Mumbai Suburban Parikrama 2.0

Mumbai Suburban Parikrama 2.0, a name coined by Shantanu Kulkarni, for an attempt to cover all the local train stations of Mumbai was on our minds since many days as after our first successful attempt on 17^th Nov 2012, the Local trains (EMU) had started plying beyond Virar (VR) to Dahanu Road (DRD). The first attempt plan was designed by Shantanu Kulkarni and it was successful. With another 60 Kms added to the original plan, designing an itinerary for Version 2.0 was even tougher. We pondered over multiple options to attempt it and finally my plan was approved.

Next step was to decide on a suitable date to attempt it. We had finalised on a date in December 2014 but then, non availability of some key rail fans on that date ensured that it got postponed further. After dabbling with multiple dates, trying to anticipate DC-AC Test charge and praying that the technical snags which have been quite a daily occurrence don’t hamper our feat, we finally decided on 2nd Saturday of 2015 as the D-Day for the ritual. All of us bought the One day Tourist First Class Pass of Rs. 270 one day in advance.

Let me introduce the railfans who were part of our complete journey:

·         Shantanu Kulkarni (SK)... the Kalyan Monk(for his tremendous knowledge on all aspects of railways)

·         Vijay Aravamudhan (VJ)...the living EMU Database (for having noted all the local train numbers since past 4 years)

·         Himanshu Siloiya (HS)....the Station Master at Kalyan (for following the links of each and every express train)

·         Shardul Sabde (SS).....the scholar student from Ambarnath

·         Sriram Iyer (SI)..... the silent spectator with fondness to stay awake all night and sleep in the day

·         Aditya Kambli (AK)... our Kalwa Carshed specialist for keeping a close watch on the entry points.

·         And yours truly.

We also had some railfans joining in for certain sections enroute and sharing the joy.

·         Shantanu Khare (Skh)

·         Jitesh Utekar (JU)

·         Aakash Karnani (Aka)

·         Ashish Nargundkar (AN)

·         Sreekant Menon (SM)

·         Sushant Sasurla(SSa)

10^th Jan 2015

The 7 full travelling team had a sleepless night with anxiety levels being high. Everyone arranged for early morning transport with some relying on the last train of previous night (SI), some on private vehicles and others on Radio Cabs to get the right start with the first North East (NE) line train (departing CSTM at 04:12 am). Boarding from multiple locations of Kurla (CLA), Mulund (MLND), Thane (TNA), Kalwa, Dombivli (DI) and Kalyan (KYN) meant, we were simultaneously updating each other of our whereabouts and keeping a tab on inbound early morning express trains of Mumbai. We noticed the different OHE vans returning back to respective sheds after a hard night shift and the crisp and shining new DEMU making its way to DI Platform 5.By KYN, all full travelling members were on board. After Titvala (TLA) as the EMU went up the gradient, temperature kept going down in proportion. Chills were making it unbearable but to get a view of the adorable curves 3 of us (VJ, SI and I) shifted to the Ladies First Class (FC) to enjoy footboard journeys with cool winds hitting our faces at less than 15 degrees. We also had a jet leaving a trail of exhaust gases giving us company after the 2 nonexistent stations (commercial TT) on the NE lines. We reached Kasara by 6:49am.

Turnaround time (TAT) was 30 minutes and with same EMU being our way back home to KYN, we did not venture to other platforms but took our time in photography near the station board and observing the incoming and outgoing links and bankers. The delay in departure was about 5 minute and we had a leisurely(rather lazy ) departure at 10Kmph.The royal treatment that our EMU got meant, we overtook 2 Express trains at the renowned loops of NE lines bidding a farewell goodbye to the hapless long distance commuters stuck in them. The 2 non descript halts, which is not known to  non railfans ,Thansit and Umermalli are slowing getting the platform like look with EMU height embankments for ease of alighting and boarding. In a few years, we might see these 2 added to the list of stations. The surprising entry from Shahad to KYN was without any halts at outer and we really entered like a king on pf 6 without any hiccups and then made our way to pf 4 for the South East (SE) line journey to Khopoli (KHPI).

Khopoli local came on pf 5 and we rushed to board the FC which was full. All of us stood in the boarding aisles and waited till Badlapur(BUD) to get seats. New Ambarnath (ABH) sidings on west (*railway commuters parlance) but geographically north were spotted along with Vangani stabling lines on the way. Hunger pangs were getting the better of a few of us so out came the chips and the cookies we had packed from home. As the miles were eaten away by our fast running local, we reached Karjat to spot the Laila Majnu Jodi ( 2 famous bankers).As we trundled ahead to KHPI through the now one section ,one train,  single  line, SC Duranto to LTT thundered past us through Karjat with Pune WDM3D.

