Spotting
 Timeline
 Travel Tip
 Trip
 Race
 Social
 Greeting
 Poll
 Img
 PNR
 Pic
 Blog
 News
 Conf TL
 RF Club
 Convention
 Monitor
 Topic
 #
 Rating
 Correct
 Wrong
 Stamp
 PNR Ref
 PNR Req
 Blank PNRs
 HJ
 Vote
 Pred
 @
 FM Alert
 FM Approval
 Pvt
Forum Super Search
 ↓ 
×
HashTag:
Freq Contact:
Member:
Posting Date From:
Posting Date To:
Blog Category:
Train Type:
Train:
Station:
Pic/Vid:   FmT Pic:   FmT Video:
Sort by: Date:     Word Count:     Popularity:     
Public:    Pvt: Monitor:    Topics:    

Search
  Go  
dark mode
 
Tue Mar 19 12:21:21 IST
Home
Trains
ΣChains
Atlas
PNR
Forum
Quiz
Topics
Gallery
News
FAQ
Trips
Login
Post PNRPost BlogAdvanced Search
Filters:

Blog Posts by vamsikrishnapatta
Page#    38 Blog Entries  <<prev  next>>
General Travel
8614 views
2

Nov 07 2013 (20:34)   11019/Konark Express (PT)
 
vamsikrishnapatta
vamsikrishnapatta   85 blog posts
Entry# 899218            Tags   Past Edits
The Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana or the KVPY,as it is commonly called,is one of the most prestigious examinations for the Science students of +1 and +2 classes.So,it was not surprising that a large number of students applied for writing the exam from Visakhapatnam,hoping that they would clear it.
The exam,slated for the 27th of October was initially to be held at Vizag itself.However,as luck would have it,the examination centre was shifted to Bhubaneshwar,the capital of Odisha,
for fear of the ongoing Samaikyandhra agitation, only before 10-12 days of the date of the exam,leaving
...
more...
many students in the haywire,as they were confused whether to
write it or not.In the end,many of them dropped out,however,I was a part of a small portion of students who decided to write the exam.
And then,came the million dollar question---How would we go there?The trains were already deep in WL,not GNWL,but RLWL and nobody could expect that RLWL 30 in 3A
would confirm.I was personally disappointed that 11019/Konark had already gone into WL,as its early morning arrival at around 4:25 a.m. would have suited us perfectly.And flights were out of question,as the relatively small journey of around 25 min was being charged around Rs.3500/-, much higher than the expected Rs.2300.
So,after a lot of searching, the idea of booking tickets from Vizianagaram (VZM) struck my father's mind and we saw a train that would take us to our destination-
18438/Bhawanipatna Bhubaneswar Link Express.The sight of available tickets was rejoiced,however there was a catch.The train was to arrive at 8:25 a.m. and
my exam was scheduled at 9:00 a.m. We couldn't possibly take such a risk with IR and tickets were booked for the 26th of October,such that we would arrive on that
morning itself and by the end of the day,we had confirmed tickets in our hands.
Now came the question of the return journey..We were lucky to get confirmed reservation from BBS to VZM (again) in none other than 11020 /Konark Express,perhaps
the only neatly maintained train towards Vizag from Bhubaneswar. With tickets all set ,accommodation was arranged in Hotel Ginger,we started preparing in earnest for
the exam.
Then came the rains.For those who believe that Cyclone Phailin was bad,these rains were worse (atleast for us Vizagites,for which the effect of the cyclone was no more
than some random slight drizzles).We couldn't even get out from our houses as it was raining so heavily that all the roads were reduced to mini-aquariums.
The rainfall continued and battered the city continuously for almost 5 days,stopping in rather infrequent gaps of 30 min.In the news-SEVERAL TRAINS CANCELLED IN ODISHA,
AS HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES.
The departure for 24th had been cancelled,however the one for 25th ran,albeit with a small delay.I had expected that my train would depart,however we were in for a
shock,our train had been cancelled.So,on the night of 25th,expecting 11019/Konark to run,we went to the railway station and bought general tickets upto BBS.To our surprise,
passengers were getting down in hordes,in rather large numbers and we got to know that the train was diverted via Rayagada,Sambhalpur and Angul.
The train had arrived with a 20 min delay at Visakhapatnam at 2120 instead of the scheduled 2100.In the meanwhile,we found the TTE and tickets were issued for 3A and
we sat down in our allotted seats B3 15,16 SU & SL.We didn't know yet that we were in for a hell of a ride,and I was mentally prepared for arriving there at around
10 am.
In the meanwhile we had our pre-packed dinners and were happily listening to songs(there were working chargers in our compartment).It was 2230,the train had been in
VSKP for almost an hour and showed no signs of departing anytime soon.We soon found out that someone had died in S7,and that it was the cause for the holdup.The already
diverted train which arrived around 20 min late,had racked up a delay of 1 hr 45 min,as the train slowly crept out of VSKP at 2305.FOllowing a sedate run to
Vizaiangaram with an arrival around 0015,we decided to call it a day and happily tucked into our berths.
In Andhra,the Intermediate education,or the 11th and 12th classes,are given the utmost priority,and corporate junior colleges rule the roost.The promise of a seat in
a good engineering college makes many people join their children in them resulting in cramped classes of 65-70 members.The timings: 8:00 in the morning to 7:30 in the
evening and we ar still expected to study around 2-3 hrs at home,leading many people to have dark circles under their eyes and hungry for sleep.
So,we literally slept like babies and it was around 10:30 am that we got up,a full 4 hrs of extra sleep,expecting to be in Bhubaneswar,only to find out to our dismay,
that we had only reached Sambhalpur.I knew that it would take around 6-7 hours from there and was disappointed at the prospect of spending almost a whole day in the
train.We had a quick breakfast (Bread-Omelette Rs.40/- a plate,felt like a ripoff),and soon started revising for the exam.
However the revision did not last for long,and we were back to listening to songs and playing games on our mobiles.In the meanwhile,we departed from Samobhalpur at around
1035.We soon started to run at around 70-75 kmph and after a non-stop run involving many slow-downs,in which at points,we were literally crawling,we reached Angul
hat around 1:45 in the afternoon.We stopped there for around 10 min and within no time,we came to a halt at Talcher Road for around 5 min and we soon tookoff from the station.For the entire journey,I do not think that the train ever reached MPS,however we were cruising steadily at 80-90 kmph,for long
stretches.In around 40-45 minutes we reached Dhenkanal where we halted for around 2 min.

