21 hours on India’s TROPICAL RAILWAY to Kerala!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 มิ.ย. 2024
- Today I'll be making an epic journey along India's western coast, this is India's best railway journey. Join me for a 21 hour ride in First Class AC as we explore this beautiful region of India.
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Journey Details:
Origin: Lokmanya Tilak Terminus
Destination: Ernakulam Junction
Company: Indian Railway (IR)
Train: IR WDP-4D + LHB Rake
Accommodation: First Class AC Compartment (1AC)
Distance: 1294 kilometres / 804 miles
Price: ₹5745 (£60.70 / €69.90 / $69.60) per bed
Time: 21 hours 20 minutes, arrived 37 minutes late
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That metal thing is suppose to hold an automatic air fragrance dispenser.
Apparently someone either stole it or removed it.
The seat allocations is available at the time of booking for all classes except 1st class. If you're two people traveling, you're almost guaranteed a two seat cabin ensuring privacy.
That doesn't really help solo travellers though 🤷♂️
@@paulthiel5145 Why do you travel in a solo confinement? Travel in 2 Tier AC.
When you travel in India, be prepared for the organised chaos. Enjoy it, and be a part of it!
@@thirdwoice because i like countries and natural beauty, just not so much people 😉
@@thirdwoice
People have their choices, you know.
1st AC seat allocation this way makes sense for overall comfort of all , Chart is prepared optimally based on all bookings . BTW while making comparison pls do a comparison of what you are getting @ the same price point in Indian railways vis a vie another one
The algorithms for 1AC allotment operate broadly along adjusting ladies, senior citizens and yes, VIPs. There are also passengers with pets, passengers with children/infants, passengers with special needs and couples. That leaves the young male solo traveller pretty much at the bottom of the list of choices. Have a nice day.
Exactly. Allocation is driven by passenger profile.
Could I take my service dog, on an Indian train?
@@bodyloverz30yes you can but only in first class know as 1ac
India is such a beautiful country with the worst uncivilized people on the planet.
This beautiful, eco-friendly civilization can make the heavens on earth.
Regarding the electrification it's worth noting the impressive commitment that India has made to electrify its network, working at a fast pace over the last 8 years.
Right now 90% of the 65,141 km of broad gauge tracks are electrified with 25kV AC, when around this time last year it was on 80%. Many regional sections of India have already completed 100% electrification, and it's expected that by the end of the year the whole 100% of the network will be electrified.
For comparison, the UK having a much smaller network (15,811 km) has only electrified circa 34%.
But the UK wants to follow the example of the USA, not India... 😂
@@user-ys4og2vv8kyou think this train is best train of india? this is one of the cheapest ride
Tejas, vande bharat, rajdhani, maharaja, wheels on chariot and upcoming bullet train and hyperloop trains by year 2029 , will make indian Railways one of the best in the world, we are now eliminating this type of rides, recently indian railway gave order of 470 vandhe bharat trains
@@amitsolanke1927 they mean having awful railways in the UK
@@amitsolanke1927I’m not very up to date on rail in India so, as their getting bullet trains have they started construction of the high speed rail as the bullet trains won’t reach their potential by a lot..?
@@S.P.Q.Rrespublicas yeah HSR is being built. Will be operational from 2027. National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited(NHSRCL) has a youtube channel and puts regular update on bullet train construction, you can check them out if you are actually interested.
I think what IR sorely needs are uniform standards for all their trains. Some trains are excellent but some are in a bad state. This results in a sort of ' lucky draw ' for the passengers in what type of service they receive, especially if they are new to IR.
It can not be uniform. IR caters to all kinds of people who have very diverse expectations and paying capabilities
You will get the service in accordance with what you pay.
@@kartik_sinha
I should have worded what I meant properly. For example, not all Duronto/Rajdhani/Shatabdi express trains are the same. Some Rajdhanis have excellent onboard service and cleanliness while some other Rajdhanis are in a poor state. Howrah - New Delhi Duronto is usually in a very pathetic state while the Mumbai - New Delhi Duronto is usually in an excellent state.
