As children, rail travel to other towns wasn’t just the natural mode but so exciting for the sensory adventure of watching landscapes change from a window seat-hamlets, hills, meadows and lakes all left behind as the train trundled into another station and set of sounds, smells & stalls. It was then a novelty, sleeping in berths, the ‘chai-wala’s’ wake-up calls, freedom to wander carriages, reading a racy thriller or friendly co-passengers sharing stories and snacks. The entire experience felt like an adventure filled with new sights, sounds and social interactions that created lasting, nostalgic memories.
Call it ‘luck by chance’, I’ve been married to someone for 45 years who’s first two loves were trains and her Dad, a well-known Medical Officer in the Railways. That ‘train-bound’ love story continues even in our autumn years and whenever possible we opt for train travel, which we all agree has evolved in leaps and bounds and remains the most economical mode for a legion of middle class passengers. Not having travelled in the newest ‘Vande Bharat’ version of ‘Rail Yatra’, we chose to experience a cushy and fast-moving, seven hour journey from Madgao, Goa to Dadar, Mumbai yesterday afternoon !
Like excited kids we reached an hour before the departure time but somehow in their wisdom, ‘Vande’ train is always slotted for Platform 2 0r 3 & far across from Platform 1 So you’ll have to traverse a long over-bridge or walk with a coolie happily carting your luggage. It was hot and our Coolie empathized with Wife’s protests against the long walk and told her to hop on to the cart ! All seeming quaint & from the 60’s ! You also know trains needn’t have perfect timing every day ! It became apparent this ‘marvel’ of travel was running 2-3 hours but no one (except ‘running status’ on mobile) could predict by how much, until an hour later, announcements nailed it to 2 hrs, 30 mts.
Finally to the utter relief of harried looking travelers (two hours in waiting), the sleek looking, dome shaped ‘Vande’ train entered the portals of Platform 3 and we boarded a carriage like hopeful, resilient Indian passengers. Yes, the in-house décor, screens and layout is designed for comfort with fewer seats and great space for your legs & luggage ! The highlight of this smart little train, that has only 7 carriages, is the amazingly large toilet found in very clean state. But the snacks and meals were nothing to rave about !
Our train scheduled to reach Dadar at 10 pm finally touched down at 11.45 pm and we both, weary from our long ride reached home late at 1 am, after some yeoman help from a local Coolie who even got our luggage put on board the local from Dadar, Mumbai. Our ‘Vande’ experience was a mixed bag, good in parts and ‘OMG !’ at times ! Nothing is perfect in life but hyped trains & its systems must try to give us a chance to say ‘Wow !’
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