Afternoon magic - CST to Vashi

Sipping some coffee by the window, listening to music and watching cute kids playing around - welcome to Mumbai local trains during afternoons!

I took a Panvel train from CST station around 3 pm today and the long journey was a true stress-buster! I picked up a cup of coffee from one of those Cafe Coffee Day stalls at CST station (just for Rs 7), calmly walked towards the CST-starting train and was pleased to get a window seat.... aaraam se. No dhakka-mukki, no tu-tu-main-main... the train was heavenly. Slowly the train started getting occupied and before I knew there were 2 toddlers around me.

Watching them as they wanted to stand by the window and the way they were excited about traveling by the train was wonderful. A little girl, I suppose she was around 3, was elated as I asked her to sit at the window seat. She was the elder one, elegantly holding her tiny purse and calling out her little sister who was not even 2 years old. This cutie had all eyes on her with her cute expressions and all the masti. Soon someone besides me had to alight. She got to sit next to me and she held my hand as if I was known to her. Playing with the paper bag I was holding was great fun for her. The elder one by now was dozing off... the way we have our falling-asleep-head-jerk in trains! Their mom and grandmother, who wore a traditional navvari saree, were all very cool too!

And so I thoroughly enjoyed my local train trip to Vashi... after all 2 little smiling angels gave me such a sweet company!

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History: WR discovers 12th century stone inscription!

A fellow blogger Mr Rajendra Aklekar has been fascinated by the relics lying around the Central / Western Railways since long. He has been providing interesting information and insights on his blog. He is working towards documenting and archiving those silent structures that so vividly tell the tale of the glorious past and is working towards it.

Check out his latest article on Western Railway discovering a 12th century stone inscription at Mahalaxmi scrapyard. The inscription originally unearthed at Nallasopara has been lying at the scrapyard for over 25 years! Check out the interesting details about the stone here.

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An Ode to Mumbai Local Trains

Here's an article by one of us, a Mumbai local train traveller Madhusmita Sahoo:

I hate travelling by the Bombay local trains. Yes, get that sneer of your faces, 'Bombay' used because that's how I like it . 

If being tall, thin and ungainly aren't bad enough, I also had to be a middle-class chick who has to travel by suburban trains that resemble miniatures of Nazi’s torture cells. 

To begin with, I can see the top of everyone's head. Another way to put that is: every now and then someone buries her pate in my face. Lice, dandruff and cheap hair oil are just a few things that I have resigned to have my face scrubbed with. The only worse thing I can think of is being a shortie. In which case, you are forced to bury your face in somebody's armpit.

I seldom get my clothes ironed. Because...Click here to continue reading - An Ode to Mumbai Local trains

PS Thanks Madhusmita for letting me share your article

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Guess the railway stations

So you frequently commute by Mumbai local trains? Let us see how well do you recognize the railway stations. Identify the stations in the following photographs:

Mumbai Railway Station - 1

Mumbai Railway Station - 2

 

Mumbai Railway Station - 3

 

Mumbai Railway Station - 4

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Timeless Trains: Photographs of Mumbai local trains

It goes unsaid that most of us are fascinated by Mumbai local trains. We often see people on platforms or trains clicking photographs, wonder why they are clicking and later forget about it. But these naive as well as professional photographers and journalists capture the world around our magical trains and make the moments timeless.

I came across this wonderful picture taken by Mr. Deepak Amembal (of Magiceye fame) and thought it's worth sharing such lovely photographs with you all. While he allowed me to share his photograph on this site and then earlier Neeraj had helped me out with his photographs, I got another idea.

From today, this site shall feature some amazing Mumbai local train photos. If you think you have just the right image, please share the link. We'll have the collection with the links displayed right here, in this post.

Here we go!

Pleasant monochromatic view from a train 

- Contributed by Deepak Amembal

Unfortunate train derailment

- Contributed by Neeraj

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Mega block timings today for Central and Harbour line

Sunday the 14th of November 2010... time for Mumbai Local Trains Mega Block!

If you plan to commute by local trains today, you must know that like every Sunday, Central Railway will be operating a mega block even today. And here are the timings when the local train services will be affected:

Mega Block, Deserted Tracks

Local trains will not run from Kurla to Mumbai CST from 11 am to 4 pm.
Trains will also not run between Wadala (Vadala) and Bandra (both directions) from 11 am to 4 pm.


However, up harbour line services leaving Kurla will take the main line route from 10.04 am to 3.54 pm but will not stop at Curry Road and Chichpokli stations.

Harbour line trains will not run from CST to Bandra / Andheri  from 10.47 am to 4.03 pm.
Harbour line trains will not run from Bandra / Andheri  to CST from 10.41 am to 3.48 pm.

Thane and Kalyan fast track line will face a mega block between 10.45 am and 4.15 pm. Fast trains from Kalyan from 10.30 am to 4.09 pm will run as slow trains on the slow track between Kalyan and Thane stations.

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Soon only 12-coach trains on Western Railway

 Looks like female commuters will have to run lesser now. Western Railway plans to convert 32 9-coach local train services to 12-coach from November 14! That means no need for women to stand at the platform guessing where the ladies compartment will halt.

If you travel from Goregaon station, you would know that women end up running a stretch of three compartments based on whether the next train is 9-car or 12-car. So if you don't end up boarding a 9-coach train due to the peak-hour crowd, you need to rush back and forth, because mostly these 9 / 12 car trains run alternate!

News source: DNA

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Fast, faster, fastest local trains

If you thought that Mumbai's fast local trains aren't fast enough, here's a good news. According to sources, by the end of the year Mumbai will have fast trains that can run at a top speed of 130 kmph. Our regular local trains can run at 110 kmph at most. The trains are being brought from Integral Coach Factory in Chennai and feature imported machines and parts from Austria.

Special care has been taken to prevent the fast trains from shaking... brakes are directly provided to the wheels of the bogies. So you can now expect a jerk-free faster journey.

News Source: Hindustan Times

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