This happens in different classes as well. The First AC coaches of some trains (I am strictly talking about non premium trains here) are in excellent shape while on some other trains, they are usually in a poor state.
This doesn't bode well for passengers who don't know what to expect as a result.
The Duranto used here was shabby at best, similar to what I have observed on several trains in India. Chipped paint, dirty floors, depressive lighting, inconsistent service. Everything about Indian Rail screams mediocre Third World.
@@thetechnocrat4979it also depends on the civic sense of passengers. Mumbai Delhi passengers are usually much more well behaved than Delhi Kolkata passengers. Sarkaar akela kya hi kr lega amirite?
@@rickbarrington
I agree. Industrial Design is not a priority of the IR it seems, along with standardised service. On some trains, the service is good.
16:50 it sent chills down my spine
Hold on! 😂😂😂
Behave! It is just a nadhi.
@@justus1573 Why are you so upset with my comment i did not say anything wrong about it im just sharing my experience
@@JohnFrost-gt1cs Ignore those comments. 😂❤️
That’s Bharathapuza river just after crossing Shoranur Jn.
Indian railways is one of the largest and most complex human operations on the planet, it never ceases to astound me.
Yes
I believe it has (or at least had) the most number of employees in the world.
@@ballyhigh11 Over a million
@Nick Nicholas Does the job
Can someone comment on why Indian railways engines have sickly horn blast ?
Me being a Pakistani and Indo-Pak politics aside, no doubt the track is on a beautiful landscape and the journey being epic. Plus the white round sweet thing might be whats called a "RusGulla". I have heard from my grand parents a similar epic journey in the past which started from Peshawar and ended in Calcatta on steam trains. My grand father was recruited by the British in the last world war and the then Indian British troops were transported from Calcatta to the European theater of war. He went to Egypt and also came back to Calcatta and then via that train back to Lahore and then to Narowal.
Wow, what a story! Bet it would be amazing to have travelled here in steam days... :)
We have toy train in darkening, and Shimla. They are old. There are very expensive, palace on wheel etc which are 5 star hotels on wheels. Mostly honeymoon couples book on that. We have locals, and far distance. This route is so beautiful, camera has not captured even 10 pc. We Indians , get vareity of food from stations..even fellow passengers. So its a great great picnic. Foreigners dont know what to buy on what station..now online delivery of food has started in trains. You can order pizza, biryani, non veg, online and hot food is delivered. Recently, I saw a person eat a different meal, very home cooked like meal. I asked him can I get one too. He said, he was an employee,and this was rail employees food. I requested, he got me a spare one from pantry. So helpful. I got full taste of home meal with bhindi Sabri, nice home massur day and salad, mirch, onion, curd. Then, vendors keep serving tea,coffee,cold drinks,chips, namkeen. Soup. I even saw option to take meals on train from private vendors. They come on seat and ask. Noother train in the world can offer so much vareity of food to a passenger. On his seat,
without leaving the train . Once we bought lovely petha sweets in agra, peda in mathura, mangoes , banana chips , jackfruit chips in South.. the vareity is awesome
@@induchopra3014Darkening*Darjeeling
That's such an awesome fact that you shared. Quite surprising that train travel has taken such a hit because of flights that almost no international travel happens by train in Asia.
Proper adventure. Indian trains always amaze me with the volume of passengers carried.
I do remember being on a train from East Croydon to Victoria where the lineside grass was being burnt away near Wandsworth Common. Trains were still running - at very low speed - past the site.
The entire Konkan railway till Goa has been electrified now and they slowly moving away from Diesel Locomotive. ❤ loved your videos . There is a lot more Indian railway to offer from beaches , tropical weather , desert to snowing mountains . Do take and explore these ....specially tain in Kashmir and North East of India ..upto Manglore the Konkan railway track is a single line and due to traffic speed ia average
Whole Konkan Railway section is electrified since earlier this year (2023). Only issue is it’s single line electrified. Doubling is harder in the mountainous sections.