The 3 miniscule and primitive stations with single platforms were brief halts but our eyes were stuck on the adjoining Ghats as after Palasdhari the gradient ramp up of Bhor Ghat is clearly visible and the lines are seen running high on the hilly terrain. We spotted Sahyadri Express coming down the Ghats too. At Khopoli the 2 stabling lines seem to be taking shape and also the land levelling and clearance for what could be an island platform terminus can be seen taking shape.TAT was about a few minutes but return trip for our EMU was only till Karjat. With our customary group photo we bid goodbye to Khopoli which has been an industrial town and GIPR had laid them way back in 1850s and used to be washed away by the annual monsoon fury.(Reference: Halt Station India).Journey back to Karjat was uneventful. At Karjat, we ventured out on recommendations of SI and SS to treat ourselves to pack ourselves some vadapavs and then returned back to buy some tea from the stall on platform no 2.Koyna Express had departed by then which was with an ALCO unlike its regular EMD.

Hyderabad-Mumbai Express left Karjat ahead of us. Our next EMU journey to Thane was in a CST Fast and we departed late by 6 minutes. As we relished our late breakfast, our motorman went about doing his usual work of blasting between stations at Maximum Permissible Speed (MPS). We couldn’t help but admire the drastic infrastructural changes that have happened after Badlapur towards Kalyan. More and more residential projects are coming up in this stretch. Our run was still delayed by 5 minutes till Ulhasnagar but we weren’t bothered much by it as our next train from Thane (TNA) to Panvel (PNVL) had a gap of 21 minutes for transit. After Ulhasnagar we were held up at outer of Vithalwadi and after a few minutes, our restlessness increased as it was eating into our slack for the next journey. Look out towards Kalyan revealed another local held up at Vithalwadi which meant there was huge piling of trains before KYN. In this we lost further 10 minutes and reached Kalyan at around 12:22 whereas we were supposed to reach TNA at 12:29.Our connecting train to PNVL was at 12:50. I firmly believed that we can make it but SS warned that Netravathi Express departing from TNA could play spoilsport. Thankfully for us the local we were onboard had a dream run from Kalyan to Thane and SS ensured that the HD Cam on his new Moto G (2nd Gen) was put to good use. He captured one of the finest parallel runs between a slow and our fast local between Kopar and Diva. We entered Thane at 12:45 and rushed up the escalator to alight on pf 9, where 12:50 DC EMU to PNVL was berthed.

We didn’t have enough time to rush to the station board for a group picture hence, we took a groupie from my phone which when zoomed in could capture the station board. Next on agenda was a trip to PNVL and a slack of 37 minutes for a proposed Lunch. On the way, as we trundled slowly in a parallel run with Godan Express departing from Pf 7, SI, SS and JU suggested that we get down at Nerul and eat or get packed lunch instead of scouting for food at PNVL as they believed that Nerul had better accessible food options. We all agreed to modify our itinerary on the go and get down at Nerul. We went out on Pf1 side and made it to a shop selling Jumbo Veg Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Veg Frankie. We waited at the station concourse to get these freshly baked foods and planned to catch a 13:49 train to Panvel from pf 3 but while I was loitering around, I noticed an empty DC EMU of 13:44 waiting on pf 1. As soon as our lunch was packed, we rushed to run into the coach closest to the concourse and luckily as we all got in the EMU as it honked and left. It was a lucky escape for us. We reached Panvel tracing the Diva Panvel lines at 14:10 and next up was the longest trip of Harbour line at 14:20 to CST.

Station board groupie was done and VJ used his charisma to even ask a motorman of our next service to click a group picture of ours. No CR workmen could say ‘No’ to him after all VJ is GM CR, as we fondly call him, much to his delight. The route from PNVL to CST is fantastic for someone who loves to see the scenery change every few minutes. From the vast expanse of land at Panvel which has been seeing spurt in building construction to the obsolete land in the port trust near CST. This line is a full of surprises. Before Belapur, as we run parallel to Sion Panvel Highway, we see the first signs of the Navi Mumbai Metro. The Turbhe triangle is studied carefully by SK and VJ as their interest in AC conversion always keeps them looking out for TSS, SSP and SPs near rail tracks. After Vashi is the long creek bridge and VJ helped us spot the Gharapuri Island in the horizon. At Mankhurd, we spot the old station and the associated stabling platforms. The EMU was perfectly running on time and the only hiccup expected on the route is a freight crossing Harbour before Kurla. Here again, we were lucky as we curved into CLA, the expected freight crossover had already happened. Most of us moved to the door to study the 3rd line project between CLA and Wadala.

