A Shatabdi train journey that is exhilarating as well as exasperating

It was three decades back when the Indian Railways started the Shatabdi express between the metro cities. The Shatabdi revolutionized the train journey. Imported German coaches that were fully airconditioned with recliner seats gave you a feeling of Air-travel. The larger-than-life windows gave a full view of the countryside while refreshments served by the railway staff added to the pleasure of the train journey. However, the novelty wore off soon when the whole country started traveling by Shatabdi.

Still, a Shatabdi train journey remains popular as it has cut down the traveling time drastically. Also being a day journey, getting a booking on Shatabdi is much easier vis-à-vis the overnight trains where one has to reserve a berth much in advance. I am very much sure that every Indian would have traveled by Shatabdi at least once in his lifetime. For business travelers, Shatabdi is like a second home as they frequently make an up-down journey between two metro cities. For the vacationers, Shatabdi is the one that unites them with their parents and Grandparents.

So, let’s experience a Shatabdi train journey

A Shatabdi train journey creates an early morning anxiety

Shatabdi’s timetable is fixed. It leaves early in the morning for its destination and makes a return the same day reaching late at night. A journey on Shatabdi means getting up early in the morning. This is the most painful point. A Shatabdi to Lucknow, Dehradun, Chandigarh or Ajmer leaves between 6 am to 7 am.

I stay in Gurgaon and have often traveled to Lucknow by Shatabdi. To board a train at 6 am, one has to set an alarm for 3.30 am. An hour for getting freshened up, another hour for journey time, and a half-an-hour lead time for boarding the train.

The problem with an early morning alarm is that you wake up at least twice before the alarm rings. Every time you wake up you look at the clock suspiciously to see if the alarm has rung or not. The anxiety of missing the train keeps you awake a couple of hours before the alarm goes off.

On board

Once on board, you settle down on the aisle seat while your spouse takes the window one. Looking outside you can see a chaotic movement of people on the platform rushing to board the train. A mother is ensuring that her kids board the train before she steps on to the coach. On the other hand, a family of 6 accompanied by two coolies with at least 8 big pieces of baggage make a grand entry into the coach. Even before they can settle down in their allotted seats, they start looking for empty baggage shelf to park their luggage. You are just wishing that this family doesn’t sit next to you.

The guard has already blown the whistle. You are happy that the next three seats on your right are vacant. The moment the train starts moving your hopes are dashed. A young couple with an infant and a 5-year-old kid board the train at the last minute. And guess what they occupy the row next to you. The infant is already in a spoiler mood and his loud cacophonic cries will ring in your eardrums for the next 6 hours of the journey.

Serving the thirsty and hungry passengers

A Shatabdi attendant soon appears in the coach and starts distributing mineral water called Rail neer. You are surprised to see people’s reactions. There is a mad rush to get the complimentary water. Your spouse tells you that it’s not complimentary as the ticket cost includes food and refreshments. The next service is off newspapers. There is a choice of leading English and Hindi dailies. You pick up your copy and get busy reading the early morning news. On the other hand, your spouse is updating the entire family at the destination about boarding the train on time. She also instructs the daughter at home on the regular chores to be finished.

It’s time to satiate your hunger pangs on Shatabdi

Once you have settled down your brain reminds you that your system booted 5-hour earlier than your regular waking time. The body starts sending you feelers that it needs something on which the digestive juices can work. As the desire to sip a hot cup of tea peaks, you find an attendant standing next to you. You are handed over a tray with a plastic cup and a thermos with hot water. There are two Marie biscuits, a tea bag, sugar, and a milk sachet. You open the food tray on the rear side of your front seat and get busy with the tea-making exercise.

Making tea on that small tray requires quite a balancing act. You take your first sip watching the trees disappearing in the countryside. Your spouse has got some homemade sandwiches but you tell her you will prefer them during breakfast. The attendant comes and picks up the thermos one by one as it’s the most precious item on the tea tray.

Time to take a nap

The train gains momentum and soon you recline your seat. A relaxed journey on a Shatabdi train makes you close your eyes for a small nap. As you are in the midst of a dream you find someone tapping your shoulder. It’s the train attendant again and this time he is standing with a huge food trolley. Sir, what will you prefer for breakfast – Veg or Non-Veg?

You order nonveg thinking that some exotic item like chicken will be a part of the dish. Alas, the only non-vegetarian item is the omelet that has a whitish complexion and is rubbery to chew. The rest of the items are similar to the ones in the veg tray – two slices of white bread, a small pack of butter, and mixed fruit jam. You also get a second helping of tea and have to perform the same ritual of making tea.

Being inquisitive in nature you peep into your spouse’s tray as she has ordered a vegetarian breakfast. There are no surprises. IRCTC which is responsible for serving refreshments on the journey has been serving the same menu on the Shatabdi train for the last three decades. The veg breakfast includes two soggy veg cutlets served with 8 pieces of boiled peas. The rest are the same as bread, butter, and jam.

We all know that the value of pi is constant in mathematics. Similarly, the veg and the non-veg menu of IRTC breakfast served on a Shatabdi has been constant since the train journey started. There are times when you are lucky and served an idly-sambhar in the veg option but those are rare occasions.

Taking a break

Describing a Shatabdi train journey without a visit to the toilet will be incomplete. A 6-hour journey is a long one and one can’t help it without answering nature’s call. The toilets of Shatabdi are spik and span as the train journey begins. But halfway down the journey, the WC also starts gasping for air. And in the last one hour of the journey, the floor gets flooded with water. To reach the destination in the toilet one has to skip through the clogged water and aim straight in the hole. Must say it’s quite a challenging job, especially on a moving train.

A Shatabdi train journey with kids to give you company

Shatabdi is a family train and if you are taking a journey during the vacations the coach looks more like a children’s park. There are kids running through the aisle as if it’s a 100-meter running track. Few are testing the strength of the food tray by trying to sit on it. The couple with an infant is taking turns and walking in the corridor to pacify their child.

Overall, a Shatabdi train journey is like a Bollywood movie full of thrills and entertainment with few annoying scenes. And like the climax, there is a happy reunion of families at the end of the journey.

You can enjoy reading more such stories on my blog. Click on the following links to read a few:

The dream vacation that went missing from our dreams

Jim Corbett National Park – A weekend break with friends