandvi


















We stepped out of Dadar as we had nearly 2.5 hours before boarding our next train that made a perfect time for a good Maharashtrian thali/dinner. Although we spotted 2 hotels right at the mouth of Dadar entrance, we wished to walk atleast half Km for stretching. So we went to Udupi Hotel & had one of THE BEST experience in the journey. First of all the food was excellent, next the service boy was awesome. He served us with a little enthusiasm. Total bill was around ₹685 which was throw away price for 2 dal Kichidi, Hakka noodles, 2 plates sabudana Vada.

Post this hotel episode we went to Dadar station attempting to find out the train. The TV display never even showed our train due to which we were all apprehensive. The display showed all the train's departing until 01:00 am except ours that departs at 23:50. We were little thrilled later to find Dadar actually has 2 sections with same platform numbers because the Western & Central Railways meet here. This was quite a new information for us, especially Southerners.

We asked at passenger enquiry who asked to go after CD. I wasn't sure if he meant सीढ़ी in Hindi, but children said it's CD. After a little commotion, we agreed unanimously he meant the stairs; as we took the elevator, went past the skywalk, we had the revelation of the Western railway.

Thus we found the train right at the place we got down from the escalator & just for the sake of it we got it affirmed from the RPF nearby that it was indeed the train that we need to board.

Train introduced us to our fellow passenger pappu err guddu, who closed all the windows stating he's feeling hot (yes hot) & turned on the fans while we wanted them to be switched off. Later we got to know guddu was a spoilt pampered child by his relatives seated nearby. I had another horrible sleepless night as TTE had to make Bhagiratha's effort to wake up an alcoholic who was sleeping like a Kumbakarnan. Wife told me in the morning about another episode of that kumbakarnan; seems that guy is traveling in SL with unreserved or RAC ticket so after TTE nearly thrash woke him, he came near my Wife's berth with his mobile & raised a concern as if my Wife had occupied his reserved berth demanding to show her tickets. But Wife managed the situation making him flee the scene.

Next early morning, guddu & his relatives got down at Dhaboi; even when boarding down, that guy made ruckus because he didn't know whether the last piece of luggage belongs to them or the person sleeping on middle berth. He was never embarrassed to wake up the fellow sleeping passenger & asked to confirm if the luggage was his; all these happened while their relatives from the platform kept telling guddu that they've all their luggage. Thus I had hardly slept for 3-4 hours that night as well.

[aargee]

Day 4

After Dhaboi the train took the same route & perhaps a diversion somewhere heading towards Kevadia.

Kevadia airport, sorry railway station is damn awesome . This is how every railway station ought to be in India!! We felt like we got down somewhere in a fantasy land or outside of India. It was so wow awesomely fantastic!!!

Outside the railway station, we observed men in security uniform asking everyone to queue up to board a bus which we comprehended later that, it is the bus to board from railway to SOU. So ideally next time (if not on our car) our itinerary will be like...
1. Arrive at Kevadia airport/railway station
2. Stay at Fern Sardar Sarovar Resort/Sardar Sarovar Resort/BRG that's located bang opposite to railway station
3. Then take the bus to SOU & other buses for other attractions
4. End of the day get back to Kevadia GSRTC bus station near SOU & board this bus back to railway station

Anyway what we did was, we took this bus, got dropped to SOU GSRTC & didn't know what to do because we had luggage. Although Wife suggested using the cloak container room at SOU to dump the luggage & visit SOU, I dismissed the idea because I didn't want to lose on the accommodation at BRG incase we didn't show up on time. So we hired an auto, surprisingly they only accept GPay & it's ridden by ladies - a pink e-auto!! And it looks really futuristic.

So we come back to BRG, dump our luggage to cloak room as the check-in time is 11:00 & then we take an Eeco to get dropped at Bharat Bhavan only to be shocked due to the mile long queue & the ₹100 for 2.5 Km by Eeco was blown to dust!! Anyway we made up our mind, moved in the queue for sometime, took the free bus to SOU GSRTC station. Then another quarter mile queue to get inside. By this time children found SOU canteen to be a good place to dine & hence that's the first thing that we did:

EAT

We had Samosas, Dhokla, Chaaz for breakfast, 3 varieties of Samosas from Honest Restaurant. Then when we started fresh, another shock!! - half mile queue obviously!! The security (Central Industrial Security Force) said it takes 3 hours to reach the statue. Time is all we got, so we passed it in the queue & finally reached the statue, took some pictures, then visited the galleries & then Wife insisted we utilize the bus tour that we had booked through online for ₹1980.

