Friday 21 February 2014

Taking the Shatabdi train from Amritsar to Delhi

We have to get from Amritsar to Delhi where we are based on National Immunisation Day. There are three ways open to us to do this: coach, plane or train. There really is no choice however because to travel by train in India is more than “to travel", it is to experience the largest railway system in the world and it is quite something. 

PH Northern Zone Railway Map

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The one disadvantage of catching the train is that our Shatabdi Express (the word express is used loosely when compared to its use in the UK) is that it leaves Amritsar at 5 a.m and takes just over 6 hours to cover the 449km at an average speed of 71 km/hr (44 mph). The ordinary express train which leaves 15 minutes later takes around 8 hours. Whilst the plane leaves at a more reasonable 10 am it has a 15kg luggage restriction which would be a problem. 

Amritsar Station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although it is only 430am when we arrive, as in most countries, railways re a 24 hour operation and the station is fairly busy.

Amritsar Station Ricshaws

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pedal Rickshaws are awaiting the inbound train

Amritsar Station People Sleeping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and one of the halls is being used as a dormitory - there are often long gaps between trains and despite its overall superb efficiency, it is not unknown for trains to be very late for one reason or another.

Being a Shatabi Express, all our train does is to shuttle backwards and forwards between Amritsar and Delhi. Our morning express to Delhi becomes the afternoon express back to Amritsar.

Engine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Train Awaits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is waiting for passengers

Freight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and freight to be loaded

Passenger List

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and with an efficiency which is not matched by any other railway system we know of, pasted to the outside of each carriage is a list of the passengers for this train and where they are seated.

Inside Carriage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The amount of personal space inside the carriage is much more than in lower classes of train,

Comfotable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it is almost as good as sitting in airline business class many years ago.

Indian Toilet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those interested in toilets, both varieties exist

Western Toilet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

although the waste discharges straight onto the tracks. We found having our own toilet paper, hand wipes and hand disinfectant useful if only to try to prevent us from catching a local stomach bug.

One of the features of a Shatabdi Express is that you are promised a meal appropriate to the time of day during your journey. A 5 am departure means breakfast. We were somewhat sceptical of the possible quality what we might get - totally wrong, it was quite astonishing

Meals on Wheels Saucer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Known as Meals on Wheels, having first been given a bottle of water,

Menu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a breakfast tray arrives with the menu on it.

Breakfast Menu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything is detailed and the numbers of how many of each you will get is listed. Being India, there is a lot of choice for Vegetarians although the Non-Vegetarian option seemed to be meat free.

Breakfast 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started off with Tea / Coffee and biscuits

Breakfast Tea and Biscuits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the tea is the usual sweet milky kind favoured in India.

Breakfast Cornflakes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

then Cornflakes with hot milk.

Breakfast food arrives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tray has a great variety of things on it including bread

Breakfast Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

with a history lesson about

Breakfast Bread 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the two slices inside the packet.

Breakfast Omelette

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vegetarian cutlet looked a bit anaemic but was perfectly edible. It appeared to us that at each station we stopped at, the train loaded the next course or unloaded the empties from an earlier course.

Based upon sampling a single meal, we can recommend it.

As we got closer to Delhi, more and more people

Living on platform

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

were living on the platforms of stations we went through

Life by the Railtracks 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

or in shanty towns beside the tracks.

Life by the Railtracks 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although we did not know it then,

Life by the Railtracks 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this was a lifestyle we were to become familiar with on Vaccination Day which for us was the day after tomorrow.

Delhi Railway Porters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We we got off the train at Delhi, we were descended upon by numerous porters who obviously know that western travellers are a more likely source of business than local people and also that they are likely to get paid more.

Delhi Railway Porters 001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delhi Railway Station is very large and there seemed to be about 40 platforms, hence the walk to get outside of the station is long. Porters get paid by the case and therefore they try to grab as many as possible. Each of these cases weighs in at around 23 kg - you think about walking with 46 kg on your head and a case in each hand!

Our train arrived exactly on time - it was an interesting, comfortable and enjoyable journey. Train travel in India is something which every traveller should experience. The last time we came were were on an Express Train (the next class down) so now we have been on the top two classes of train. It would be interesting to travel on one of the lowest classes next time.

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