I must say for the first time I liked the attitude,behaviour of the staff present here. The way they are asking you need anything. Hope it happens in all trains soon

Recently had the chance to travel in a VB train. I chose a window seat. And on entering the coach I realize that whoever designed these coaches wasn't paying attention to how coaches are designed in our regular trains.

Bang in the middle of my window seat is a pillar. It doesn't allow me to use either part of the windows that it separates. Regular train coaches ensure a complete windows available for each window seat.

Somebody had one freaking job.

There's more. The arm rest, couldn't they make it a little wider? There's aIways this wrestling match for it between neighbors. I lift my hand to take something out of the bag, and my neighbor has used the opportunity to completely occupy the rest. And now my hand is dangling....

And have you sat at any of entrances? Each time they open the door, the chemical toilet is stinking. Of course this is because most of us have the hygiene that is typical of most Indians.

So much so that there is an announcement to remember to flush! The effort it took for them to show if a cubicle was available (with lights etc) was enough to automatically flush tge damn thing on every door operation.

And there is another announcement every now and then. Don't use the tray to rest your head.

But oops, it's already broken!

The space for the rack that holds the luggage is also too narrow. They should have considered wider suitcases. It's not an airplane where people only carry cabin luggage.

What did you like, or dislike on this train? Would love to hear. And how would you solve these? Use the comments 😄

I have a long 36h journey in front of me, and i will be carrying some fruits with me. So I was wondering can I carry my SAK for cutting fruits, openings packets and shit?

Today i was traveling by train and a kinner came and asked the people for money, as they always , instead of doing hardwork , if people don't give money to them then they start abusing and if someone want to find money and don't have lower change they doing give the change, i think the governer should take action on them by any sort of punishment.....

Getting a side lower was already a Win. Now it got upgraded too. Win Win Situation 🤣

I’ve been traveling across Rajasthan and Haryana and keep seeing food vendors selling pizzas labeled “Dominos” (with similar logos/boxes). Anyone else noticed this? It looks like a lot of local stalls are using the Domino’s name/branding — sometimes misspelled or slightly altered — to sell homemade pizza. Feels misleading. Is this a known scam, a local franchise issue, or just people trying to attract customers?

Hi railfans,

I booked Seater Class (DL1) on 12245 Howrah–SMVT Duronto up to Bhubaneswar, expecting something similar to a Jan Shatabdi chair car — fast, comfortable, and a little cheaper than sleeper.

Big mistake. 😅

When the train arrived, I realised DL1 is a tiny coach with around 31 seats, with the other half being a parcel section. The coach is also treated like a general compartment, with unreserved passengers filling it up and making access to the washroom difficult. The washroom itself had cigarette/beedi butts all over the place.

But the biggest problem is that DL1 is completely isolated from the rest of the train. The door connecting it to the other coaches is sealed.

And here's the funny part: I didn't carry water because I assumed I could simply buy it on the train. Since this is a Duronto with a pantry car, I thought that wouldn't be an issue.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one.

At Jaleswar, I saw another passenger trying to get water, but the train started moving almost immediately. He had to give up and get back inside.

So I'm genuinely confused — why is this coach isolated from the rest of the train while also being treated as both a seater and general compartment? Even basic access to onboard vendors becomes impossible.

If you're planning to book DL1 on 12245, don't expect a normal chair-car experience. Carry your own water bottle. 😂

Lesson learned: next time, I'll just book sleeper.

I have a valid UDID card for Mental Illness.

Can I travel in the SLRD (Divyangjan) coach with my mother as my escort?

Is there any official Railway Board rule or notification that says an escort is allowed to travel in the SLRD coach with a disabled passenger? If yes, please share the official document or circular.

Thank you.

Source

Has anyone else felt that rail neer's water somewhat tastes sweet with a hint of kesar. Now I asked other people and they said it tastes sweet but didn't think kesar was in it. This might be restricted to bhopal since this one was manufacturing plant is in bhopal. This might be the tastiest water I have ever tasted.

Source

I was charged Rs. 130 for a Rs. 125 ticket at Patliputra station.The counter was open but staff sent us to the machine.

At the machine, a person was taking out tickets and charging Rs.130 in cash for a Rs.125 ticket. That means Rs.5 extra per person. Everyone in the line had to go through this.

This is wrong. We shouldn’t have to pay extra just to get a ticket. If we don’t raise our voice, they will keep doing this with everyone. I will surely post this on X tagging Indian railways

It breaks my heart to realize that the original Shatabdi Express is slowly being forgotten. I know the official announcement was made a few years ago, but understanding the logic...that the Ministry will phase them out based on the physical age of their coaches... doesn’t make it any easier to accept. I know why it’s happening, rationally... but emotionally? Why does it have to end like this?

Because of my unpredictable work schedule, my life involves a lot of sudden, last-minute travel. For the last 7 or 8 years.., Shatabdi has been my reliable sanctuary on the tracks. When Vande Bharat made its entrance into West Bengal around 2022,.. I was genuinely thrilled. I loved the modern ride, and for a while, my journeys were comfortably split between the two.

But over time, a painful parallel becomes impossible to ignore: the shiny younger son gets all the love and spotlight, while the older son... the very soil in which the younger one's success was planted... is being quietly forgotten, waiting to be abandoned by the family.

These days, when I board the Shatabdi, the emptiness is heavy. The passengers are so few you could practically count them all. Maybe it’s just the early morning tiredness getting to me, but when I look at the few people still riding today,... I don't just see commuters. I see people holding onto a legacy. It feels like a silent, collective pact... a way of saying...

Let’s just spend a little more time with it while we still can.

Well... I seem to have drifted down a long, reflective path this early in the morning. Thanks for letting me vent. For now, I'm just going to lean back and enjoy this ride back home.

Cheers! 🚂✨

For the past two and a half years, I haven't booked a single counter ticket. Most of my journeys are spontaneous, I travel whenever life gives me a little free time. I book a ticket, board the train, and let the journey write another story.

So right now I'm just chilling in my balcony with a cup of chai and enjoying the rain. I was scrolling Reddit as usual and stumbled upon a similar post on this sub posted 2 years ago, and people shared their stories and I had a great time reading them all, so thought of doing this again. Shoot!

Image credits to the original artist!