Yes, it’s a Saturday
today and it has been a mixed week for me. Last Sunday, we were enjoying
waking up late to the cooler environs of Mahabaleshwar, doing sightseeing in Panchgani,
Pratapgadh and scouting through the market for cheap deals. We returned back to
the harsh humidity of Mumbai on Monday evening to get some much needed rest and
a wonderfully spent Tuesday at home celebrating my growing of age, but by end
of day the heat was on me. Fever had got the better of me and the next 2 days
were spent at office with a running nose doing the worst shift for any person
working near the International Airport, a 9-6 shift.
My regular commute is
from Dombivli (DI) or Thakurli (THK) to Ghatkopar (GC) by slow EMUs running
parallel with Nagpur-Mumbai CST Duranto, Latur Express and 15 Car Fast EMU. But
while returning back, it is a round trip via Dadar (DDR)/ (DR). I normally
catch the BEST bus 337 or 308 to Andheri (ADH) from the airport. This station
never fails to impress me with its continuous stream of locals or EMUs. The
rail traffic controllers at ADH are doing an awesome job.
Sometimes, I have to wait
a few minutes at ADH platform(PF) 3 to catch up with my wife who commutes from Goregaon
and then we travel together in a calmer WR Fast(opposite to peak hour rush)
till DDR. After crossing over from WR to CR while we are waiting at Kalyan
(KYN) end of DR PF 4, my wife keeps talking merrily, I simply respond to her queries
and silently keep observing the
Fast EMUs parade from 7:31 Badlapur,7:35 Kasara,7:38 Badlapur,7:41 Titvala,7:44
Ambarnath to finally board the 7:47 Kalyan (15 car) to DI. My wife usually gets
sitting space from DR itself and yours truly too can stand comfortably in that
train. I love the way fast EMUs keep reaching PF4 of DR, back to back and taking
people back home.
Thursday was a day of
heated debate on my Whatsapp Railfanning Group about the good and bad of WR and
CR. Friday was spent in anticipation of good results of the first leg of CRS
inspection for CR’s long awaited AC conversion between LTT and KYN. The good
news is, that we passed the first acid test. Late evening traffic was affected
by OHE wire problem near Sion and my 15 car was delayed by 15 min while
departing from Dadar and maintained that delay right up to Dombivli.
Finally, it’s a Saturday and I have a 7-4 shift at office.
Instead of attempting to catch the first fast at 5:54 from DI, I decided to do
a calmer commute cum rail fanning till Ghatkopar (GC). I rode my Honda Activa
to Kopar and as I parked and went up the Foot over bridge (FOB), the deafening
sound of the Dombivli-Boisar Push Pull passing over the Kopar Over Bridge could
be heard. I waited to see it give out a long hoot and chug out of Kopar Upper
(PF 3). Then the wait for a DI starting slow at 5:50 was taking an extra
minute as it was negotiating the turnouts and recent speed restriction on UP
slow till Kopar .Got into the Middle First Class, and took the coveted window
seat in a BHEL rake. As we left Kopar, the first fast EMU of the day, overtook
us at almost Maximum Permissible Speed (MPS) .At Diva Junction (DW), the 5:20am
slot LTT departing Saket Express crossed us and as we made our way out of DW, to
give us company, GOC WDP4D #40099 with Matsyagandha was sneaking onto mainline.
Mumbra and Kalva were uneventful and I believe Madgaon Janshatabdi had already
crossed the Parsik Tunnel long back. We had a parallel entry into Thane (TNA) PF4
with #13618 Shakti hauling in Siddeshwar Express to PF6. Matsyagandha was
already cooling off on PF 8. We were the first to leave TNA from at 6:16.
Bhushan's favourite Indrayani Express made it to TNA PF5 with an ALCO. My
anticipation of a Triple parallel action was keeping me engrossed near the
window.
With an empty door beckoning, I was yearning to get the wind in
my hair. I ditched my window seat to door plate. Mulund (MLND) was uneventful; I chuckled to say an imaginary hello
to Harshad, as I was riding his favourite BHEL rake. As we approached Nahur, WDP4D
was the first to come from behind and overtake us on the fly. Not to be left
behind Shakti, wanting to prove a point made a brutal third parallel run train
to run alongside my EMU. Finally, as we dropped speed, Shakti with Siddeshwar Express
was long gone and WDP4D with Matsyagandha too was untraceable. I was left
gleaming with a wide smile on my face. 5th line had twin WCAG1 #21976/79 with
freight near Bhandup and at Vikhroli we crossed Gitanjali Express hauled out by
WCAM3 #21886, closely followed by my favourite, the lone 15 car of CR to KYN. As
I was stepping out of GC, Tapovan Express was making a dash through PF 3. I
know this is mundane commute but just felt like sharing it with you, because it
was a lazy Saturday and I had enough time to jot this done at work. Hope, you
too had enough time to be with me on this journey.
