Last week, provided
me an opportunity to traverse close to 1500 km in 2 days – in 4 different
trains and I thoroughly enjoyed the journeys, though one part was day
travel. For Indian Railway fan, this train ‘Antyodaya
Express’ should provide added attraction for they are completely Unreserved/General coaches and
of the few to be introduced, two are to run in Tamil Nadu. One from Tambaram to Tirunelveli via
Chengalpattu, Vilupuram, Mayavaram,
Thanjavur, Dindigul, Madurai and another from Tambaram to
Shenkottah. These overnight trains would
cater to those who are now shelling out heavily to bus services. Antyodaya, means uplifting of the weakest
section of the society ! ~ and I read
that it is yet to be introduced.
It is easy or a fad
to criticize Indian Railways stating they run late.. .. a recent report
attributed far newer reason that adverse competitions among different railway
zones to beat others on best on-time
performance are leading to delay in services! – it is stated that trains are
kept waiting for green signals at interchanging point between two railway zones
and divisions.
Miles away, passengers
on a local train in Gifu prefecture, Japan were pleasantly welcomed by meowing
companions in Sept this year, at an
event hosted by a local train operator and an NGO hoping to bring awareness to
the culling of stray cats. About thirty cats roamed freely on a moving train,
where some passengers mingled with the felines while others enjoyed lunch boxes
and tea. The event, hosted by Yoro Railway Co Ltd and Kitten Cafe Sanctuary,
was held to bring awareness to the culling of cats. Although the number of cats
admitted to shelters and culled has dropped significant over recent years, some
are aiming for no culling of cats at all.
Japan is different
and so also their trains !! ~ on Nov 14, at approximately 9:44 a.m., a northbound
Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company train left Minami Nagareyama Station
roughly 20 seconds earlier than the time indicated on the timetable. .. .. ..
and the Rail company apologized for the same !
Management on the
Tsukuba Express line between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba said that they "sincerely apologise for the
inconvenience" caused. In a statement, the company said the train had been
scheduled to leave at 9:44:40 local time but left at 9:44:20. The mistake
happened because staff had not checked the timetable, the company statement
said. It added that no customers had complained about the early departure from
Minami Nagareyama Station, which is just north of Tokyo.
Japanese trains are
awesome for a number of reasons, not the least of which is how amazingly
punctual they are. So a train not sticking to timetable naturally makes news,
though it is not so natural that it left 20 secs early and the Company apologized
for the mistake.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
16th
Nov. 2017.
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