I must say that Konark's pantry is one of the best I've ever seen on a train,as our lunch was delivered hot and for the first time,the rice was boiled properly.We had
ordered a Vegetarian Thali,which consisted of Rice,Rasam,Aloo curry,Dahi,Papad and a glass of mineral water.The last time I travelled in Konark,the food was even better,
and even though the standards had fallen,it was definitely way above average.
From Dhenkanal,we were getting a little bit restless,as there were no signs of reaching Bhunbaneswar soon.We continued to enjoy the scenery outside,as frankly,we had
nothing else to do.
Odisha is no doubt one of the most backward states in the country and the condition of its villages from the train was pitiable.There was signs of very much visible poverty
everywhere and I was appalled that even major stations didn't have refreshment stalls and we had not packed much snacks as we had initially expected an overnight
journey,resulting us in going a bit hungry.
Finally at 4:50 in the evening the train came to a halt at Bhubaneswar,onto PF#3,and we had a car waiting outside to take us to our hotel.What was supposed to be a
short and sweet 7 hr overnight journey,turned out to be an 18 hr journey,all around the state providing us glimpses of the real state.Bhubaneswar turned out to be very
different,like a different scene altogether from the towns and villages that we had come through.
Getting down the train, we hurried outside,bidding adieu to the empty rake which had carried us for over 18 hrs.
Overall,exept for the delay,the journey itself was nice and I forgot to mention,our coach was satisfactorily clean,except for a few baby cockroaches here and there..
Sorry for the long delay in posting this and also the long report..I do not particularly like noting down loco numbers and everything,so I have not taken anything
down...

Thank You!

Translate to English
Translate to Hindi
Show AI Response

1 Public Posts - Thu Nov 07, 2013

5081 views
0

Nov 07 2013 (20:57)
vamsikrishnapatta   85 blog posts
Re# 899218-2              
Well sir,18 hrs by a train,even by Sleeper or any other class is tiring..so general is out of the question...as for KVPY,qualifying itself is a great matter of
prestige..even though you plan to do engineering.
Translate to English
Translate to Hindi
Show AI Response

1 Public Posts - Thu Nov 07, 2013
General Travel
6148 views
0

Oct 25 2013 (17:03)   20807/Hirakud SF Express (PT)
 
vamsikrishnapatta
vamsikrishnapatta   85 blog posts
Entry# 886955            Tags  
Is the train cancelled today?
Translate to English
Translate to Hindi
Show AI Response

1 Public Posts - Fri Oct 25, 2013

4891 views
0

Oct 25 2013 (17:11)
vamsikrishnapatta   85 blog posts
Re# 886955-2              
Are you sure?A lot of trains have been cancelled towards BBS
Translate to English
Translate to Hindi
Show AI Response

