Trains… The word itself ignites some nostalgic memories in me. Trains are something that has always fascinated me right from my child hood. The sight of the great long beast thundering past always filled me with a sense of awe. I even harbored dreams of becoming an Engine Driver which seemed like the coolest job ever according to me. Of course I assume lots of things seem ‘cool’ when seen through the eyes of an 8 year old. The Indian Railways have always been synonymous with the Great Indian Middle Class. A lot of Indian authors have used the train journey to project a lot of characteristics of India and its people.
So why exactly am I talking about trains? Recently I was involved in a conversation with some people who were describing the benefits over the Low Cost Airlines over trains. This got me thinking. Is the advent of such airlines a threat to the railways? Will we slowly see the degradation of the railways over a period of time? Of course if we decide based on the Indian Railway profit, this is something that will not happen in the near future. Rs20000 crore profit is a mind boggling number. But are the airlines a threat? I don’t think so.
Trains have a lot of inherent advantages. I don’t think I need to dwell upon those too much. They have some common disadvantages also. Namely late running, dirty coaches and stations, perpetually crowded etc...
So then what is the biggest disadvantage of a train? Well, it’s the travel time. Something that the airlines and anti train folks always keep reminding us off. Of course that is something that we cannot argue with. Obviously a train cannot fly. It has to go on its set track. It cannot even take a shortcut which you can do if you are in a bus or car. A plane can reach any part of this country in a couple of hours-Something that can take days even by the fastest train. And in today’s world everyone is in tremendous hurry. No one has time for anything. We are always in a mad rush to get somewhere or achieve something. Perfect reason for taking the next available flight you would think. No, this is where a train journey is best suited. We are stretching ourselves to the maximum limit our body can endure day in and day out. We never seem to have time to enjoy the simple things in life. We never seem to have time for ourselves.
This is where a train journey helps. I have always felt that train travel is not only about reaching the destination. It is about the journey itself. India is a country blessed with a tremendous amount of diversity. Be it people, culture, mountains, rivers, deserts etc… A train journey is a wonderful way to soak in all the wonderful sights India has to offer. Of course at very cheap rates, courtesy the Indian Railways. It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend few hours with family or with ourselves. Listen to some music, read that good book you always wanted to read or just sit idle and listen to the rhythmic beat of the train running over the tracks and watch the countryside fly by. If you cannot stand the thought of traveling in a second class coach, travel in a higher class.
So next time you have a vacation planned before deciding to book on the next available low cost flight, think if you can take a train. So what if it takes a full day or two to complete a journey. As I said earlier, it’s not only about reaching the destination. It is about the journey itself
So why exactly am I talking about trains? Recently I was involved in a conversation with some people who were describing the benefits over the Low Cost Airlines over trains. This got me thinking. Is the advent of such airlines a threat to the railways? Will we slowly see the degradation of the railways over a period of time? Of course if we decide based on the Indian Railway profit, this is something that will not happen in the near future. Rs20000 crore profit is a mind boggling number. But are the airlines a threat? I don’t think so.
Trains have a lot of inherent advantages. I don’t think I need to dwell upon those too much. They have some common disadvantages also. Namely late running, dirty coaches and stations, perpetually crowded etc...
So then what is the biggest disadvantage of a train? Well, it’s the travel time. Something that the airlines and anti train folks always keep reminding us off. Of course that is something that we cannot argue with. Obviously a train cannot fly. It has to go on its set track. It cannot even take a shortcut which you can do if you are in a bus or car. A plane can reach any part of this country in a couple of hours-Something that can take days even by the fastest train. And in today’s world everyone is in tremendous hurry. No one has time for anything. We are always in a mad rush to get somewhere or achieve something. Perfect reason for taking the next available flight you would think. No, this is where a train journey is best suited. We are stretching ourselves to the maximum limit our body can endure day in and day out. We never seem to have time to enjoy the simple things in life. We never seem to have time for ourselves.
This is where a train journey helps. I have always felt that train travel is not only about reaching the destination. It is about the journey itself. India is a country blessed with a tremendous amount of diversity. Be it people, culture, mountains, rivers, deserts etc… A train journey is a wonderful way to soak in all the wonderful sights India has to offer. Of course at very cheap rates, courtesy the Indian Railways. It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend few hours with family or with ourselves. Listen to some music, read that good book you always wanted to read or just sit idle and listen to the rhythmic beat of the train running over the tracks and watch the countryside fly by. If you cannot stand the thought of traveling in a second class coach, travel in a higher class.
So next time you have a vacation planned before deciding to book on the next available low cost flight, think if you can take a train. So what if it takes a full day or two to complete a journey. As I said earlier, it’s not only about reaching the destination. It is about the journey itself
2 comments:
Nice blog da..keep going..
Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. Enjoyed the writings on your blog immensely. Will keep coming back for more. I can see the Lawrencian influence!!
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