When I worked in India, I lived that our salaries included, sick leave, medical allowance and the icing on the cake LTA for you and your dependants and annual leave of 1 month. Always utilised my LTA to travel home. The train journeys were to look forward to back in the day, even though it was not as good as today's superfast connections.
The diesel locomotive that hauled your train is way more powerful than you thought. It is capable of hauling at 180km/hr.
I heard it is capable of 200-220 maximum
on indian tracks test speed (3-4 coaches long) for original single-cab wdp 4 is 180 and for regular trains 160, but traction is very low. later modifications wdp 4b and 4d go around 130, sacrificing speed for very high traction. more suitable for long rakes of 20-24 coaches.
Contrary to the commentary, actually Kochi is the city with highest population in Kerala. Then comes Trivandrum and the third is Kozhikode.
In India, this dessert is known as Rasgulla. It was invented in the state of West Bengal by the famous shop of KC Das
Complete with hair of the cook.
Story rasgulla was invented in Odisha
@@aryankhandelwal787 shutup its now proven its invented in west bengal
@@ninjasword629 "proven"
The desert is known as the Thar and Ladakh
Hey! I must say the content quality of yours is BAFTA worthy!!! I watched this video completely and I'm amazed your Rolls-Royce quality of research. Simply amazing.Ive been watching your videos for a couple of months but this is my first comment.
Really enjoyed the journey today. Thanks for bringing us along. I admired the fact that you purchased two tickets to have the room to yourself. I would have done the same thing.
Cheers!
Darryl
Another awesome video please keep them coming
The ball sweet is rasogulla. It is actually a bengali sweet which is now popular all over India.
Correction: Kochi is the biggest city (not the third largest city as you said), the main commercial center of Kerala.
Excellent! Great to see another video from India from your side! At 14:12, that is the Nagercoil - Mangalore Ernad Express consisting of 22 coaches hauled by a WAP4.
I counted correctly then 😎
Nagerkovil-Mangalur Yernad Viraivu Vandi
For a foreigner to be unbiased and real, this is very good journey. Indian railway is the heart of the country. Try Vande bharat express between Delhi and Bhopal which runs at 160kmph. 😊
Why so slow?
@@mitzy123 We're still advancing. It's fast for Indians but rather slow for most modern countries. Our railways were focused on serving everyone so it did not invest much in technologically advancing itself but it's changing rapidly. The coaches can hit 200 easily but the tracks aren't that good and there are other problems...
@@mitzy123 tracks bottleneck the engine
@@mitzy123 you figure
@@atharvdeoskar We Should Really Improve Our Punctuality Avg Speed And Remove Non Reserveration SystemThen Even With 160 we Will be so Good
The diesel engine is cause there is a shortage of electrics due to rapid electrification.
Running Undercarriage pictures for IR passenger bogies are a first 😍
No shortages of electricity in India or for Indian railways.
@@susangomes9373 electric engines 🙄
Nah the electric trains can't be pushing too much coaches otherwise engine failures might occurs so Diesels are used
@@wave263 that 21 car rake is pulled by electrics all over. For older coaches, they’re 24 car rakes. Easily pulled all over india.
The goods version of WAP7 loco (same power) easily pulls 58 carloads of coal weighing ~88 tonnes each with a cabose in the back.
Nice to see u hav done a lot of homework. Well presented. You make a wonderful travel guide.
I really enjoyed your video! Keep up your good work!
Informative and appreciate the research that has gone into preparing such a detailed and enriched video
Appreciate your narration. Your knowledge about many things shows your keen inquisitiveness to learn. Keep roaming India and don't leave until you garner one lakh subscribers.
Kochi is infact the largest city and the commercial capital of the state of Kerala. Usually it’s shown as second or third largest city in official records due to its small political boundaries which has not been expanded since its formation.
Population wise, Both Trivandrum and Kochi are almost the same. Infact Trivandrum district, which is very smaller in area than Ernakulam district is more populous than Ernakulam district.
kerala every city has more satelite city nearby which take account as metropolitan area so this cause this confusion
i am amazed by you going in to so much detail..great content
sweet you had for lunch is Rasgulla. you should have complained about hair in food. they would have given you better food in following station
Travelled round India by train as a student. Your video brought back so many memories that I want to repeat. Nowadays easier to fly but that misses the point of the journey. Thanks for an open-minded review.