Meanwhile during the respite at the SOU gallery, we booked tickets in GSRTC (using MakeMyTrip) for the next day travel between Kevadia & Ahmedabad. Costed ₹158 per head which was nothing for 180 odd Km.

Thus we went to Cactus & Butterfly garden and some plant garden that's all. No one had strength to wander any further. We took a bus to Bharat Bhavan, went to food court. Wife & Children had ₹50 Maggi from a shop outside the food court & Mirinda from Subway inside food court & then we took ₹100 Eeco back to our accommodation at BRG.

Good morning GJ




First sight of the Great Leader




At GSRTC Kevadia


In the era of Uber/Ola drivers trend: "Where do you want to go"


Breakfast at Honest




Inside SOU










Inside the Gallery




Only by 5:00 Pm we had completed the check-in & got our respective rooms which was damn awesome, actually 3 beds in a room & the best part? We paid ₹1200+tax for each room!! It's much more than awesome, it's a steal!!! But then considering each commute by Eeco & E-Auto, we don't know if we really made a steal deal or not.

After a good hot shower, we planned for the next day reaching Ahmedabad from this forest turned tourist spot!! We called up the reception requesting for a cab but those babus like people asked us to come in person even for reservation. From our morning experience we knew BRG cab costs like 3.5 times (₹350 by BRG cab instead of ₹100 Eeco)so I was a little apprehensive as well. I was of the opinion to try the back door - the security person. Wife was of the opinion that, there's a guarantee of the taxi showing up if we book through BRG but not adopting through back doors. But the reality being, there's no guarantee anywhere & we've to take our chances because even the BRG guys could open their palms stating no drivers at last minute & can tactfully act as if they're "trying" for alternatives. And the security guy may also back out at the last moment. Anyway we went ahead with the security guy who gave the number of one Sanjay Tadvi with whom we confirmed for ₹100. The best part being no one knew where Kevadia Colony RJP is located where the bus to Ahmedabad arrives; worst case we don't know whether it's a bus stop or bus station. But Sanjay & security folks knew there was a 7:30 Am GSRTC bus to Ahmedabad & where it arrives. So trusting their experience we went ahead to confirm with them.

At 19:00 we thought of having a continental dinner despite having low appetite or even a mood to have a buffet. By then we noticed BRG was serving Rajwadi Gujarati thali; having Children joined us, we had an awesome time at dinner. Post dinner we went to the room & slept well with a great anxiety whether the bus will make to Ahmedabad in 6 hours of time. I even had some nightmares of missing the bus & running behind it; another dream where everything goes as per plan, but the bus stops inside a forest for a break & I get a terrible feeling that I hadn't accounted this time to reach Ahmedabad.

For the money we paid & the accommodation we got, these silly things can be ignored






One of the awesome Rajwadi Gujrati Thali we enjoyed

[aargee]

Day 5

Morning we left BRG by 6:50 Am after calling Sanjay Tadvi. He showed up sharp after 5 minutes & dropped us at Kevadia Colony GSRTC bus stand. To our utter dismay it was hardly 2 Km from BRG which we could've easily walked. Nevertheless, it was a good learning experience.

Then the slow painful expectation on the bus started & along with that all the free negative thoughts as well:
1. Is this really Kevadia Colony RJP or is that bus stand located elsewhere?
2. Whether the bus would come from elsewhere to this bus station or will it start from here?
3. Most importantly whether we will be able to reach at Ahmedabad on time because the time was already 8:00 Pm & we're still at the bus stand & it takes 6 hours journey

Over & above, Children were intermittently whining that if we had our SCross we could've easily done in less than 4 hours!!

