My Thoughts on Vande Bharat: A Journey Through Indian Railways
The State of Indian Railway Stations
Based on my recent journey through Anant Vihar and a similar experience at Hyderabad railway station a few months back, here are my observations:
Human Experience: The experience remains quite taxing. Passengers are expected to load extremely heavy bags themselves through security counters, elevators don’t work reliably / are designed badly.
Handling of Luggage: If you don’t pick up your bag on time post security, it will literally drop on the floor!
Infrastructure: The paint is falling off from the walls, suggesting a lack of maintenance.
Hygiene: Platforms are slightly smelly, indicating cleanliness issues.
Review of Vande Bharat Train
I recently traveled from Delhi to Dehradun in the executive chair car of the Vande Bharat train. Here’s my review:
Comfort: The ride is extremely comfortable. Compared to economy flights, the leg space (and leg-rest!) feels royal.
Meals: I was served three different meals during the 4.5-hour journey!
Reading/Working: It’s easier to read or work compared to a car journey. The experience is much less claustrophobic.
Travel Time: Spending 5 hours in a train is much better than 5 hours in a plane or a car.
Comfort Level: The trains are not a generational jump in passenger comfort over those from the previous decade. They are a slight improvement, and most of the hype seems to be around the fact that they are made in India.
Speed: The peak speed was 110 km/h, which is well within the range of Rajdhani trains, so it didn’t feel significantly faster.
Arriving at the Destination
Once you reach your destination, you are reminded that you are not in a swanky airport but another subpar railway station. However, the fact that you land in the middle of the city rather than 1.5 hours away is a definite advantage.
Conclusion
There’s no clear winner between the old and new systems, but I am looking forward to taking more trains to make up my mind.