Happy New year to all members & guests.
Today we are introducing a new experimental concept called the IRI Chain. A Chain is a specific combination of 2 or more trains thru one or more connecting/transfer stations to get from A to B. Why do people take Chains?
1. Sometimes there are no direct trains from A to B, especially if B is a very small or remote town. In such a case, frequent passengers "know" where to get off, and thereafter, they will take a local Passenger train (usually, 2 - 4 hr. journey). In fact, since many of these Chains are routine, the Passenger train sometimes "waits" for passengers from the oncoming train.
2. Sometimes, there is a lack of ticket...
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availability on direct trains from A to B - maybe because there are only 1 or 2 direct trains, but many connection combinations (Chains) are possible. In such a case, people may take a particular Chain very often because of convenient timings. For example, many passengers try the option of going Bangalore - Chennai - Howrah (the Mail - Coromandel Chain), if direct ticket availability is not there.
3. Railfans sometimes may take a slightly round-about route to sight-see or checkout new locales/scenic locations, instead of taking a boring long trip on one train. This is another candidate for a Chain.
4. Pilgrimage/Bharat Darshan, etc. People may take a trip from Delhi - Banaras - Puri - Chennai - Rameswaram - Dwaraka, etc. Which combination of trains would be ideal for this? Once again, a Chain is an ideal candidate for this situation.
5. Some Chains may not be advisable. For example, there may be a buffer time of upto 2 hours, but even so, the oncoming train may be usually late by more than 2 hours causing a lot of hardship to passengers. Such a Chain may still be added to the site, and thereafter given a down-rating thus warning future passengers not to take that Chain. There are some examples in the Trip Diary, where people took certain Chains, but it didn't work out for them.
On this site, a "Chain" has exactly the same status as a train. Every Chain has its own Page, its own Route Map, Kms. Departure Time, total Journey Time, Blog Page for discussions about that Chain, etc. Members are free to create their own Chains. Other members will be free to rate that Chain as well. Members may use their imagination to come up with names for their own Chains. You are free to choose whatever name you want - but please try make the name self-explanatory. For example, our Chain #1, the Bangalore - Coromandel Chain suggest that a train from Bangalore is connecting to the Coromandel Express for an onward journey. Every Chain has a "created by" tag and will reflect in the member's profile, for example, Chains created by that member, etc.
Also, whenever any member searches for trains between A and B, any chains will also be shown, and along with that, other members' ratings as well as experiences travelling along that Chain. For example, did they miss the connection? Is the first leg usually late?
While there are innumerable connections and train combinations between any 2 stations, passengers may be hesitant to go by new connections and station transfers without consulting with passengers who have actually travelled by that connection. This concept of Chain now fulfils this need. A Chain is not just a random combination of trains & stations, but a combination that actually "works", and many people travel by that Chain. As mentioned above, very soon, Chains will feature in regular searches as well.
The first few chains are being added by the site as a representative of the variety possible. By tonight, "Adding new Chains" will be opened up to Admins, and thereafter to all long-time Members.
This site will very clearly distinguish a Chain from a Train. Every Chain begins with the Greek letter "Sigma" (looks like an E) - the Sigma represents "Summation", a summation/combination of Train Routes that get you from A to B.
For now, we have opened up a subtab for Chains here.. /chains
Please check out the following 2 chains:
1. "Bangalore - Coromandel Chain" - Chain# 1 - /chain/1 - alternative route if direct tickets are not available from Bangalore to Howrah.
2. "Bangalore - Maniyachi - Tiruchendur Chain" - Chain #2 - /chain/2 - no direct trains exist from Bangalore to Tiruchendur, and this Chain has been validated by a guest blogger.
3. Some more representative Chains will be added. Addition/editing of new Chains will be opened up by tonight.
Meanwhile, suggestions for new Chains welcome.