1 Public Posts - Fri Oct 25, 2013
General Travel
3318 views
0

May 19 2013 (22:21)   12442/New Delhi - Bilaspur Rajdhani Express
 
vamsikrishnapatta
vamsikrishnapatta   85 blog posts
Entry# 758420            Tags  
"A1 A2 A3 AE1 AE2 AE3 AE4"
Around 7 2A coaches along with the extra ones.Any other train with these many 2A's?
Translate to English
Translate to Hindi
Show AI Response

1 Public Posts - Sun May 19, 2013
General Travel
4200 views
2

May 08 2013 (14:25)   22853/Shalimar - Visakhapatnam SF Express
 
vamsikrishnapatta
vamsikrishnapatta   85 blog posts
Entry# 746331            Tags  
Please update, running with an extra 3A coach.
Translate to English
Translate to Hindi
Show AI Response

1 Public Posts - Fri May 10, 2013
General Travel
2839 views
0

Mar 22 2013 (17:27)   22203/Visakhapatnam - Secunderabad Duronto Express
 
vamsikrishnapatta
vamsikrishnapatta   85 blog posts
Entry# 701531            Tags  
Good to see that the train is snaking its way back into Waitlists..
Translate to English
Translate to Hindi
Show AI Response

1 Public Posts - Fri Mar 22, 2013
Page#    38 Blog Entries  <<prev  next>>

Travel SAFE

1. RailFanning does NOT MEAN dangerous pics/videos.
2. Doorplating pics/youtube videos are strictly FORBIDDEN in IRI.
3. Take plenty of food pics and other safe pics.
4. Write human interest narratives to make the pics interesting.
5. Enjoy blogging and travelling SAFELY.

REMEMBER: YOUR LIFE is the most precious thing, NOT RailFanning.

Leading Polls

5399607 ★★ 28purubaba.ankit~
4402199 ★★★ 256AvishekRay~
3467214 ★★★ 58way_thelong^~
2094741 ★★★ 135~

Rail News

New Trains

Site Announcements

  • Entry# 5648027
    Mar 01 2023 (12:44AM)


    In response to past confusions with Train/Station updates and resulting fights and controversies, the following clear and objective guidelines are being issued, with no room for any arguments or debates about validity. Also, included, some other changes with respect to Ratings. 1. All Red Ratings will require further explanation. Red Ratings won't...
  • Entry# 5388512
    Jun 24 2022 (08:45AM)


    As announced previously, there are a few changes coming to IRI user accounts, based on past practices. 1. As before, you will be able to quickly DELETE your IRI User account at ANY time. However, the menu option for this was hidden in the profile page, and could not easily be located....
  • Entry# 5148000
    Nov 29 2021 (06:40AM)


    A new feature will be released soon, whereby you can follow blogs tagged with specific Trains & Stations. If you have already posted blogs tagged with some Train/Station, then you will be set to automatically follow that Train/Station. Thereafter, any future news/blogs tagged with those Trains/Stations will be marked to your...
  • Entry# 5093784
    Oct 13 2021 (07:04AM)


    These days, every other day, we are getting requests from members to allow email login to their FB-based IRI account. 10 years ago, we had given the option for users to login through FaceBook - in retrospect, this was a mistake. These days, apparently, users are quitting FaceBook in droves because...
  • Entry# 4906979
    Mar 14 2021 (01:12AM)


    Followup to: Fmt Changes The new version of FmT 2.0 will soon be here - in about 2 weeks. As detailed in the previous announcement, many of the old FmT features like Train TT, Speedometer, Geo Location, etc. will be REMOVED. It will be a bare-bones simple app, focused on trip blogging. It...
  • Entry# 4898771
    Mar 06 2021 (10:33PM)


    There are some changes coming to FMT. Many of the features of FMT, like station arrival, TT, speed, geo, passing times, station time, etc. are ALREADY available in OTHER railway apps. So all of these features will be REMOVED. We'll have ONLY BLOGGING - quick upload of pics/videos/audio, etc. You may attach...
Scroll to Top
Scroll to Bottom
Go to Mobile site
Important Note: This website NEVER solicits for Money or Donations. Please beware of anyone requesting/demanding money on behalf of IRI. Thanks.
Disclaimer: This website has NO affiliation with the Government-run site of Indian Railways. This site does NOT claim 100% accuracy of fast-changing Rail Information. YOU are responsible for independently confirming the validity of information through other sources.
India Rail Info Privacy Policy