Retrofitted Emergency exits on Indian Railways

Photos of Retrofitted Emergency exits on Indian Railways

Side middle berths on Indian Railways are such a torture

Mr. Laloo Yadav in his effort to reduce commuter railway fares introduced side middle berths in tier sleeper and 3 tier AC coaches on many trains. This is just too much to bear. As it is trains are so crowded and to add to the trouble you got to share your seat with an extra person. To install a side middle berth, the upper berth has been raised higher up... so there is no head room on the side upper berth...its too claustrophobic :(


Well, considering the fact that Indian Railways fares are among the cheapest in the world, you get what you pay for...but Laloo ji, please undo these side middle berth business on trains...give us some breathing space.

Train Train don't go away, Train Train come again every day, little me wants to play:)

HIGH SPEED TRAINS:

Pictures of Shinkansen(Bullet Train) from Japan (2007 September visit)



Pictures of Eurostar (This high speed train (300 Kmph) connects London and Paris through the English Channel) --Jun 2008:






German high speed ICE rail:



OTHER TRAINS:

Cologne, Germany(Local/Suburban Trains):


Trains in Switzerland:

Die Zentralbahn:

Cog Wheel Train:(The cog wheel rail is useful for the trains in hilly terrain)

Other Japanese Trains:
(I remembered George Orwell: All trains are equal but some are more equal than the others...like these :-)
Hankyu Line (Private Railway) in Osaka

Paris Metro:

Vivalto -Trenitalia (Rome, Italy)

Metro Rail and City Rail Maps

I traveled on Delhi Metro for the first time today and I loved it. The locos themselves are world class and the elevated stations are chic. I'd traveled on Calcutta Metro, Tokyo Metro, Osaka Metro, London Tube and New York Subway so far. Most of these are underground(for most part of the routes). After commuting on Delhi Metro I understood why people idolize E. Sreedharan :)

A lot more metro lines have to be added. India's Metro routes (existing Kolkata and Delhi) are very less dense compared to international metros. Please see the pictures below and compare:

Delhi Metro Map (click on maps to expand)

Existing Kolkata Metro Route.

Planned Kolkata Metro Route.

Please note how dense Tokyo Metro Rail Routes are. Almost every mile of the city is covered by Metro.

London Underground Rail Map.

It is not only the metro rail route density which is low in India. Even Local train routes too need to have greater coverage of the city. Please see the maps for Mumbai and for similarly sized cities of Japan.

Mumbai Local Train Map

Tokyo Local Train Map (Local Trains run on the ground and are operated by JR) Metro runs underground

Osaka Local Train Map (Osaka also has an underground Rapid transit Metro rail system)

Toilets in Railways

I am a big fan of Indian Railways (IRs) and have enjoyed nearly every journey of mine on this great 'home' on wheels. However the only not-so-pleasant experience on the IRs is the toilets. The design itself is flawed with improper slopes which keep the lavatories soiled and sometimes flooded. Moreover most passengers do not practice good 'toilet culture' :( There is joke circulating on the internet which states Indian Railway tracks as the largest public toilet. All those who use IR toilets would agree... Mr. Laloo Yadav had promised eco-toilets on trains soon but that 'soon' is yet to come. You may not like some pictures here as toilets are considered 'dirty matters' to speak of in many Indian homes but I felt I should share my views ...

Here are some pictures of IR toilets.

Some Jugaad done for the toilet paper holder :)


Now Liquid soap is provided in AC compartment Lavatories

Mugs are chained to the pipes [;p]

Nowadays Indian Railway Toilets are more hygienic as they are cleaned periodically at major stations and also janitors are present on the running trains to oversee the cleanliness of the toilets.

I seriously hope Indian Railways provides better toilets in the future. I'd been on some Japanese trains and the toilets were spic and span.(Some of them were quite obviously Hi-Tech too) Here are some pics:

Push the button to open the electronic sliding door.

Get in and lock the door by pressing the electronic Switch

use the loo with an automatic flush

A Japanese style toilet on the Bullet Train (Shinkansen)

One thing I like about Japanese Toilets in general is they save a lot of water. Many toilets in Japanese homes are designed to conserve water or recycle water. Here is a picture from my friend's home who hosted me in Kawasaki.

The washbasin and reservoir are a single unit in some Japanese toilets. the waste water with which we wash hands with soap is stored in the reservoir(cistern). This waste water is used for flushing. Truly ingenious :)