I was pleasantly surprised to see how the Utkrisht coaches are not just old wine in a new bottle, but a lot more.
BHPian vigsom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Introduction
Ever taken a long-distance train ride in a non-priority weekly express? Well, here is an account of my long-distance travels by:
- Okha – Tuticorin Vivek Weekly Express via Pune, Bengaluru.
- Another legendary train which I will reveal through the next few posts.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how the Utkrisht coaches are not just old wine in a new bottle, but a lot more.
Safety
Like always, I exercised total safety while taking pictures or filming short clips. While the train was in motion, all pics were shot away from the doors of the coaches OR from inside the coaches.
Why did I choose to travel by Vivek Express?
Circa Nov-2021 – I had to travel at short notice down south to Salem, and rains had already ravaged Chennai. Taking a flight into Chennai and getting diverted to some other airport wasn’t a nice option to exercise. Taking a train to Chennai was again a risk.
While looking for options, I suddenly chanced upon this Vivek Express that was headed to Tuticorin. Tickets ex-Vadodara showed a slim chance of getting confirmed so I booked myself from Rajkot to Salem boarding Vadodara and thus put myself on the General Waitlist with a strong chance of confirmation, and it did get confirmed when the reservation charts were prepared.
I found something surprising about this train:
- A sole diesel loco pulls the train all the away from Okha to Erode, post which another diesel takes over
- Stops are rather limited despite the train being tagged non-superfast
- This train has no rake sharing arrangement
Risks of choosing a weekly express
The risk of travelling by a weekly express is that it can be relegated to low priority in the event of track maintenance, mega blocks, loco failure and the like. However, I could afford unforeseen delays plus the track record of this train was good; hence decided to go ahead.
Preparations for the long haul
Like all long-distance journeys that I’ve undertaken, I had decided to pack food for the entire journey and this is what I ended up taking:
- Day1 dinner: Paneer Capsicum plus Rotis
- Day2 morning: Idlis coated with the signature dal-chilli powder mixed in til oil
- Buffer – two apples and some nuts
I also carried adequate bedding and a pack of Odomos. The train arrived in Vadodara on time at approx 1130hrs and I was pleasantly surprised to see the most powerful passenger diesel loco, a WDP4D hauling the train.
The WDP 4D Loco
The AC 2 Tier coach was at almost full occupancy, thanks to a tourist group headed from Dwarka to Pune; all retired folks who were quite well behaved. The coach was super neat and so was the washrooms despite the train already 11 hours into the journey.
Continue reading BHPian vigsom’s train experience for more insights and information.
Keyword: Indian Railways: Travel experience in Utkrisht coaches of 2 trains