A ride in Premium Prince of Tamil Nadu Chord Line:
When situation asked me to present in my favourite city in the world Tiruchirappalli on 5.8.2024. I thought why not to make journey is most wanted list to travel on Premium Prince 22671 Chennai Egmore Madurai Tejas superfast express. so Booked in a week advance to got a jam middle seat on CC 51 in C12. IRCTC as usual shown a grudge to not giving me lower or window seat. On the journey day, Took an auto from home in early morning to my frequent travel station Tambaram. Due to remodelling work the pattern is hugely distorted and chaos everywhere. The PF7 and PF 8 completely shut down and displays said me...
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to go to PF 5. My first time in life boarded a train from PF 5 towards TPJ. When i reached PF 5, I could see last coaches of Nellai superfast express, while walking to coach position 5 i could sense lot of construction activities on station, new stable line added between PF 6 and PF 7, PF 9 and PF 10 full swing work to connect towards down main line. New Wide Footover Bridge in middle of station under construction. A long pending much awaited of overhauling of Tambaram finally happened.
Time passesby with some emu bound to CGL and CJ passedby, finally our Premium Prince came with Rayapuram Wap 7 37017 with 5 mins delay at 6:30 to station. With full excitement boarded the coach and found myself with middle of 2 people, track side, rear facing middle seat. I am like, IRCTC for believing u, u did whatever u can do disappoint me. Premium Prince departed after 2 mins stop , sharply at 6:32 with shutting of door. Slowing changing to down line track from PF 5 took snail place. AC is slightly cool while outside climate is cooler than that due to morning unscheduled rain. While crossing perungulatur noticed reduced traffic due to the opening of new bridge, much awaited long relief for people like me who depends on that horrible junction traffic turn. Instead traffic started near kilambakkam KCBT bus stand while we passed in MPS of 110. Overtaking so many busses gave lot of happiness. Checked chalo app for 500 busses to chase unfortunately very less frequency shown in onward direction while return showed plenty of busses. Overtook CGL bound emu which earlier passed in Guduvancherry, Premium Prince started shown to me aggression to core, overtaking a hell lot of cars, bus, lorries on the way while crossing potheri SP kovil, and saw mighty paranur toll traffic on opposite direction. train slowed down to skip CGL through PF 7.
Aggression is way for premium tells WAP 7 with mighty acceleration past CGL and maintains 100-110 consistent after CGL. Hot water, biscuits and tea/coffee bag came, I took tea bag, Break fast order I opted for Veg asusual, Person is aisle found a back row empty so switched and gave me aisle seat. felt little relived from tight space. used aisle and middle half. while having tea and had a small chat with window seat person who introduced himself as professor. palar river crossed, MMK, MLMR skip everything done before we had self made tea and biscuits. Back seat some sports kids came with friends started to share their sports majesty achievements in state level. I missed by school days after overhearing their sports funny stories. With Blink of eye TMV crossed, Went to rest room felt no water so went to C11 and which had better cleanliness and water. OHBS team present and cleaned coaches when nearing VM. Premium level cleanliness I felt missing while start of the day itself.
Around 8:10, train slowed down for VM skipping through PF 4 through line, First time in my life witnessing that event, felt crazy. Though I wish i could have filmed that. After CL and ML separation, Veg break fast came with rava upma, idly, chatney, sambhar, and sweet of kesari. Again I started small chit chat with nearby professor regarding current affairs, while slowly eating given break fast. felt good at least Food is on standard on this train. While discussion went from college anna university fake faculty issues, placement, world level university infrastructures, etc and breakfast ULU and VRI skipped in MPS i couldn't believe myself I eat from VM outer to VRI. Another group of sports kids this time from other coach came and started chat with his friends, and continued phase 2 of sports stories while they bored on train. I felt people of next generation of mine highly digital addicted, cant able to bear 6 hours journey to Madurai while on my times we travelled to Mumbai for 28 hours without any digital devices courtesy of cards and books. Technology changes so as people with hobbies.
Time was around 9:15 Cement factories of Ariyalur belt started to appear while trains run on constant MPS 110. which itself felt for kids as slow due to no jerks and sounds in CL. track quality very much improved. I miss those sounds which I usually entertain while diesel hauling this section, off coarse trains like pallavan, Madurai VM passenger, Vaigai now zooms and crossed in a second which those time not a scene. took little nap while reading Times of India given to me as newspaper. Went to last rest room as train slowed down after kollidam river which ran full after some long time. kaveri Trichy town skipped before i came to take my bag from next coach. Train slow down before GOC, ML and CL merged while I went to door to avoid crowd and early step down. Our Premium Prince crawled down to TPJ while TEN MS VB bound to MS crossed, at 10:02, dot on time to my standards, surprisingly in PF 4 of TPJ while PF 5 occupied by Cholan waiting to depart. Half of the train deboarded in TPJ, very very few boarded as MDU by bus is faster. Train started after 5 mins towards DG while I found my FUB in Trichy Jn.
3 hrs 25 mins Tambaram to Trichy will be my second fastest travel time, except for 1 time I did in car for 3 hrs 15 mins travel time on a lucky day. While considering SETC busses take 6 hours omni busses take 5 hours in day , 4.5 hours in night from KCBT kilambakkam which is in Urapakkam, or going to meenambakkam taking 1 hour flight, this option of tejas and VB arriving in 4 hours seams decent premium option in my opinion. Came out of PF 1, and boarded town bus to my destination while saying bye to my fav steam engine out of TPJ,
Thanks for reading.