By the looks of it, land acquisition could be a bone of contention with slums in the vicinity. Platform extension work for 12 cars is in advanced stage at all stations enroute. Wadala saw the amalgamation of WR branch of Harbour coming overhead and landing besides us. The Eastern Freeway and Semaphore of the freight lines all show the irony of this line. The old relic and the modern day marvel exist side by side. We were on the lookout for an industrial shunter in the port trust area. After Reay Road, I tried to map the feasibility of making the Freeway pass through Port Land to ramp down further close to CST and using the overhead space and divider space of P DMello Road to divert the Harbour lines from Dockyard Road to CST Eastern exit. I am sure with a strong will it can be done and the land freed at Sandhurst Road (SNRD) and Masjid (MSD) can be used for segregation of Mail/ Express  trains from CST to Parel and beyond. As we go above the Mazgaon reconditioning depot and come down the gradient everybody gathers at the door to capture the Mainline CR from atop the ramp. We had left a slack of only 12 minutes for our return to Bandra from CST. Our EMU was on time so there was no reason to worry. We arrived on Pf 2 of CST, the most photographed station in India. We rushed to the loo to relieve our bladders before returning back to get our Groupie clicked on island pf 1&2. 15:49 CST Andheri (ADH) was our next leg of the journey.

Today CR was working to precision and we all got seated in the CST End FC and began retracing our journey till Wadala. The discussion onboard was to whether we should continue till Bandra and take the scheduled fast local of 16:40 to Churchgate (CCG) as per our itinerary or to get down at Mahim and take the next slow local to Churchgate to save on some slack for dinner. Eventually, we all settled to get down at Mahim and after a group pic moved to Pf 2 of WR to catch a slow local. Half the team got in at CCG End FC and the other Half got in the middle FC. After a few frantic calls, we breathed a sigh of relief to know that everyone was onboard. We met Sushant Sasurla in the train and we all assembled in CCG End FC at Elphinstone Road. Sedate run through the UP Slow line continued as we spotted Mumbai Rajdhani waiting for departure and Bombardier Rake waiting in the sly. We reached Churchgate at 16:45.

A group pic followed by a jump into 16:52 slow to Dadar (DDR/DR) from the adjacent platform meant that we reached Dadar by 17:15 and we had about 45 minutes for filling up our energy reserves. While we were on our way to Churchgate many of our friends from WR suggested that we should take the Passenger from Mumbai Central (BCT) and enjoy the ride behind a soon to be extinct WCAM1 and also filled us with fears of not being able to get seats in the Dadar-Dahanu (DRD) Local of 18:00 as it was one of the peak hour trains. We were stuck in a dilemma, but it was clear that the suburban trip meant that we could use only EMUs to traverse all stations. Had it been a return journey, we could have thought otherwise as the section would have been already touched by an EMU travel. Hence we decided against the Passenger train plan. Instead, we planned to go from CCG to Bandra and wait for the Dahanu Local in its UP direction. Since Dadar was supposed to be crowded we could have returned from Bandra to Dadar in the UP direction and cornered seats for our Down journey in Dadar-Dahanu leg.

Debates on ‘Food’ VS ‘Comfort of travel’ went in favour of Hunger. We decided to first fill up our tummies and then board the Dahanu local from Dadar itself with the self belief that at least we would have eaten well and then we could stand in the local if we weren’t fortunate to get seats at Dadar. We made our way through the flower market of Dadar West to Phanshikar for some authentic Maharashtrian Food. The menu items, we munched on included Kothambir Vadi, Puneri Misal,Farali Misal, Piyush and some hot tea. With the contentment of having a good evening snack which also doubled up as early dinner, we headed to Dadar (WR) pf1.To our surprise there was no indication of a scheduled Dadar-Dahanu Local on Pf 5, instead PAS was blaring that the Dahanu Service will start from Pf 3 today instead of Pf 5. The service was coming from Mahalaxmi Carshed as an empty rake and our chances of getting seats had improved. Luck was in our favour, had we went to Bandra we would have rued the fact that the UP service would have been cancelled at Dadar and we would have missed the Dahanu Service in Down direction.

