Decided to go for the Executive Chair car on the Vande Bharat, though it is twice the cost and nearly as expensive as a flight to Bengaluru.
BHPian 84.monsoon recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
It has been a couple of months since the Chennai – Mysuru Vande Bharat express was launched, finally got my chance to ride this train to Bengaluru. I generally try to take newly launched super fast trains very soon after they get flagged off, to get that “fresh” experience of the train. Did the Chennai – Madurai Tejas express on Day 2, but various other priorities prevented me from trying out the Vande Bharat earlier.
The perfect opportunity arose when my engineering batchmates decided to meet in Bengaluru to get together with two of the visiting America-basis. Although flying would have been more efficient this time, as the meet-up was at the Angsana resort near the Bengaluru airport, however, the draw of trying out the Vande Bharat made me choose the train over a flight this time. I would have loved to drive, especially since I had acquired a new BMW only a week ago, but since I was recuperating from a shoulder injury, which made driving slightly painful, decided against it.
On a recent journey on the Tejas express, I felt the regular Chair car was a bit cramped. As one gets on in age, subconsciously one seeks more comfort. Decided to go for the Executive Chair car on the Vande Bharat, though it is twice the cost and nearly as expensive as a flight to Bengaluru. Also, it would be a good chance to check out the seating and comfort features of this flagship class.
Took a cab and reached Chennai Central station by 5.25 am. The Vande Bharat had secured its pride of place on platform number 1! The benefit of Chennai Central is that one can walk to any platform without climbing stairs, so in a few minutes, I was at Platform 1 and had a first look at the sleek and majestic Vande Bharat.
The white and blue colour palette of the train gives it an arresting appearance during both night and daytime. The exteriors had been well washed and maintained really cleanly, I could not find any dirty areas or stains. The train has been in operation for 3 months, on a daily basis travelling 1000 kilometres, yet did not show any wear and tear, I am sure it is getting the top priority in terms of upkeep and maintenance. Also fortunately, the aam junta in these southern states don’t pelt stones at the Vande Bharat, even if it represents a shining achievement of the ruling Central Government!
Fortunately, the two Executive Chair car coaches were located in the middle of the train, which meant it would not be too close to the engine. In many trains, the topmost class coach (e.g. AC First Class H1 coach) is located almost right next to the engine, after say one sitting coach, making it very noisy during the journey, with all the honking from the engine going on. There were approximately seven regular Chair car coaches on either side of the EC1&2 coaches.
There is a clear evolution in the design of the coaches compared to the previous premium trains such as the Tejas express. The surfaces are finished better and the edges are well-rounded, to make sure there are no sharp edges or protrusions that could potentially injure passengers when moving about. There is plenty of space on either end of the couch to store luggage, making sure there is a gap between the last row of seats and the back wall. The overhead luggage rack could however have been deeper and a little lower to allow for taller luggage to be stowed.
The Executive chair car seats are wide and well-spaced out. As someone who is 6’2” tall, I found the room between my seat and the one ahead to be quite generous, even when the front seats were pushed back all the way. The seats have a good level of reclining possible, I would say nearly 15 degrees or so. The seat cushion at the base is just right, being sufficiently firm for the long journey, while not being too hard. However, the seat back is rock hard!
There is a generously sized footrest provided, which reclines at a 45-degree angle. It is really comfortable and makes all the difference to seating comfort when catching a snooze. There are generous seat back pockets where one can stow laptops, newspapers, etc.
In the middle of the cabin, there are two rows of seats facing each other, allowing families to be together. However, I am not sure how one would book these, as there were no options to select these seats while booking. This brings me to my pet peeve about the IRCTC booking process, it does not offer a seat map-based seat/berth selection. Even bus booking sites offer this and it is high time IRCTC did this. I think the fundamental reason is that the underlying booking system of Indian railways is based on the 1980s computerised booking project, which was state of the art then but very dated now.
The train set off exactly on the dot. Because of the fact that the whole rake is powered electrically through motors at different points along the rake, the traditional feel of being pulled from the front as the train accelerates is completely absent. The acceleration is very smooth and linear, and the train is moving at a substantial speed before one realises it. The ride is very plush, with very few vertical bumps coming into the passenger compartment. I found the ride to be much more settled than the normal LHB coaches on super-fast trains. Lateral movement is almost nil, for the most part of the journey, which makes the journey much less tiring.
Currently, the Chennai-Bengaluru rail line is rated for a maximum speed of 110 kph. Successful trials have been completed about 2 weeks ago for the Chennai-Jolarpet section to run trains at 130 kph. However, final approvals have not come through and so the Vande Bharat was running most of the time at the current permitted speed of 110 kph. There is a section of the track near Ambur where the train substantially slowed down and proceeded at crawling speeds for about 10-15 minutes. Displays on board the train constantly show the current speed, just like bullet trains and other high-speed trains in Japan/China etc.
The toilets on the train are spacious and the latches and bolts have smooth edges and movements. This is the one thing I always worry about in train toilets, getting my hands injured trying to slide or force stiff and sharp latches. The maintenance of the Vande Bharat toilets is impeccable, and I could see them getting cleaned even midway through the 4-hour journey. The flushes are soft touch and electronically controlled. One flush and a vacuum mechanism make sure the water usage is optimised and the bowl is fully cleaned out.
Quite a lot of food is served on the train, starting with biscuits and tea about 15 minutes into the journey. Tea and coffee severed on board are based on a 3-in-1 premix powder made by Chayzup, which contains the beverage powder, milk powder and sugar. Hot water is poured in to make the beverage. The masala tea is very good and the coffee is ok.
Soon after, cornflakes and warm milk is served in actual ceramic bowls and spoons. This is amazing, as even in western countries, plastic bowls are the standard for train service. The bowl is actually heavy and well-made. Only on business class international flights have I seen this type of cutlery being used.
The train reached the only intermediate stop, Kapadi, in around 95 minutes. After Katpadi, a full breakfast was served, consisting of soft idlis, a vada and Rava Kesari, accompanied by apple juice, a cookie and coffee. The food is of a much higher standard than what one generally gets in Shatabdi, Tejas and other similar trains. The service is very efficient and plates are cleared very soon after people finished breakfast. A banana or apple is offered as a final item of breakfast.
The train pulled into Bangalore city junction (Now called KSR Bengaluru) before the scheduled arrival time of 10.15 AM. I am sure that in the coming months, the journey will get even faster and one could probably expect to be in Bengaluru before 10 AM!
All in all, the journey to Bengaluru was very comfortable and quick, and I would prefer this to fly any day.
Keyword: Chennai to Bengaluru via Vande Bharat Express: Travel experience