When we checked with some fellow passengers/bystanders, one of them was going to Ahmedabad, so that gave us a little relief (in what form?); he could've stopped with that, but he went to add with pride that this was his first time for him as well!! Despite the LED bus departure board in Gujarati, we were unable to deduce any useful information with respect to Ahmedabad bus & the station controller didn't show up until we left either. Wife found an alternative that a train from Kevadia railway station starts by 11:00 to reach Ahmedabad by 2:30 Pm or so. While I was prepared to pay for a taxi even if it costs over 5K

Thankfully by 8:05 Am a tin can bus with a shrill of bone shattered, sorry, started; the old driver started crawling the metal on wheel all over & stopping wherever he & his cronies liked to stop for aloo bhujia to tea to quick hi's. Relief came in the form of the young conductor who ensured all the passengers with advance booking to be seated in their respective places. I was quite happy that, having booked tickets through MakeMyTrip which is a private player, the tickets were still valid with Govt operated buses. The bus crawled to Baroda by 10:45 or so. Although we estimated the worst possible time to reach maybe 2:00 Pm or so, he left us at Gita Mandir GSRTC bus stand by 1:00. Thanks to the awesome Baroda - Ahmedabad expressway where the bus did no more than 70 Kmph!!

And then as usual we walked away from the bus station & the swarm of auto rickshaws attempting to poach us for a business. Since we didn't have anything to eat in the morning except for Oreo & Bournvita biscuits {thanks to the driver who replied to us only in Gujarati but in Hindi to few others; whenever he stopped he always said 5 minutes which happened only 2/4 times} we decided to have a thali from a road side shop as our time was also limited reaching to station. Unfortunately all we found was hotels with table & chairs, so instead of wasting anymore time hunting for a hotel with bench we decided to pick the next one we come across. Bhagyoday hotel was the one we saw or rather the owner who spotted us signed in to come in (strange coincidence); we had 4 Gujarati thali. It was next best meal to Udupi@Dadar & Rajwadi@BRC.

After this we decided to take an auto who started haggling with us, then came another auto who wanted ₹80 & there came a third guy immediately who wanted ₹50. Since I had already checked by Uber that it costs only ₹33 I didn't argue because we wanted to get to the station faster as the time was already 2:00 Pm

Source: Internet (because we were not in a mood to take pictures at that point)


Damn Cheap


Thanks to this expressway or I'm sure we would've certainly missed VB express




The awesome Gujarati meal


Right after some 10-15 minutes at the platform, there came India's most advanced train (at the time of writing) - Vandhe Bharat Express & the most awaited train journey of our entire trip as well.

Despite the aircraft like interiors & tidiness spread all around, one thing we found soon was, Vandhe Bharat's speed is as good as second or Third AC of Rajadhani or Duronto. Of course the toilets were very higher standards due to spacious interiors, granite wash basins, bio-toilets & toilet papers; perhaps the cushion on chairs, overall higher quality from floor to roof, LED displays are all superior when compared. When talking on the speeds, they hit a max of 130 Kmph like Duronto & Rajadhani however, the track clearance takes priority for Vandhe Bharat enabling the train to reach the destination quicker + the acceleration is also very good. The train had sliding doors operated using buttons instead of manual effort, led display showing speed on top, cleaning outside window glasses at some of the stations, led lighting, absolutely comfortable suspensions that had minimal shake & reaching top speeds of 125-130 Kmph keeping above 110 most of the time. We deduced the average speed of the train was ~92 Kmph which is damn good. It's like T120 doing 120 vs C250R doing 120 Kmph!!

Since we had paid for catering, we were served with welcome snacks consisting of (stale) murukku, kachori, (sour) apple drink & tomato sauce. A little after Vapi, we were served dinner consisting of spinach dal, aloo, 2 thick chapati, rice, curd & an Icecream. Needless to say, food was stale like the one served in aircrafts!! {food in Mandovi express was a notch better, but cleanliness, no doubt VB takes the cherry}









Welcome snacks


Dinner






Anyway we reached Mumbai Central at 8:17 as promised & then walked to Heraa International & was appalled at the second room. The first one was acceptable, considering this is Mumbai City real estate. But the second one was like rooms in Tokyo (low roof) city but right at Mumbai. Children named it Hobbit hole!!