My mom’s long pending wish was to take her
daughter (that’s how she likes to address my wife) to Shirdi and my wish was to
traverse the journey by train. As my wife isn’t comfortable with long bus
journeys, trains were the automatic choice. The onus of booking tickets was on
yours truly. I booked for 12131 Dadar - Sainagar Shirdi (SNSI) which departs on
Saturday night of 28th Sept at 21:45 from Dadar and reaches SNSI at 03:51 on
Sunday morning. To those who are familiar to my blogs, might recollect my previous
journey by this wonderful train 2 years back by the title, 'A chilly trip to
Shirdi'.
Booking for return journey was a problem as
12131 is now having a Rake sharing with SNSI-Pandharpur and hence 12131's
counterpart doesn’t depart at 10:00 am as 12132,instead leaves at 22:35 and thus 12132 has also become a night train to
Mumbai. We didn’t want to spend the whole day at SNSI, so I booked our return
journey in 2 parts. I booked for a new train, the SNSI-Puri Weekly Express
which departs at 13:00 from SNSI till Manmad (MMR) and change to Tapovan
Express at MMR for Mumbai at 16:50 with a gap of 1 hr 30 min at MMR.
Since my in-laws from Borivali were to
accompany us, they were to board from Dadar at 21:45 with my wife, who has now
become a veteran of CR and WR combo travel as we stay in Dombivli (DI) and she
commutes to work daily at Goregaon. I decided to board from Kalyan (KYN) with
my parents. Our tickets were in RAC, but it got confirmed and 6 of our
travelling members were adjusted in one compartment in S3 and I was confirmed
in S1 at seat 10. As decided, my wife, her parents and brother boarded 12131
from Dadar Platform 7. I took a 21:31 slow local to KYN from DI. The local
terminated on Pf 2 and that made it easy for us to reach PF 5 of KYN taking the
North end FOB which has a ramp. The usual parade of EMUs and Mail/Expresses was
on. The station was full of commuters and there was hardly any space for free
movement. It is high time that more platforms are built to the east of the
station to disperse the crowds and make commuting easier.
First spotting of the night was KYN WDM3X
with 22107 CSTM-Latur Express on Platform 5, which brought in a lot of local
passengers. In the meanwhile, KYN WCAM3 brought in 11072 Kamayani Express on
Platform 6. As Latur Express departed, 17057 Devgiri Express to Secundrabad
arrived on Pf 4. Kolhapur-Ahmedabad Express sneaked in stealthily into Platform
7 and decided to rest there for a few minutes. Soon, 11021 Dadar-Tirunelveli
Express arrived on platform 5. In the meanwhile, my wife updated that 12131 had
left Dadar, dot on time and the rake was clean. I replied,” It’s a CR rake, has
to be clean. J ”
Deccan Odyssey liveried KYN WDM3A # 18926R
was doing the honours of hauling our train. It was late by 2 minutes in
entering KYN, but I knew that 12131 reaches SNSI on time. After exchanging
pleasantries with my in-laws and getting my tickets checked, I decided to check
the rake myself. The floor, berths and toilets were indeed clean. I had done a
morning shift at work and with a night train and parents accompanying, door
plating was out of question and so was the Lower Berth. I decided to go to my
Middle Berth (MB) in S1 and sleep it off and do my railfanning in the return
trip in broad daylight. Our Alco was chugging hard and even though I lied down
on my MB, my mind was constantly trying to note the stoppages we make enroute.
Luckily for me, every time, I woke up from my slumber, we were halted and a
quick look at the watch ensured that I noted the timings. 12131 was running to the schedule. I had kept
an alarm for 03:30am to return back to my family in S3 before we reach SNSI.
The sight of a town, which is otherwise sleepy through the day, was gleaming
with lights in the horizon at 3:30 am in the morning. We reached Sainagar Shirdi
(SNSI) at 3:40am on the lone platform, 10 minutes before scheduled time. This
was my third visit by train to SNSI and station building was still looking
good.
