A long overdue trip report of my journey by this train from HWH to MAS on 26th March for a whirlwind tour of Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Mysore and back in 7 days. But I have gone in for a new format of reporting this time instead of my conventional essay-type report. Hope you like it.
> Reached the New Complex at HWH at 2 pm hoping for an on time departure at 2.50 pm. But that was not to be. Availed of the SBI-sponsored trolley facility for transporting luggage from the taxi stand to the platform. A great initiative by my former employer costing a mere Rs. 35/- which obviates the need for endless haggling with coolies.
>...
more... PF 23 was occupied by the down Coromandel while PF 22 was reserved for my train. PF 21 was home to the ready-to-depart but already late 12860 Gitanjali Express. PF 20 was in readiness to receive the down Ahmedabad Express. PF 18 was home to the up Ranchi ICE while PFs 17 and 19 were vacant.
> PF 22 was getting filled up with the crowd ready to board the Coromandel and people were getting restive as it was 2.20 pm and yet no sign of the empty rake. All of a sudden and as is their wont, the station authorities announced that the down Puri Shatabdi would enter PF 22 and leave shortly thereafter as the UP train to Puri. Now the only vacancies were in 17 and 19 which were quite a long way off.
> Mercifully, the Gitanjali vacated 21 at 2.25 pm and at 2.40 pm the rake of the Coromandel came in. Not much of a problem as all that my wife and I had to do was to cross the CAB ROAD separating the 2 PFs. Thanks to the generous help from a few young research scholars of Jadavpur University, we managed to shift our luggage without a hitch. Imagine our surprise to find that those 4 scholars were our co-passengers as the 6 of us occupied berths 33 to 38 in coach B3.
> The train left HWH at 3.10 pm, 20 mns late trailing the Gitanjali and the Puri Shatabdi, which incidentally was PACKED TO THE HILT, for both its UP and DOWN journeys. A welcome change of fortune for an otherwise WHITE ELEPHANT. May be that was because of the large number of holidayers from Kolkata seeking a getaway at Puri from the HOLI REVELRY.
> However, HOLI was precisely the reason why the Coromandel was less crowded than usual. To my mind this was because the HOLI RUSH was from the SOUTH to the EAST & NORTH with migrant labourers and others seeking to go home for the festival of colours. After all why should any one want to go to CHENNAI of all places to celebrate HOLI.
> The Coromandel made heavy weather of its journey right upto Santragchi (SRC), halting for long spells at Dasnagar, Ramrajatala and finally at SRC. It ultimately got clear passage from SRC at 4.15 pm and then moved towards KGP at breakneck speed. This was apparently due the incomplete interlocking work at SRC.
> Surprisingly. despite the much maligned RSA with the 12840 Chennai - Hwh Mail, the coaches were spick and span and the toilets clean. The bed linen too was fresh, neatly washed and ironed. Unable to comment about the pantry food as my better half had packed enough food from home to last 2 such journeys.
> The research scholars from JU, who were proceeding for a conference to Sivasailingam University, 70 kms from Madurai, were good company and made our journey pleasant with their interactions. The railfan in me gave them several suggestions for sight seeing in and around Madurai. I also complimented them for being the first set of passengers known to me for patronizing the newly introduced WHITE ELEPHANT of SR, the Chennai Madurai Duronto Express. They were to board that train at night on the 27th of March.
> Coro made up much of its lost time and departed from VSKP the next day morning at 5.05, a mere 20 mns late. With the loco reversal there, I found the steer was an Erode WAP4 22617, WHICH AGAIN HAULED MY TRAIN FROM COIMBATORE TO SBC on the 29th of March .Surprisingly, at VSKP , I found that even the general compartments were beckoning with seats on offer.
> Departure and arrival at BZA too was 15 mns late but it was galloping at the home stretch between BZA and Chennai, threatening to make it to Central by 4.30 pm. But the station controllers there willed otherwise and finally took us in at 1720, after a token delay of 10 mns.
Overall a PLEASANT AND ENJOYABLE JOURNEY.