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Shatabdi Express Journeys with Indian Railway

Posted on September 22, 2015November 4, 2021

There was a time when trains used to be my favorite mode of travel. I still like it but I would happily take a flight over a train if it is available. Among all the journeys that I end up embarking on trains by the Indian Railway, I prefer the Shatabdi Express experiences the best. And there are many reason for this:

Short Journeys

shatabdi-express-train-journey
Train Journeys

Most Shatabdi journeys are half-a-day journeys. By the time you start fidgeting, you are already halfway through to your destination! Now is that not a plus? My major quarrel with the Indian railways is that they do not keep the trains clean, not even the AC, not even the premium trains like Rajdhani. I can take all this for half-a-day, or at best overnight, beyond that I do not feel thrilled at the prospect of train travel.

Breakfast

As I have to get up really early to catch a Shatabdi Express train, it helps that they provide the breakfast. I know there are various horror videos about train food, but I still manage to eat breakfast most of the times. Dinner is another matter though. I have completely stopped eating dinner on the Shatabdi. I prefer to go home and eat, however late it gets. There have been some attempts to improve the breakfast, but most of the time it is quite uninspiring.

That Window Seat

railway-tracks
Train Tracks

I love window seats, be it bus, train, plane, car, or whatever! When I book my train tickets, I make sure that I have a window seat. It is easier to pass time sitting by a window. This goes for a toss if my daughter is traveling with me. She doesn’t let anyone else sit at the window. It is all hers for all the journeys!

The window seat also provides for some interesting sights when the train is at the platform. I made this video ages ago at Busawal station!

Reading a Book

reading-book-train
Reading a Book!

In the 5–6 hours that a Shatabdi train takes to reach its destination, I can easily finish a 200–300 page book. In my student life, I read so many books at one go; now one of the places it still happens is inside a Shatabdi Express train. Otherwise, I hardly find time to sit still and finish a book at one go.

Falling Asleep

Most of us have to get up really early to catch a Shatabdi. While I prefer to read a book, I often end up falling asleep, particularly after breakfast! That leaves me somewhat fresh when I arrive at the destination.

As my father used to work for the Railways, it was a way of life for us. He is retired now. It really pains me to see that the maintenance of the Indian Railways has gone down so much. I still love to sit by the window and watch the world go by from a train. It’s just that I have a little patience for the filth that comes with it.

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34 thoughts on “Shatabdi Express Journeys with Indian Railway”

  1. Rat says:
    September 22, 2015 at 3:37 pm

    Its been years I traveled in train. But I have lots of nice childhood memories from train journey. Nice photos as usual, Mridula and it was like traveling with you. wonderful experience πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 23, 2015 at 5:31 am

      Thank you so much.

      Reply
  2. Purba Chakraborty says:
    September 22, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    A nice post πŸ™‚
    I loved train journeys when I was a child, but now I feel train journeys are very hectic and tiresome. I would also prefer a flight any day πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 23, 2015 at 5:32 am

      It is the same with me. πŸ˜€

      Reply
  3. Siddhartha Joshi says:
    September 23, 2015 at 2:02 am

    I love trains as well, but often end up flying now a days and it’s usually due to time. But the romance of trains lingers on…

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 23, 2015 at 5:32 am

      Siddhartha I wonder why the romance vanished for me πŸ™

      Reply
  4. Arun says:
    September 23, 2015 at 7:53 am

    Train journeys have always been special. As kids we used to travel a lot especially the long distance ones which takes us from the northern part of India to the southern part (so almost 2 days in train!) where we could interact with strangers, read novels, etc ..but now things have changed…Its no more the same… though the memories are still intact … πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 23, 2015 at 12:02 pm

      Same here Arun, I used to love them s kids but it has changed.

      Reply
  5. Amit Agarwal says:
    September 23, 2015 at 8:37 am

    Great post, Mridula, with good reasons in favour of the Shatabdi:)
    Pls check the meanings of ‘khalish’ on my post:) Thank you:)

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 23, 2015 at 12:11 pm

      Thank you Amit.

      Reply
  6. Pradeep says:
    September 23, 2015 at 8:37 am

    My love for train journeys has grown over the years. While the filth is a deterrent, I am generally able to put up with it.
    The 2 biggest incentives of travelling by train in a country as vast and diverse as India is (1) the food, you get to taste every local cuisine/speciality and (2) the people you get to meet.
    Leaving with a quote from Paul Theroux which pretty much sums up what I feel, “there has hardly been a time when I have seen a train and not wished I was on it” πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 23, 2015 at 12:13 pm

      Pradeep πŸ˜€ thank you so much. There was time when I felt like that. I wish it will come back!