We hopped into an auto, checked into a
room, finished our morning chores and set out to visit the temple. Darshan was
over in an hour’s time. After spending a few hours at the hotel we came back to
SNSI to board 18408 SNSI –Puri Weekly Express to Manmad. We reached the station
at 12:15 and with 45 minutes to go, the train was yet to be berthed. I decided to take my wife and brother in law
on a Darshan of a different kind. I dragged them to the Puntumba end of the
lone platform for snaps. The 2 siding lines parallel to the platform line had
an SC rake of SNSI-Kakinada Town Express behind a Pune WDM3A 18975 and ECoR
rake of SNSI-Puri behind another Pune WDG3A #14646. The additional siding line
at SNSI outer was also occupied with Pune Alco 13559 with the rake of CSTM-SNSI
Fast passenger. It seems, in years to come, SNSI will have to be expanded for
more siding lines as the number of trains to SNSI keep getting added every
subsequent budget. Thankfully, railways own a lot of land here and up gradation
of infrastructure should not be a problem for them.
The platform line and a short loco stabling
platform have washable apron. We went out of the station for a brief period to
click snaps of the Multi Functional Complex (MFC) and the panorama of SNSI
Station building. When we returned back, our rake was seen moving off the
siding line, only to reverse back into the platform. The first look of the rake
gave us a very nasty feeling. The ECoR Rake was very shabbily maintained. It
was very dirty from the exterior as well as interior. The occupancy of our
coach was very low and I secured an emergency window for myself. This train was
inaugurated only a few weeks back and it pains a lot to see a shabby and old
rake for a train dedicated to pilgrims from Puri to SNSI and vice versa. The starter
was given at 13:00 and we set out on our return journey. SNSI is fully set to
go electric as all the OHE and catenaries works are in place. In fact, I observed
that MMR-SNSI section’s electrification work is complete and might be thrown
open to electric locos soon. We were given a schedule of 2 hour and 25 minutes
from SNSI to MMR, which meant that the run was going to be a sedate one. Not
that I was complaining.
As we were approaching Puntumba, we made a
parallel entry with the Twin Diesel hauled Karnataka Express bound to NDLS. It
was no surprise that we were sidelined at Puntumba, in spite of no scheduled
halt there to make way for one of the prestigious trains on this route. We were
given a pamphlet of ‘La Festa Food Plaza’ of Kopargaon with options of ordering
over Phone. The menu consisted of a variety of South Indian, Chinese, Thalis,
Combo Meals, Rice and Vegetables. We were told that food will be delivered at
our seat at Kopargaon. We ordered for a Maharaja Thali which consisted of Shahi
Paneer, Alloo Mutter, Yellow Dal Chole, Veg Pulao, 2 Naan, Pickle, Papad, Raita
and Salad costing Rs.163, Paneer Butter Masala costing Rs. 105 and 2 Butter
Naans costing Rs. 20 each. Though the cost was slightly on a higher side, the
food was delicious and I would recommend it, given the paltry food items
available in the pantry car of most non descript expresses.
After a halt of few minutes at Puntumba, we
started on our journey again and at Kanhegaon came across a dirty looking Pune
WDM2 # 17991 which was hauling the Nizamabad-Pune passenger. We reached
Kopargaon, our first scheduled halt, late by 8 minutes. But there was no reason
to worry as there was enough slack built in before MMR. I spotted an OHE van at
Kopargaon. Our food was loaded and delivered to our seat as promised and as we
went on munching spree, from far off the Aurangabad single line came and joined
us in the backdrop of the magnificent Ankai Killa. We entered MMR from the CR
line on platform 1 at 15:05, almost 20 minutes before time. I was expecting a
loco change for our train from Diesel to electric. To my surprise, Karnataka
Express was still on platform 2. Not liking that we played catch up with the
legend, it moved out as soon as we came to a standstill. I am told, Karnataka
Express also has a loco change here, but I couldn’t capture it as I was travelling
with family and any attempt of getting down from the train and trying to run
ahead to check the loco would have been reprimanded. Railfanning is best done
with rail fans around. I try to subdue my RF instincts when with my family.