MMCT


At Heraa International - The regular room


The Hobbit hole room


Some thoughts - Despite all the positive welcome changes with Indian govt, it's the people's attitude especially on civic sense that needs change. On boarding the train a fellow passenger who was supposed to sit the other side, comes over to this side, pushes away our over head luggage as if he's loading the boot of his car until I had to intervene; infact he was loud on the phone almost during the entire journey & was moving around the car, pampering his little son & scorning his grown up Daughter. Another family behind my Wife's seat had a 1/1.5 year old daughter, as usual watching loud videos on the mobile until a fellow passenger had to put up a smiling mask behind a frustrating face requesting meekly to low down the volume, which sprung up again after a short nap!! And the very notorious attitude {reaching the exit when the aircraft is taxing} of rushing to door with all luggage as blockade was also observed!!

[aargee]

Day 6

The next day we woke by 5:27 Am & having nothing to do, was browsing TV channels after several months. Having watched Die Hard 2 earlier, Bruce Willis attracted us; by the time the movie got over, it was around 7:30 am. Having nothing to do, we all chatted, had a slow lazy bath & prepared to leave. We were served complimentary Vadapav from the hotel, just 1 for each along with a super Bombay tea!! That's the breakfast!! The hotel, although were willing to give Idly/Dosa for breakfast, we refused with our sane minds! Hailing from the land of idlies/dosa/pongal/vada, why would we want to have them in Bombay when Jai Maharashtra offers delicious Vada pav/Misal Pav/Poha/Samosa for breakfast?

Having experienced all economic to authentic food for last couple of days, we googled for good expensive restaurants to have a fantastic breakfast/brunch; can't ask for more when in Bombay especially!! of course with a confusion on cuisine, location & time. We later decided to go to CSMT & then search for a good restaurant. By the time we left by Uber it was 10:25 & with unexpected traffic we reached CSMT around 11:15 with our train leaving at 12:45. Wife suggested visiting Pancham Puriwala & I went there with half hearted; we were appalled to see the place was almost empty with almost no one & we stared long & hard contemplating if we should step in or not; finally we took our chances, went inside & the server was slightly rude to state we need to hurry up with our orders. We later understood why because the place got extremely crowded & no seats available (we were damn lucky even to choose our seats) & we ordered Puris...lots of Puris, Chaz & Sweet Lassi. Then we decided to buy dinner as well as the food was finger licking mouth watering & what not good. Both lunch & dinner cost ₹895.

Although Son wanted Poha, we couldn't get one despite trying hard. I'm quite guilty about not fulfilling his simple wish {perhaps its a sign to ride MH only for Poha, Sabudana Vada & Misal Pav for breakfast in 2023?}. On reaching CSMT, we boarded the train feeling a little heavier, not in our stomach, but in our minds that our trip is also getting closer to an end. CSMT Chennai express was swarming with heads because of the convenient timing & the train was doing good speeds as well. After having Puris for dinner we went to sleep by 9:15 Pm or so

Later I was woken at 11:35 Pm, as there were 2 jokers sleeping on the floor beneath our berth. Although I wanted to make a scene by calling TTE, I just let it go trying to practice some patience. We even witnessed a person sleeping underneath the SU/SL berth & few of them on the way to bathroom!! Got to know next day that wife was very much frightened & had almost not slept through the night. This was the only worst part of the journey.

Children had a some humbling experience during the trip that we could notice right after the trip; hopefully all of us have many things to be grateful for all the nice things that life has offered us. Happy New Year 2023

The complimentary breakfast


At Pancham Pooriwala




Restricting with only a few Jai MH awesome sceneries












Dinner time








Very heartening to see the govt's efforts

[aargee]

Yes, it was a

family backpacking trip

for 6 days with just 2 rucksacks (60+50 liters) & a small backpack for 4 water bottles.

[Samurai]

Moving out from Assembly line. Thanks for sharing... - Support team

[Pennant1970]

Reading through your trip saga, I am reminded of what I don't miss from my younger days! Not to say that I didn't enjoy it 15 or so years ago - but now? IR and road transport are the stuff of nightmares for me, especially with my attenuated tolerance of claustrophobia and the nearby presence of smelly bodies! I know this sounds elitist, but I get anxiety attacks nowadays when there is crowds around or when I am in a confined space like a train berth. This from someone who used to travel on unreserved tickets on trains and buses. Age degrades us, in body and mind.