      Reply
  7. Roohi Bhatnagar says:
    September 23, 2015 at 8:45 am

    Its good that you write about Indian railways and your experiences with them once in a while (I remember reading your old posts on trains). I hope railway ministry start taking stock of feedback by passionate travelers like you and improve the conditions as train journey can be very comfortable particularly for families with young kids.

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 23, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      True Roohi, my husband once dared to travel from Bangalore to Delhi with Chhavi but I have refused till now. I end up taking a flight!

      Reply
  8. Maniparna Sengupta Majumder says:
    September 23, 2015 at 8:52 am

    I always prefer Shatabdi Express whenever I’ve to travel by train. I think, if only we have a little more time, train journeys are much more comfortable and enjoyable than flights.

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 23, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      Maniparna I believe if they kept it clean I would be more willing to travel on a train.

      Reply
  9. Archana Kapoor says:
    September 23, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    I’ve never taken the Shatabdi except the Delhi – Chandigarh one… and one Shatabdi like for fun and kicks to enjoy the first class coupe :p was fun :p Mumbai – Delhi πŸ™‚

    Reply
  10. Bikram says:
    September 23, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    I love train journeys .. reminds me of school summer holidays when we went all the way to Kolkata by punjab mail took 3 days to reach πŸ™‚

    and delhi chandigarh shatabadi is a blessing for me .. very dangerous to travel by road πŸ™‚

    Bikram’s

    Reply
  11. Chaitali says:
    September 23, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    I love train journeys too! Especially the long distance ones that cut across the length of India… love seeing the terrain change and the features of the people. Love eating all the specialities at the big stations… love crossing major rivers and tossing a coin to make a wish. But I can’t agree with you more on the cleanliness part of it… it just seems to be getting worse! πŸ™

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 24, 2015 at 8:41 am

      And hence I m sort of not liking it too much these days πŸ˜€

      Reply
  12. Somali K Chakrabarti says:
    September 23, 2015 at 3:52 pm

    I too do not do not feel thrilled at the prospect of train travel beyond half-a-day, or overnight. But I expect some improvements after the recent initiative by the Govt to revamp the Indian railway.

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 24, 2015 at 8:42 am

      I also sincerely hope so, because otherwise I like train journeys.

      Reply
  13. Deepa says:
    September 23, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    Love… Loveee train journey. The long distance journeys gives so many experience right from interacting with new people…to beautiful natural scenery.. and the fun of going by train in group (with friends/family) πŸ™‚ and I have started dreaming of vacations in my mind πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 24, 2015 at 8:43 am

      Good for you Deepa.

      Reply
  14. Lady Fi says:
    September 24, 2015 at 3:35 am

    There is something very soothing about a train journey!

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 24, 2015 at 8:43 am

      Yes Ldy Fi but in India it has other issues too.

      Reply
  15. Mahesh Semwal says:
    September 24, 2015 at 6:05 am

    First time I have seen platform without any passenger πŸ™‚

    Enjoyed your post !

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 24, 2015 at 8:44 am

      Good observation Mahesh, maybe because it was Palace on Wheels on the platform?

      Reply
  16. kashpals says:
    September 24, 2015 at 7:37 am

    Shatabdi Express experience is the best, indeed. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      September 24, 2015 at 8:44 am

      But I want it to be much better!

      Reply
  17. Shrinidhi Hande says:
    September 24, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    My main problem with Shatabdi is that they keep bringing some item at regular intervals… can’t finish eating and go to sleep, unless you want to miss some items…

    Reply
  18. Shrinidhi Hande says:
    September 24, 2015 at 5:13 pm

    Also quality and quantity of food in Shatabdi has gone down over years due to cost cutting

    Reply
  19. Prasad Np says:
    September 25, 2015 at 12:39 pm

    Our trains have sure come a long way ….

    Reply
  20. Yogi saraswat says:
    September 26, 2015 at 4:38 am

    Trains are lifeline of a common Indian Mridula ji . Shatabadi ka safar bahut achchha lagaa . you can always find these words as ΰ€¦ΰ€΅ΰ€Ύΰ€–ΰ€Ύΰ€¨ΰ€Ύ on both sides of the track specially travelling in northern India.

    Reply

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About Me

I am Mridula Dwivedi and I started this blog in 2005. It has been an amazing ride. I have visited 33 countries till date! I have worked with many tourism boards and prominent travel companies. My blog was featured on the BBC and the Guardian.

I did my Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur. I worked full time in academics till 2015! I quit my job as a professor, thinking I will take a break for one year, which turned into five.

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