The Vasco da Gama Express is very beautiful as it crosses the western ghats. So much that people were squeezing at the open doors to the point that i feared some will fall off the train.
@14:10 22 carriages. Approx 850m long. I love the care you take over pronounciations of places in the local dialect rather than butchering it with english
I wish fellow North Indians were not ignorant to pronouncing South Indians cities the correct way. Unfortunately, they don't but end up complaining to foreigners why Punjab isnt pronounced Poonjab
Watching this video from home at Cochin.
In the distant past, Indian Railways had real showers in First Class . But those days, AC coaches were rare. First Class were very roomy, comfortable and had wide twin windows. Noise was a constant companion though, as the windows were always open. But, it was fun. Now canned air has replaced the fresh, more is the pity.
Hope you had a nice stay in Cochin.
That’s a wonderful video.
I left India as a child. My father worked with the Indian Railways and our family always travelled in the holidays from Madurai in Tamil Nadu to Chennai/ Hyderabad/ Belgaum and Mumbai where our families were. The standards of trains in the west may be superior but the IR has an attraction and mystique that are unmatched.
The train at 14:05 has 22 coaches, I counted. Most passenger trains in India have 20-24 coaches yet some of them are still overcrowded.
I think you underestimate the population of our country compared to the resources we have to cater the needs of every citizen.
At 14:15 the number of coaches is 24 on major routes and sometimes 12 in minor routes. The overhead metal which you saw at the beginning is normally used for holding the third bunker bed, which is not in AC first class. It might have been a normal AC coach turned first class.
Wow !!! Those beautiful, pristine rivers, bridges & the scenery ❤❤❤.
Your pronunciation of several Indian words were 🔥🔥
Ur sunrise sun video is ❤👌
Should’ve spent the rest of the cool morning sitting on the door.
Man I've been seeing your videos and there's nothing beautiful than you videography and voice over the transitions and information that you gave about train's stations and nearby areas, so great work 😁
Thank you so much! 😎
India is such a incredible country with lots of beautiful scenery and amazing people. And India does suffer from having hot weather and monsoon weather.
I recall waking up at 6 am to go to school in 1990s in Delhi and Punjab just one week before Christmas holidays. The temperature used to be 2 degrees Celsius and I used to wear woolen gloves and blow smoke from my mouth.
India is extremely diverse. During December there are ski resorts like Kufri in Himachal Pradesh and Gulmarg in Kashmir with snowfall and temperature around minus 5 degrees.
Sounds like you get all kinds of weather. Just like the UK does experience.
Hot weather and monsoon are a gift!
@@AndrewG1989 Yeah, northern states get extremely cold and snowy since they are either located on the Himalayan range or below it. India has even deserts in western states.
@@AndrewG1989 does uk have desert, does uk have mangrove forest, does uk have wettest place on planet, does uk have white desert, does uk have worlds largest mountain range with highest Motorable road in the world..... Don't compare the UK with india, india is the world in itself we have everything...
You should try one of the Vistadome trains between Bangalore and Mangalore the next time you visit. The "executive chair car" class gets you swiveling seats with panoramic windows, as well as a cabin in the rear that allows you to see the track behind the train. This is only in one direction though - from Mangalore to Bangalore, that cabin faces the locomotive.
Quite an epic ride. And your pronunciation is always on point 😁
You missed the Konkan coast at night. Its the most breathtaking stretch
Oh, guess I'll have to visit again! :)
Most late trains passing through Kerala tend to make up for any delay on that route. A thing I've observed always
loved the capture and narration
Great to see you travel the Konkan Railway line.
6:53 that cage is for an automatic room freshner, obviously missing here. :)
nice to see foreign railfans. i hope you enjoyed the stay.
9:44 that scene 😍😍😍,i want to board this train now
This brings back memories, taking trains across India that sometimes lasted two days or more. It rarely got boring though: the scenery, trackside human activity and fellow passengers always provided plenty of stimulation.