[Sa!lor]

Very good train journey travelogue, travelling in sleeper class is a different experience in itself, any reason you did not visit the light and sound show at Statue Of Unity because from your travelogue it seems you had enough time in the evening.

[tharian]

That was a nice read. I liked the pictures of the food items the best.

Traveling by train, especially in a non-AC coach is still the best way to see the country. Although IR has done quite a bit to improve cleanliness and convenience, our fellow travelers make sure it is all down the drain at the end. But for the kids, it would have been a good experience.

I used to love traveling by train when I was younger and used to fight for the window seat regardless of day or night. Now if I have to do a Bangalore-Chennai train trip which is the only time I agree to travel by train due to various reasons, I do it on the Shatabdi as that has the least annoyance from fellow passengers although there is at least one in every coach who is on the phone the whole journey talking loudly or watching some video with no headphones.

Maybe it is my age and my patience level has reduced or I enjoy driving and doing things at my own pace now that I like to minimize public transport as much as possible.
Sadly for me, my wife and 3-year-old daughter prefers train journeys to road.

As for the trains reaching on time at destination although it was running late through the journey, just like you observed, there is a huge buffer time between the second last and last stations. You will notice it when traveling to Chennai between Basin Bridge and Central.

[vaibhav_a_a]

Very good to see a train trip report. I did one Delhi-Chanderi (Lalitpur junction) in Aug 22 as it was the fastest option and hugely enjoyed it. I enjoy public transport in general but probably wouldnt risk a state road transport bus, especially with family.

[rt363]

Originally Posted by aargee

Day 5

Some thoughts - Despite all the positive welcome changes with Indian govt, it's the people's attitude especially on civic sense that needs change. On boarding the train a fellow passenger who was supposed to sit the other side, comes over to this side, pushes away our over head luggage as if he's loading the boot of his car until I had to intervene; infact he was loud on the phone almost during the entire journey & was moving around the car, pampering his little son & scorning his grown up Daughter. Another family behind my Wife's seat had a 1/1.5 year old daughter, as usual watching loud videos on the mobile until a fellow passenger had to put up a smiling mask behind a frustrating face requesting meekly to low down the volume, which sprung up again after a short nap!! And the very notorious attitude {reaching the exit when the aircraft is taxing} of rushing to door with all luggage as blockade was also observed!!

Could relate very much to this para. People's attitude needs to change. I would love to use the public transport, but given the state of the common washrooms, noise creators (youtube addicts who couldn't care to use their earphones), loud group conversations, I tend to avoid them whenever possible.

[antz.bin]

The situation in Indian Railways is much worse than it was about 20-25 years back.

I have travelled in all types of coaches till about a couple of years back. Don't do it any more because I don't need to but I still won't recommend anyone to travel in any class lower than 3AC. Even that is too crowded I think and 2AC is my preferred one.

The crowd situation in Sleeper class is extremely bad. The only practical difference between Sleeper and 2S (General) is that you get to lie down on your reserved berth to sleep. There is no difference in the number of people travelling. TTEs can do nothing to help. There is a severe under-capacity that IR needs to fix if they ever want to solve the issue. Even with such high occupancy, it is surprising that the only class that turns a profit for the railways is 3AC.

The other way to solve this issue is to hike General fares. Non-AC Train Fares in India are far too low and that leads to unnecessary burden on the people who actually pay full fare of their Sleeper tickets, that of accommodating those who pay only 2S fare and crowd up the Sleeper coaches. These are the same people who might have travelled as paying customers by bus had the general fare been higher and helped maintain buses in this country better. In the current situation, I could theoretically get a ticket from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in the general compartment without even coming close to 4 digits INR. Try doing that by any other mode of transport. Even walking will cost more.

It is not about being elitist, it is about paying for what you use AND getting what you paid for. The railways has run far too long in losses and being subsidised by the taxpayers. As the country moves from being a 3 Trillion $ GDP to 5 Trillion $ GDP, becomes wealthier overall including the bottom quartile, these things need to be fixed as well.