Comments on: Postcard from Nagpur

By: s0ulassylum

s0ulassylum — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 05:31:16 +0000

That was an interesting read. Unfortunately, I do not have any fancy train tales to share. Its always a pleasure to read up on them though!
SA.

By: Dilip

Dilip — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 19:17:10 +0000

Hi Atanu,
Though I am quite sure that the quality of not only the ticket but also of the information and its presentation can be vastly improved on the ticket stubs that you get from regional railway offices, the printed tickets from the so called “computerized reservation centers” are relatively better off as they print them out on slips with all the relevant information in clear, plaintive terms. The practice of printing the station codes and not their street names is prevalent in most parts of the world and not restricted to the railways. Even airlines employ the practice of using codes for differet airports and sometimes the codes have nothing to do with their actual names. I don’t think the railways should be chastised for their usage of station codes.

Coming to your other points of the disparity in the classes on the trains – it is indeed a trying experience to travel in unreserved compartments. Even watching all those people packed in like cattle and wallowing in the incredible amounts of filth they themselves generate can be trying. Its some sort of a vicious cycle – those compartments are always dirty and neglected because the people travelling in them dirty them so. The people travelling in these compartments after taking a look at the condition of their surroundings show scant regard to property and cleanliness which in turn contributes to its neglect. Its a sort of conundrum with shades of a chicken and egg problem – either side does not let up even when the other side does (if the railways continues to clean the compartment, most, if not all, people are still going to abuse the train and even if people abstain from throwing rubbish all over, the railway personnel are going to give it a once over). As you have suggested, the only solution might be to open the market up and watch the “bad apples” on both sides being cut to size.

By: Saurabh

Saurabh — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 06:40:57 +0000

Hi Atanu,
Similar incident happened with me last year when I was leaving for Ahmedabad after finishing my internship with Nercore.Train was from Bandra jn, caught in heavy traffic, got down in the middle from bus, went to andheri stn. thinking the train would halt but somebody told me it wont and suggesed me to go to borivali, went to borivali and reached just before time.

By: neelakantan

neelakantan — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 05:27:16 +0000

I agree with you on the part that the station name, time etc can be bolded, but overall, the Indian railways website is functionally pretty good (of course, it can get better). If you take a printout of the ticket you have booked, its better than the real ticket too, in terms of information. The multiple terminus thing is a big problem. I nearly missed my train once in Hyderabad because of this.

By: Shivani

Shivani — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 14:23:49 +0000

Every bad experience – gives you a better insight into the way things work here. Have a wonderful vacation.

By: Broadband Blog » Blog Archive » It’s a sellers market

Broadband Blog » Blog Archive » It’s a sellers market — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 01:49:23 +0000

[...] it worthwhile to be put here. Atanu mentions about the goof up he made and how nearly he < A HREF=”http://www.deeshaa.org/2005/10/08/postcard-from-nagpur/”TARGET=_blank>missed the train. Well, it’s interesting to read, not for the “near [...]

By: Vivek S

Vivek S — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 19:35:04 +0000

The Indian train, in a way, tells the economic spilt up of Indian people. There is that unreserved class mostly used by poor, the sleeper class for middle class, the 3-tier AC for upper middle class and the 2nd/1st AC for the rich. The comforts are also accordingly.

A person who travelled by an AC coach in the Chennai-New Delhi Express(33 hour journey) observed this: “The caterers often visited the AC coach to sell the food items. Even if they dont visit, all coaches, but for the unreserved ones, were connected to the pantry car. The train halted in stations every 6 hours. And, when it halted, the passengers from the unreserved coaches rushed into the stations like honey-bees from a bee-hive to buy food and water.”

Thank God.. i never experienced this “whenever someone wanted to get off, they would pull the emergency stop chain.”

By: Navin

Navin — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 10:34:58 +0000

I am a bit surprised that the train pulled into the station “in time”.

oh yeah, the delay is sucessively added. From Dadar to station 3, 10 mins.. from
3–>4 another 10 mins..