A glance at the indicators told me that
Tapovan Express was expected at 16:50 on platform 4. We took the lone FOB of
MMR station and moved to a spot with enough space for all 7 of us to sit. MMR is
not the typical junction station with lot of passengers, instead it is very
desolate, had more urchins and railway employees than passengers. I could spot
a WAP4 hauled passenger (probably the late running, MMR-IGP passenger) on
Platform 6 which left towards Mumbai. There was announcement of a train
expected to run through Platform 2 and in the horizon, I could see an Itarsi
WAM4 hauling the 11055 LTT-Gorakhpur, Godan Express approaching MMR. The amount
of dust and rubble it raised while running nonstop through the station was a
sight to behold. It was a mesmerizing feeling to see it vanish in a matter of
few seconds. The siding lines between platform 4 and 5 received a huge
consignment of Sonalika Tractors on Flatbeds behind a WDG4 12107. ‘Trial Loco’
was stenciled below the cab of 12107. A surprise unscheduled halt on platform 2
was given to 12542 LTT-Gorakhpur LHB Hybrid rake. 12715 Nanded-Amritsar Sachkhand
Express arrived on Platform 5 at 16:45 with twin diesels from SCR line. Twin
diesels after de-coupling at Mumbai End was replaced by WAP4 at Howrah end for
its onward journey to ASR. 22845, Pune –Hatia express sneaked into Platform 1
while the Sachkhand loco changes were happening. We tasted hot Vadapavs from
the vendor on platform 4 and took a stroll along the length of the platform. My
wife is a reluctant walker, but strolled around with me as I was juggling
between answering her queries and railfanning at the same time.
It was 16:35 and Alco had already brought
in Tapovan from Nanded, a full 15 minutes before time. There were many
passengers alighting and an equal number waiting to board our train. We had
sequential seats from 50-56 in D4. I made a few eyebrows rise by asking the
illegal occupants of our seats to move out of their comfort. No one retaliated,
but the anguish was clearly visible on their faces. After settling into our
seats, I could observe that there were many passengers without reservations in
our coach. The TTE came and checked our tickets and turned a blind eye to the unauthorized
commuters of our coach. We left at 17:05 and crossed Barbie Doll livery hauled
freight near Summit. The KYN WCAM3 was moving swiftly and we were hitting MPS
very often. Niphad and Lasalgaon halts were negotiated on time. In between, we
managed to cross a few trains, I suspect them to be Darbhanga, Kamayani and
Mangala Lakshadweep Express. One of them was with twin WAP4 (trailing loco
dead). Next to cross us was Aurangabad Janshatabdi which is easy to recognize even
at high speeds because of its distinct JS livery coaches.
With an ON time arrival at Nasik, we
crossed 11026 Pune-Bhusaval Express and at Devlali shook hands with 12117 LTT-Manmad
Godavari Express. Sewagram Express crossed us after Devlali and 12143
LTT-Sultanpur was waiting on platform 1 at Igatpuri (IGP) to welcome us as it
was getting the bankers detached at 19:00. Our loco was doing a tremendous job
of running in before time at all stations enroute. At 19:20, Nandigram was seen
being pushed up the Ghats by triplets of WAG7 (all of them in WAP4 shells)
Our scheduled arrival at Kalyan was 20:50
but we had crossed Titwala by 20:25 and that meant, KYN outer had the privilege
of holding on to Tapovan for a few minutes. Between IGP and KYN we crossed a
few trains and I had to budge to the request from my brother –in-law for a
window seat, I couldn’t note the exact locations of each crossing, but with
backend knowledge of trains departing Mumbai, they must have been Panchavati,
Rajyarani and Vidharbha expresses. We were allowed into Kalyan Platform 5 at
20:45. To give it company, Indrayani Express from Pune behind an Alco arrived
on Platform 7, though; Tapovan was allowed to leave first. We took the middle
FOB and took a fast train from Platform 6 to Dombivli, thus bringing to an end
to a Religious cum Railfanning trip to Shirdi.
Mumbai thrives
on its crowd. There is a feeling of choking (in abstract terms) if we stay away
from the hustle and bustle of the city for long. I visit my native place every
year, which has been advertised as “God’s own country”. After a few days of
calmness and serenity, the call of Mumbai gets so strong that every passing
minute becomes difficult to live. And, once I am back in Mumbai, even 24 hours
seem to be less. Such is the pace of life here. Quality of life suffers, but
you live your dreams here and make them come alive.
Super Dense
Crush load (SDCL) is the new term coined by railways for Mumbai Locals’ peak
hour rush. My daily commute to Ghatkopar (GC) from Dombivli (DI) depends on the
Shift Duty timings. The worst duty timings are 11:00-20:00. I ride my bike
to Kopar, a relatively new station, just before Dombivli on the Central
Railways (CR) Mainline, in order to catch a Dombivli starting local in return
direction. There are a lot of groups who jump into the 8:51am local
to DI from Kopar as it returns back from DI at 9:06 as CSTM slow. I am not part
of any group but I do use this crooked way to ensure a relatively easier
journey to work.