We met Pratik Joshi at Dadar who warned us that this service could get extremely packed and with all our experience of travelling in EMUs for all these years we plunged into the empty rakes' CCG End FC as soon as it made its entry. First to enter were Jitesh and I. We yelled to the other companions to come fast and occupy the seats besides us. Finally, everyone made their way to our side and everyone got a seat. There was a sense of mini achievement in accomplishing this feat too. It was a 4xxx rake which many Railfans in WR don’t like if you compare it with the sleek MRVCs. It was 18:00 and our longest journey of WR had just begun.

Since all of us belonged to CR and wanted to feel the ride in the 4XXX rake, the first thing that hit us was the really cramped leg space in the FC coaches. We used the speedometer app to measure its performance. The local did accelerate out well hitting the good patch of 75kmph pretty soon and then kept maintaining speeds of 92-94 kmph over considerable distance during the entire journey. We were brisk in reaching Bandra. Andheri was reached at sedate pace after Vileparle. Pf 9 at ADH had a Virar (VR) local waiting, but the junta was waiting for an approaching VR local on Pf 8. We were kept waiting  on Pf 4 as VR EMU from pf 8 was let ahead of us. After an agonising 7 minute wait, our train moved trailing the VR local. At Borivali, we were put on Down Slow to make way for the Flying Ranee which gave us a short parallel run in this stretch. Being a second Saturday, crowds were pretty manageable and after Virar the crowding reduced considerably. We were running late by 10 minutes now. HS was of the strong opinion that we would make it to DRD on time. HS and SS showed us the places where some railfans do night outs like Umroli and Kelve Road. We were constantly on the lookout for the late running ADI BCT Shatabdi crossing. Finally when it crossed us enroute at Vangaon it was doing a rough 100kmph.At DRD we entered on time at 20:25 and were admitted on the extreme east pf 5.

We rushed to Pf 1 to relieve our bladders. The Urinal cum Lavatory on Pf 1 at DRD was dimly lit and as each of us made our way out, JU was blessed with Shit from the Heavens. There was huge tree in the station premises which was home to hundreds of pigeons and they were in a mood to litter their shit onto unknowing commuters below. He did manage to wash it up.

There were announcements of Bharuch-Virar Passenger arriving on Pf 2 and it was 20:45. Our EMU on Pf 5 had the same departure time. Again the dilemma of catching the right train meant we needed to ask the right questions to the right people. HS went and asked the station master about the preferential departure expected from DRD in UP direction. The station master was clear and said that the passenger was running late and it would be allowed first to leave for VR. Someone amongst us said that it had Non AC FC and we can board it with our Tourist FC Ticket. We were still scared about the crowd but knowing that we always had a fall back option of EMU waiting on pf 5, we decided to take bait and WAG loco from BRC brought in the passenger and we made a beeline to occupy a relatively empty Coupe which could seat all of us. We did take the customary group pic at DRD as well as inside the cosy and luxurious FC with its wide legroom (comparing it with the EMUs).The passenger left at 20:50, delayed by 5 minutes and reached Vangaon where, we were put on loop. With signal on UP as well as Down lines being Green, we were treated to 4 blasts at MPS by speeding Mail Expresses.  It was also time for the click happy railfans amongst us to capture these blasts through a lonely and subdued Vangaon station. Finally, we departed after 15 minutes and continued our non descriptive journey till Virar, arriving on Pf 4 at 22:20.

We were supposed to catch 22:40 fast to Dadar from here but as luck would have it, we could see 22:16 Fast to Churchgate still on pf 1.This would have shaved off 30 minutes of our last leg. We urged everyone to make it to the pf 1 through the crowd. But that looked impossible. Finally we decided to cross tracks and pull up a few of us who found it difficult to climb the high footboards. As soon as everyone was onboard the crowded VR-CCG fast, it left with a delay of 9 minutes at 22:25.

The VR -DDR service was slow till ADH and then turns into fast beyond that. As stations went by, there were seats waiting to be taken. One by one, we all got seats and ask the AC Retro whizzed past each suburban station of WR, we were inching back to Dadar.SK and VJ got into the act of calculating the expenses incurred in the trip. Each one was informed about the amount which they were to pay as part of their contribution to lunch and dinner costs which was paid earlier by me and VJ. It’s a wonderful feeling to not only come to the end of the trip but also collect money.  :-)

We reached DDR at 22:43 and quickly got to pf 3 at DR Central to catch a slow to CST. The farthest staying RF in our group was SS and he had only 2 options after midnight and those were 00:05 ABH or 00:30 KJT, the last EMU. We were aiming to board 00:05 and since reaching CST from Dadar by the slow local which we boarded seemed impossible, we had to get down at some station midway to take the 00:05 ABH. Earlier in the day, we had used Harbour line arm to pass through SNRD, MSD and CST. Hence we could reach Byculla(BY) and then board the 00:05 ABH from there (Ex BY the timing would have been 00:13), but since we had time on hands and since UP and Down Slow share the same platforms at MSD and SNRD ,we continued till MSD and then waited for the ABH slow.

