THE LONGEST TRAIN JOURNEY I UNDERTOOK
Well, my name did not figure in the Guiness Book of Records but I did, probably for more than a decade, hold the dubious distinction of having undertaken the longest train journey in India, in terms of time if not distance. It was in the month of Sept. 1971, when my mother, sister and I boarded a 3-Tier sleeper coach, equivalent to the present day sleeper class minus the cushions on the berths, of the 37 UP Howrah- Madras Janata Express. Sleeper berths in 3-Tier those days were mere wooden planks that tested your back as well as your endurance skills.The train left Howrah at 22.40 hrs on Day1 of its 45 hour-journey to Chennai (then...
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Madras) with an honourable intention of depositing us at Madras Central at 19.30 hrs on Day3 with only 80 intermediate stoppages.
The train had just departed at about 11.10 pm from its first scheduled stop at Andul (13 kms from Howrah) when a snatching nearly took place. My sister was sitting near the window at the end of the 3 seater lower berth while my mother was next to her in the seat meant for the middle berth. I was sitting diagonally opposite at the side window seat of the side lower berth. Suddenly I found a hand extending from the station platform through the window towards my sister’s neck and instinctively I ran towards her shouting her name. My sister closely wrapped her sari round her neck and leaned inwards towards mom. As the train accelerated the hand disappeared and the 40 gms pure gold chain she was wearing split into two pieces but fell on the floor of the compartment. Thank God nothing untoward happened to her and the chain too was retrieved. At prevalent gold prices of Rs. 2800 per gram, the loss would have been colossal at more than a lakh of rupees.
So far so good as the steam loco huffed and puffed its way through 170 kms of West Bengal before entering Orissa at 2.30 am. Amidst steady rain the journey continued with scheduled stoppages at almost every half an hour if not at lesser intervals. Add to this the frequent unscheduled halts at wayside stations in the middle of nowhere.
At about 1.00 pm we finally reached a nondescript halt called Khallikot (the 27th scheduled stop for this train) in Orissa, after covering a distance of 544 kms in about 900 mns at an average speed of roughly 36 kmph. We were then informed to our dismay that the train will not proceed further till the flood waters overflowing the tracks receded. Meanwhile, due to the incessant rain, our leaking compartment too was flooded and we sought refuge by placing our feet on the berths. There were hardly 15 to 20 passengers in our bogie with a rated capacity of 64 berths, as was common those days. The train stayed put at Khallikot for the rest of the day and night as the rain kept pounding mercilessly accompanied by a cyclonic gale. After dusk the train started vibrating and trembling due to the force of the wind and the noise of the tempest was eerie and frightening. By night time we had exhausted all the food we had brought from home and there was nothing in store for the next day. It was pitch dark as power supply was cut off and we felt defenceless. Although the train had halted at the station nothing was available there except water and that too was on the track just ahead. Fortunately the storm abated at around midnight but even early in the morning at 7 am the railway track ahead was not visible, still submerged in water. Finally at 11.30 am after several inspections and ultimate clearance by the PERMANENT WAY AUTHORITIES, the driver was given the green signal to proceed at an MPS of 10 kmph till Humma which was 22 kms away. Amidst clapping of hands, the beleaguered train chugged out of Khallikot at 11.30 am, 22 hours after it had arrived there. We reached Berhampur (Ganjam) at 2.30 pm (24 hrs late), having travelled a distance of 58 kms in 3 hours.
There was a mad scramble for food at Berhampur since we were all starving since morning. I managed to get UPMA for the 3 of us but it smelt strongly of KEROSENE. But then SOMETHING was better than NOTHING.
The train proceeded on its NORMAL or rather ABNORMAL journey thereafter reaching Waltair (now VSKP) at 21.15 pm (again exactly 24 hrs late). The scheduled halt of 1 hour there was long enough for us to relish a sumptuous meal at the VRR (Vegetarian Refreshment Room). I was hoping that the train would be able to make up about 4/5 hours of lost time on its way to Madras but my hopes were dashed to the ground by the Station Master, who said the instructions to him from higher-ups were to run the train as the next day’s train. So according to him, our train was BANG ON TIME instead of being 24 HOURS LATE.
Now to cut a long story short, we reached Madras at 19.30 pm on day 4 right on time as per the official railway version, so what, if we had spent one full day extra in the process. Thus came to an end an arduous and unforgettable (for all the wrong reasons though) journey that spanned 69 hours for 1660 kms. Should have found its place in the Guiness Book of Records, but alas, those days we were not aware that such a book existed.