This was my first trip to New Delhi on January 2017 and also for the first time I came across the New Delhi Railway Station or NDLS.
NDLS is the major railway station of New Delhi, the national capital of India. There are 5 Lines, 16 Platforms and 10 tracks in this station. The station is under ‘Northern Railways’ Zone of Indian Railways and serves the National Capital of India, and is in operation since 1926. NDLS serves about 400+ trains & 500,000+ passengers daily which makes it an important station. It is directly connected to 867 Railway Stations throughout the country. NDLS holds the record of for the largest route interlocking system in the world along with Kanpur Central Railway Station. The Delhi Metro’s ‘New Delhi’ Station (Yellow Line) & ‘Airport Metro Express’ serves this station.
As I said above, this was my first time to NDLS, and it was not a bad experience, but I would still keep my home station ‘Howrah (HWH)’ well ahead of this station. Though we did not spend much time to explore the station after arriving in Delhi, we had an unexpected layover at the station on our return journey back to Howrah, as our train the 12302 Down NDLS HWH Rajdhani on 10th January was 13 hour late. It kept on delaying from time to time and we had to stay at the terminal. The waiting hall was full so we had to wait at the main terminal area. That night it was so cold and windy (it was around 2 C or less) and we felt like we are in the North Pole, especially when we came to the platform to board the train around 3 AM at night. The expected departure of the train was at 1655!!
It is not that I hate layovers, it is definitely stressful but if you are not tired then it is interesting to wait and experience the night at the Railway stations (even at airports). People were aware of the cold and the train delays, and it was like - except us every one was prepared with blankets and sleeping mats, and everybody started sleeping on the floor of the general waiting area (the area was huge though). There was a group of small school kids from the state of Odisha. Their train was also delayed like ours, they also slept there. I was feeling bad for them.
If you are a traveller of interested in travelling then the station arrival/ departure display board will tease you very much. There were so many trains to well known tourist destinations in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and to other parts of the country. Delhi lies in the centre if numerous tourist destinations!!
NDLS have a bad reputation regarding cleanliness and such was acknowledged by Ministry of Railways and 2017 Railway Budget makes provision for developement of infrastructure of this station. Hope things will get better soon. This station had much upgrade for the 2010 Commonwealth Games but definitely more developement is requited.
Thats all for today. Do check out my YouTube Channel "Soumos Travelbox' for more videos of my New Delhi trip and many others. I also have a railfanning vlog (Soumo's Railways), that I also invite you to visit.
This is the first blog post for the new year and also the first one of my first New Delhi Trip, and a series of New Delhi related posts will follow later.
It was December 29th, the day before the last exam of my master degree course, me and my sister decided that we would visit our cousin in New Delhi. The main intention was a long vacation and also that my sister was to appear at a job interview there. On same day we booked tickets on the 12301 Howrah Rajdhani Express to NDLS (New Delhi Railway Station) and our journey date was on 31st the last day of the year! From NDLS our cousin was expected to pick us up.
Foggy 'Mughalsarai Railway Station' from my train bunk
What can be more good for a travel blogger whose new year was going to start by travelling! We started from the grand ‘Howrah station (HWH)’, spent the new year’s evening and mid night on train. Though I travel often, it is very rare that I am away from home and family at this time of the year. Though my sister was with me, but I was really missing my parents, though they came to see off us at the railway station. Usually on the new year’s eve it remains strictly a family affair, we would enjoy good programmes or movies on TV, have some quality time together; then my mom would cook something special and if it is possible then I try to make a cake. At around midnight we would eat sweets and would call (& text) our close relatives, especially a phone call to my granny is a must who is in her late 80s.
On the first day of the new year, I always try to see the first sunrise of the new year. It is a popular custom at many countries of the world, especially in eastern Asia. This year it was not possible as I was in the train and also due to the dense foggy weather. The sun came up quite late, after about an hour past midday. Dense fog is quite common throughout North India and even at ours in the east, and it makes serious train and flight delays (even our train was late by 5+ hours).
'Gaya Junction' Railway Station on a deep January winter night
The journey on train was dull if I compare so, there were no celebrations and nothing special. With us there was a gentleman and his wife, who were going to attend their cousin’s funeral who passed away just recently in a road accident. More bad was that the deceased was married just recently and has left a month old girl child and his widowed mother. Hence the mood was not very joyous; though they were quite friendly and we had a great time talking. The gentleman opened the magic box of his experiences, and we heard so many travel stories from him, and I must not forget to mention, his ‘stories of the notorious winter of Delhi and North India’!!
Anyway I was trying to call mom and dad from train at midnight. Everyone, including my sister, was sleeping on the train, lights of the compartment was turned off and the train was running through the remote plains of the state of Uttar Pradesh. I could call without any issues, luckily network was not congested.
Notorious Fog Of North India - Somewhere in the state of Uttar Pradesh
Being a first time traveller to Delhi and to this route, I was quite excited. The lush green landscape from the train window was amazing. Though there was dense fog and cloudy weather - the view was no less beautiful. This makes train travel in India so special; and throughout the journey I came across some interesting animals like the ‘Peacock’ - our national bird, the Nilgai (Blue Bull - quite common in this region, considered a pest), ‘Monkeys’ and so many kinds of birds (Egrets, Srane, Saras, Swallows, Parrots, etc). It was quite amazing. Unfortunately as per the schedule the 12301 Rajdhani covers most of its journey at night, but the train delay was sort of a blessing for me to enjoy the outside view. I must also agree that at the end the delay was frustrating.
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Rajdhani Express trains being the premium trains in India and known for their hospitality, extended the same to us quite nicely which I appreciated very much. Pantry car guys were cordial, and the food was good enough.
We reached NDLS quite late, around 1430 local time. I cant blame them, all trains of North India always get delayed due to foggy weather at this time of the year (Winter). The foggy weather makes the train tracks greasy and the breaks cant be applied properly, so their remains a high risk of accidents - naturally drivers run trains at very low speed than the usual speed. So if you are unfamiliar with the situation, I warn you that you be prepare for this delay. Otherwise at other times of the year Rajdhani trains are excellent trains that you can trust. They are also among the fastest trains in India and gets the highest priority on the Indian Railway Network.
For both Indian and non-Indian travellers: I really recommend this train to you: Rajdhani trains (Fleet of 23 trains as of January 2017), connects different parts of India with the India’s capital city “New Delhi”. Do check out available options and destinations for other Rajdhani trains that might suit your travel plans. Apart of Rajdhani Express trains here are also similar trains on this and other routes like Shatabdi Express,Duronto Express; and many more.
Thats all for today. Do check out my YouTube Channel "Soumos Travelbox' for more videos of my New Delhi trip and many others. I also have a railfanning vlog (Soumo's Railways), that I also invite you to visit.