The last section waiting to be covered was also the first suburban route in Asia. After boarding at MSD, the slow ran in sync with CST Chennai express, Dadar Sawantwadi Rajyarani Express for sometime at various stages in our route. At CLA, we bid goodbye to SI and JU as they had to go via Harbour to reach their respective residences. SKh messaged us that he saw our local at MLND. At TNA, VJ alighted and so did I at DI. HS and SK got down at KYN and SS went upto ABH to complete the Mumbai Suburban Parikrama version 2.0

But there was some twist in the tale waiting for all of us. Even though most of us reached home SI was still far from it. JU messaged us all saying that the train which SI had boarded had diverted to SNPD Carshed and that SI was not reachable as his phone was switched off. All of us by now were at home but the sleep in our eyes had vanished reading this news. All attempts of frantic calls and SMSes yielded no result. SK and I had left a message for SI to call back as there was no way to contact him other than his phone at that point of time. After an hour, SI messaged us that he has finally reached home. His train was diverted to SNPD Carshed after Vashi and he had to walk back to Juinagar under moonlight and extremely scary conditions. He says the CLA indicators had mentioned that it was a Belapur bound train but it was a Vashi train which he realised after the diversion to the car shed.

11^th Jan 2015

A day after the Mumbai Suburban Parikrama Version 2.0 as I wake up from the slowly rising decibel levels of the man and machines, as the sun rises on a chilly and lazy Sunday morning from the cosiness of our warm blankets a feeling of contentment engulfs me. The achievement may not mean anything to the vast majority of the population. It can only bring happiness to people who know and love trains for what they are. The relentless workforce which works day in and day out to keep the wheels of the financial capital of India chugging deserves a salute for the service to the Mumbai populace.

Our plan was fool proof with every section that we traveled having a Plan B in case the original plan failed because of technical snags, fog and other operational issues which could have been encountered during a travel. We did alter our plan on the go. Some by choice and some were forced ones. But eventually we did manage to cover everything as we wanted without any regrets. There were slacks in some sections planned by us; some were quick break fix solutions and some on the go changes. Best thing about the journey was the camaraderie and togetherness shown by all my fellow railfans who agreed to go with the collective decisions we took.

It gives me immense pleasure to say, “A Big Thank You" to all those accompanying us and to all our well-wishing good friends for keeping us going and making this a grand success. Next version of Mumbai Suburban Parikrama 3.0 will now happen when Local trains start on Uran-Nerul, Vasai-Diva-Panvel corridor. Till then, Adieu and happy railfanning.

The trains we took are:

Sr. No.	From	Timing	To	Timing	Train
1	Thane	05:07	Kasara	06:49	CST - Kasara  Slow Local (First NE train from CST), leaving  at 04:12
	Dombivli	05:29
	Kalyan	05:38
2	Kasara	07:21	Kalyan	08:34	Kasara-CST Fast Local
3	Kalyan	08:53	Khopoli	10:09	CST -Khopoli Fast local
4	Khopoli	10:20	Karjat	10:45	Khopoli - Karjat shuttle local
5	Karjat	11:19	Thane	12:29	Karjat- CST Fast local
6	Thane	12:50	Nerul	13:21	Thane panvel Slow Local
7	Nerul	13:44	Panvel	02:06	Thane Panvel Local
8	Panvel	14:20	CST	15:37	Panvel-CST local
9	CST	15:49	Mahim	16:13	CST - Andheri local
10	Mahim	16:23	Churchgate	16:52	BVI - CCG Slow
11	Churchgate	17:36	Dadar	17:13	Churchgate - BVI Slow
12	Dadar	18:00	Dahanu Rd	20:25	Dadar- Dahanu
13	Dahanu Rd	20:50	Virar	22:25	Late running,  Bharuch-Virar Passenger
14	Virar	22:16	Dadar	23:29	Late running, Virar -Churchgate Fast
15	Dadar	23:45	Masjid	00:01	Karjat- CST Slow local
16	Masjid	00:08	Thane	01:00	CST - Ambarnath Slow
			Dombivli	01:22
			Kalyan	01:32