Nice video!
Albs, scenery looks spectacular. How would you compare it with the reunification express between Hanoi and Saigon? I see many similarities between the two.
The white round shape thing is a sweet dish. This is called “Rosogolla”. This is very popular in west Bengal, Oridha and other eastern part of India. Rosogolla is a byproduct of milk and sugar.
That white sweet dessert was Rusgula. Thankyou for showing amazing views of India
You should try Konkan railway during monsoon. You will love it.
It got me amazed when you said my native place on the video. I am from. Vadakara now working in Manchester.
Keep up the good videos man.
That's awesome! Thank you for watching. :)
man those views were just breathtaking!
Its very great value for a country like india
That WHITE ball thing as desert is called "RAS GULLA". I LOVE IT.
Good to see they’re still using the Windows 3.1 chime for announcements
Nice video. At 2.27 regarding the diesel loco thing, i think its only for shunting the train to station attached rear side. Main engine should be electric only in front.
You should have done this in the monsoon, it's even more epic, trust me 👉😎👉
That metal thing on the ceiling is a mechanism to hold an automatic air freshener dispenser thing, probably not in use anymore.. Also the sweet is called rasgulla (spelling kinda wrong) and the trains are usually 20 -> 24 coaches long
Great trip. It was satisfying hear every pronunciation place along the journey. Overall nice room and you also got meals along the journey. The scenery is breathtaking and looks similar like in my country, since it has same climate.
What country are you from?
@@madmax9538 Indonesia
@@rezaalan3991 nice. I like Indonesia and their culture ❤️
Indonesia is so similar to Kerala geographically. Even Sumatra has a very close shape like that of Kerala
Beautiful views🤩
Scenic beauty, but dirty like hell. Don't know how you managed to travel. AC first is bloody expensive too.
Konkan railway is a marvel, I agree.
if these station will be like metro stations than its safe from all the waste we see in stations. hope it will change in coming years
A foreigner with such detail on Indian railways.
Pleasantly surprised ..
except for TVC rajdhani most passengers trains passing through Konkan section of IR r always late as the konkan division gives priority to freight trains over passenger just like in US where amtrak is given less priority in most routes
Considering the huge network and passenger traffic and the number of trains operated by Indian Railways, I must say it is a significant achievement. It is a very cost-effective means of long distance travelling within India.
Great video! Really enjoyed the virtual journey. The 4500HP WDP4D can hold its own in terms of performance against the more powerful WAP7 electric loco. In fact, a WDP4 (500HP less than the WDP4D) was used in a speed run to test Talgo coaches some time back (IIRC, the max speed of that run exceeded 180 KM/h). Also, in first class one of reasons why seat allocations are done after reservation closes is to ensure that people travelling together (family) with the same PNR are placed in the same cabin. Another possible reason relates to the safety of a woman passenger travelling alone.
WDP4 has only 4000HP, not 4500HP, I'm pretty sure you mean WDP4D
@@gameswithtroyYT Thanks! My bad - I had indeed meant the 4D. Have edited. Cheers!
@@calvinthomas3543 :)
The metal clip on the top that foxed you , is for folding and stowing away the upper berth so that it gives an open feeling with the ceiling exposed. Otherwise with the upper berth on top it gives a claustrophobic feel.
Amazing, explained well
that landscape view!
The sweet ball item served for dessert after lunch was a Rosshogolla a famous Bengali and east Indian sweet popular in Kolkata(Calcutta) and various eastern Indian states
Thank you!
13:57, its called Rosogulla in Bengali (Bengali origin) but most of the Indians call it Rasgulla. It basically Paneer soaked in sweet syrup
You came to Kochi, welcome to Kerala. Great intro man. Would have been glad to meet you bro.
About the sinks at 7:32, the tap can be opened by pushing the frustum upwards, not by rotating it
This was really one of the most prettiest journey. I loved it alot. Also the dessert thing at 13:58 is Rasgulla a very famous sweet dish from West bengal state of India. It's made up of Milk & Sugar water.
