Vande Bharat - The Pride of Indian Railways

When did you last travel by a train? What keeps you away from a train journey? Noisy coaches and smelly wash rooms?

Well, those reasons are a thing of past! Try a Vande Bharat train. It connects cities up to 600 kms apart. Six to eight-hour journey in luxurious coaches. Noise and dust free cruising at steady 110 kmph. Bio-vacuum toilets as in an aircraft. Courteous staff, great food. Don’t believe it?

Ghumakkad recently travelled by Vande Bharat trains between Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Sharing few pictures for you to appreciate the quality of service offered by the Indian Railways.

The doors of the coaches open automatically. See the short video below.

See the short video clip of rotatable chairs. Complete 360 degrees rotation could not be captured as the chairs were not in the upright position.

It is not only the trains where the quality of service has improved, even the waiting halls at the stations have undergone a transformation. See two pictures of the AC waiting hall at Kacheguda railway station below.

Currently, there are 35 Vande Bharat trains in India which is likely to reach the target of 75 trains. The coaches of Vande Bharat are made in India by the Integral Coach Factory. The trains operate in two configurations of 16-coaches or 8-coaches. Ghumakkad travelled in an 8-coach service. Hyderabad-Bengaluru fare for executive chair car over the Christmas weekend was Rs 2956 including all meals, convenience fee and credit card fee. 

Train journeys are always fun. We share below some of our earlier stories of train travel both in India and overseas. Whether it is the roving chaat-wallah in a train or going through a tunnel, there is nothing like a train journey!

Vizag to Araku by the 'Royal' Class 

Taj Mahal at Dawn - Straight from the railway station

A Train Journey in America

Train to Ranthambor Tiger Reserve

Discovering Rural Wisdom and Innovation - Through a train journey in Saurashtra

Of course, vande bharat train does not permit the roving chaat-wallahs in the coaches, but in-the-train catering by the railways makes up for it. Do give it a shot! Vande Bharat- the changing face of Indian railways. Those who have already travelled by Vande Bharat, do share your experience.

Thanks for browsing. This story also came to you from a moving train!

-        Harsh-the-Ghumakkad / Vande Bharat Train/ 26th Dec 23

#trainjourneys #travel #fun #indianrailways #vandebharat #prideofindianrailways #biovaccumtoilets #veterans #seniorcitizens #bloggingfromrunningtrain #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #qualityofservice 

Train Journey Always Fun

After threatening to pull the chain, water tanks for the wash rooms in a 2nd class coach were filled up at Vizag railway station. Neat and clean otherwise, people avoid 2nd class rail travel because of smelly wash rooms on-board. Ghumakkad travelled by the 'royal' class from Vizag to Araku valley recently. It was part of a two-day package by AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC). Though APTDC gave a choice of AC/non-AC rooms at their resort in Araku, there was no choice for AC Chair car. All tourists were made to travel by 2nd class reserved compartment. Though after a while, local passengers also boarded the coach.

Despite the crowd and the rattling noise of rail tracks, it was an enjoyble journey. Monsoon clouds and green valleys added to the 'open air' feel and charm of a 2nd class coach. Pictures for you.

Araku is a nice getaway from Vizag. One-day tiring travel or two-days leisurely outing-- take your call. Neeta and I took the two-day plan with APTDC. Rs 5500/- for both of us for AC Deluxe room and all meals included- Vizag to Vizag. Value for money!

We travelled by overnight train from Hyderabad to Vizag. As the day dawned, we entered the coastal city of Vizag.

Indian Navy had organised International Fleet Review in Feb-2016 in Vizag. Not only the Naval base but the entire city of Vizag got a facelift. Vizag railway station below.

Another Naval motivational display is being erected at RK beach. It is a 'live' Tu-142M aircraft which saw service in the Navy for many years.

Here is a short 40-second video clip shot in the moving train showing the valley.

Vizag-Araku train is not a narrow gauge train as most hill railways are. Read on.

 Get a feel of the tunnel ride in this 50-second video shot by Ghumakkad.

 Ghumakkad had posted two recent stories on tourist spots near Araku. Just in case you missed browsing it, here are the links:
Beauty of Darkness- Borra Caves
Chaparai Water Cascade

Where to stay, what more to see in Araku and more importantly what to eat-- coming up next.

Thanks for browsing.

    -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/21st Sep 2017

#Araku #Vizag #TrainTunnels #GhumakkadHarsh #GhumakkadHB #Wanderlust #NatGeoIndia #LonelyPlanetIndia #Wandertrails #APTDC #BorraCaves #ChaparaiWaterFlow #Chaparai #VizagGetaways #HyderabadGetaways