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 17th 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)
10th 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.
11th 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:
|
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
|