Thanks! It was a beautiful day. :)
What a great trip report and train review. I'm envious of all your globetrotting and opportunities to ride these trains, but grateful that you're sharing your experiences! 😊
... nicely documented .. thats an bengali sweet its called "RASAGULLA"
... thanks for showing my home town "Kozhikode"
Nice video and appreciate your opinion towards electric loco as now WAP7 kind of loco available which has HOG facility which can again stop requirement of generator cars in either end
Nice! !
Hello, I have been watching your videos from a long time and it's like I am living your life which is what I dream to do one day. I love your content, as per the content, the white sphere is actually a 'Rasgulla' which is born from my state 'Odisha' in india, its basically a sphere of cheese that is fried in boiling sugar syrup called 'chashni' in local language, let me know when you come to India next time and I will travel with you and feed you all the best desserts :). Love from India.
My father used to work in Eastern indian railways, he was an officer in the management department of an eastern railway hospital , where free healthcare is provided to eastern railway employees and their families. My father hence used to get free AC 1st class passes and every year during the summer holidays we used to take trips to different parts of India via train .Those are still some of the most fond memories i hold close. I quite literally grew up around indian railways and trains and they have always been a strong nostalgia factor for me.
Also for the toilet paper part , we use a bum jet or bidet attached right beside the toilet, hence it wasnt provided. If you are a westerner your best bet would be to carry your own. Also as far the food is concerned, yeah its not the best , thats why u will find indians carrying their own homecooked meals on the train or ordering on station food via irctc from Domino's or local restaurants.
That metal thing on the ceiling is where they keep the room air freshner device attached. Recently saw in LTT-VSKP express 1st AC service
IIRC, the Duronto serves "continental" meals as well. You just have to request the pantry in advance.
Wow, that's interesting! I was okay with what I had though. :)
On all trains that serve meals as part of the ticket cost, especially in 1AC on these premium trains, you can specify a non-spicy Western meal. Once you book your ticket, you would need to call the 1800 toll free number or send an email or even let the train attendant know when boarding. This is India, it will happen, as you probably know by now.
Western meal, is interesting, which usually means macaroni cheese with baked or boiled or sauteed veggies, sliced bread, boiled eggs, and sometimes a fish and chips or chicken and chips serving too. Maybe also a burger. Frankly, the burger as served on Indian Railways is brilliant, it's different and fresh, and has a well buttered and toasted bun, with a slice of real cheese.
You can always ask for spices, ketchup, mustard et al, if you want to spice up this bland meal.
That's interesting! Didn't know that! Thank you.
Honestly if they used an app interface, the overall service would feel so much better.
Nice and informative video.
That ball is called "kozhukkatta".. it is mostly steam cooked rice ball with stuffed sweat filling..
Hi! Loved the video.. The ball thing like sweet is called as "rasagulla".
another nice vlog
Very beautiful scenery 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
the sweet was rasagulla and a express train can have upto 24 cars while local teins having 9 to 12 cars. the freight trins can have even more cars and can be hauled by twin locomotives.
Thanks for the info!
nice video; btw: i have always had nice and sociable pax with me in the AC First sleeping car cabins; so a private cabin wouldn't be too important for me
Seat numbers get confirmed on buying the itself ( for all other classes except the unreserved one) , for first class they confirm 3 to 4 hours prior because the people travelling by that class need privacy and by allocating the seat while preparing the chart they try to allocate people in a booking together in single individual cabins rather than being separated in 2 cabins
Thanks for the nice video. Just FYI... WPD4D is one of the fastest engines in IR inventory, it could reach upto 160kmph (100 mph) on a trial run between NDLS to MMCT, covering the distance in just about 12 Hrs
Interesting information, thanks!
The white ball that you just mentioned as desert was "Rasgulla".
There were 22 coaches in that train that passed you and 1 locomotive which in total is 23
That is room freshner holder in the ceiling but refill bottle is missing.
I rode the train from Chirala to Vijayawada on the Krishna Express and came back by the Vikramsimhapuri express
While once traveling by train in India, a close associate recommended I carry my own food instead of ordering from the train pantry as there is no guarantee of hygiene.