As my bike was
under repairs, I decided to reach DI station and hope for an empty seat by
jumping into the First Class (FC) which is nowadays more crowded than Second
Class. The clock ticked 8:53, and the DI local was seen approaching the
platform. Taking a fraction of a second to pray to the Almighty to gift me that
elusive seat, I made the best effort to dash into the 4th coach
(CST End) FC and look for an empty seat, even before the EMU had come to a
halt. My heart sank, as the wider seat was already occupied by 7 people and the
3(Left) X 3(Right) seats opposite to them was also occupied. But there was a
catch in this.
The aisle seat
on the 3 seater left seat had a teenager wanting to get up to alight at DI. By
now, I had made up my mind to go and stand in between the cramped seating of
our MRVC locals, but sensing this opportunity, I quickly tried to occupy his
seat. The dirty group politics started to show its vicious head. To understand
the seating, you would need to refer to the diagram.
Seating Arrangment
In the longer
seats A1-A8, already 7 people were perched, of which A1-A3 (3 people) were of a
group and A4-A8 (4 people) were of a rival faction. The teenager was getting up
was from seat L3. R1-R3 and L1-L2 were already occupied.
As the teenager
was forced by a man sitting on A2 to occupy the seat L3 till his friend enters
the coach at DI, the teenager was reluctant and trying to get up. Sensing that
he was getting up, I told him that I am going to occupy his seat and as soon as
he made an attempt to rise, I stamped my authority on his seat and with my bag
held close to my body, I sat calmly. The obese man with a monstrous voice who
was sitting on A2 was not happy with this arrangement as I had occupied the
seat which he was trying to reserve for his friend. He stood up from his seat,
overlooking me and shouting at the peak of his voice in chaste Marathi, "Don’t
you understand, this seat is reserved for my friend, how dare you occupy that
seat. Don’t you have the manners to respect old people and give them seat?"
I knew, the
next statement which I utter will be a make or break for me. Either these guys
will pounce on me for taking away a seat which they call theirs or I have to
win the seat which was rightfully mine for the fact that, it’s purely, First
come First serve basis. I didn’t want to raise my voice and create a ruckus as
I was alone and no match for the group of 3 hefty men. I calmed myself and
said, “This seat got empty when I came in so I will occupy it".
I deliberately
did not prick him about reservation of seat and groupisms. He kept yelling that
I did not have manners to get up for his old friend, (who by the way was just
50 yrs old). I repeated myself and did not deviate from my stance.
Understanding, that I was in no mood to relent, this obese guy said, if you
want to sit, shift into the longer seat (A1-A8 as it had only 7 occupants) and
vacate L3 for his friend. I did not want to prolong the argument and agreed as
for me the sole criterion was sitting space and not exactly a particular seat.
So evidently, I was shown some space on the longer seat as he gestured to people
on A1-A8 to shift to make some space for me to fit in between them
I got up from
L3 and tried to sit in the little space offered by these guys on A4. As soon as
I got up, his friend claimed my seat on L3 and as I was about to sit on A4, all
the guys from the rival faction adjusted their butts and thighs to leave me no
space to sit on A4. A1-A3 was already occupied by 3 people and A4-A8 had only 4,
but the way they swiftly moved to encroach on A4 was mind-boggling. I was not
even spared 5cms to sit. Not ready to take this lying down, I simply sat on the
lap of both the persons who obstructed my seat. With a little sense of shame
the guy sitting on A3 got up and told me to sit. I was relieved and made myself
comfortable. I just kept myself engrossed in my mobile phone, reading whatsapp
messages.
The real
trouble began when a guy, supposedly from the rival faction gang (A4-A8) got in
and the same people who had prevented me from sitting, adjusted their butts to accommodate
him, making it 8 persons on that longer seat. This did not go down well with
the people sitting on A1, A2 and the one who vacated seat for me and was
standing. It was no holds barred after that. The obese guy from A2 was chided with
this. He started yelling at the top of his voice that “ Morons” on A4-A8 were
adjusting for their own person and were unwilling to make me sit. The verbal fight which started at Dombivli,
went on till Ghatkopar, where I alighted. I plugged in my earphones at DI, but couldn’t
hear any songs as the drama unfolding in front of my eyes (rather ears) were
too loud.
Thus a small
tiff for seat, which started with me ended up with a long session of verbal
duel between two Gangs of Kopar. I was feeling like a catalyst or the spark
plug, igniting tempers between them.
