After my previous experiences in Hyderabad, I've had a few more work trips to India, involving quite a lot of train travel (both long-distance and suburban) but I thought I'd comment on some of the suburban services. I find the country endlessly fascinating, and always love the perspective you get on a place from the rails. Would be interested to hear in others' experiences (and I'll keep the long-distance stuff separate).
HYDERABAD MMTS
See previous notes here: http://railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=84270
Hyderabad's traffic continues to be horrendous, but, following more corruption and mismanagement, the elevated metro system has been delayed yet again, so the underfunded, underserviced MMTS remains the sole option for getting around without using the roads.
In this instance, I needed to get from the airport (no luggage) to the old city on a Friday evening. This is a staunchly Muslim area, so post-mosque time on a Friday is when the whole city is out on the street, walking, drinking tea and eating. It's a wonderful atmosphere, but the traffic is gridlocked. So, I got a cab to take me to Falaknuma, then end of the MMTS line. It's also an Indian Railways station, so should be easy to find, yes?
No. Like many of the MMTS stations, they've been added wherever possible, but aren't actually at particularly convenient locations. Access to the stations is down unpaved, narrow streets, little paths, even involving a scramble up to the platforms. As well as getting tourists in taxis rather lost, it also means there's been an increase in assaults and robberies late at night.
The train was on time, but seemed to go from a random platform. I think I was the only one using the bridge rather than crossing the tracks (it's the main line from Secunderabad south, and anyway, all those toilets flush on to the track, as is abundantly clear...) It's a modern EMU, and pretty decent to travel in (the usual always-open doors, etc). But it goes at a snail's pace - not least because you just can't keep people off the tracks in this country.
But it got me to central Hyderabad on a Friday night, so for that I am grateful. Not bad for 5p.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
CHENNAI MRTS
This trip also took me to Chennai. I was actually going to the coast, and arrived far too late, so got a taxi down there. On the way back, I got a bus to Chennai, and noticed we were coming in along the route of the elevated MRTS line (only one line is) serving the IT areas. As the bus station is an arduous journey away, to the middle of nowhere, seemingly benefiting nobody but auto-rickshaw drivers, I hopped off over to what I assumed was a station.
Now, there is a certain era of modern Indian architecture that consists of roughly case concrete boxes painted yellow. This was definitely of that era, although there were some splashes of red. However, as it was Sunday, it wasn't at all busy. It was, however, stupendously ugly.
I approached with some trepidation. It looked derelict. The doors and interior didn't improve this impression. The rusting escalators were out of use, and the interior was nothing but raw concrete, some of it not looking in the healthiest state. I failed to find a ticket office, but headed up and up until I found something looking like a platform...
...and this is where everybody was. The platform level is somewhat better - marked with the familiar roundels, and afforded a very station-style canopy. It looked like a station that had seen better days. However, I asked around, and was directed to the ticket office in another lobby, which I assumed would be in a better state. No. It had the same post-apocalyptic, derelict look to the first. I had vague flashbacks to late-90s first-person video games. It all felt quite wrong.
And then the train turned up. Quite an old EMU - broad, 3+3 wooden seating, strange compartment divides and carriage allocations, lots of fans, and no AC. This is the hottest city in India - I wouldn't fancy this in rush hour in June. Barred windows, and pegged-open doors, as usual (wouldn't fancy being in an accident in one of these - if you can't get to the door, you're a goner).
As always, hanging out the door is a prime position. You have to jostle for it - here, the technique is to leave the carriage at every station and ensure you shove yourself on in very last place.
But now, it feels very different. You are transported on an elevated line (which means you can actually go at some speed) above the rooftops of the leafier part of tropical Chennai, peering into people's windows, looking down on the street life and markets below. As you rejoin the older section of railway, you're at ground level, the stations now feeling far more traditional and less freakishly dystopian.
The MRTS lines run to Chennai Beach (there are some Indian Railway suburban lines here) but don't connect directly to Chennai Central - there are two stations (Park and Park Town) that have a designated connection, which basically involves either walking down the middle of a busy flyover, or finding a hidden entrance on a busy street. I did eventually find Park station, so I could head out to Tirusulam. The old MRTS line does have a connection to the airport - quite the novelty in India.
This line was old-school - how I remember the suburban lines in Mumbai, and similarly busy at that. Wooden seats, and the 3+3 only the theoretical seating arrangement. This is an established suburban line, and it shows - you're well into commuter country. It's not a bad journey, but it's not the most comfortable.
The exit from Tirusulam station towards the airport is impressively well signposted. You're taken in a subway under the highway, and then... Well, you're in the middle of a road with the taxis. It's not quite clear where to go, so if you kind of pick your way towards the terminal, you'll find....
...that you've reached the abandoned domestic terminal. The international terminal is in an transition state, and parts of it are supposedly only reachable by electric cart (not that anybody enforces it) and the new domestic terminal is a 10-minute walk to the right. Not that any of this is signposted, and not that you're segregated from the vehicular traffic while you're there.
(The recently abandoned terminal is also quite eerily fascinating - the lights are all still on, for some reason...)
HYDERABAD MMTS
See previous notes here: http://railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=84270
Hyderabad's traffic continues to be horrendous, but, following more corruption and mismanagement, the elevated metro system has been delayed yet again, so the underfunded, underserviced MMTS remains the sole option for getting around without using the roads.
In this instance, I needed to get from the airport (no luggage) to the old city on a Friday evening. This is a staunchly Muslim area, so post-mosque time on a Friday is when the whole city is out on the street, walking, drinking tea and eating. It's a wonderful atmosphere, but the traffic is gridlocked. So, I got a cab to take me to Falaknuma, then end of the MMTS line. It's also an Indian Railways station, so should be easy to find, yes?
No. Like many of the MMTS stations, they've been added wherever possible, but aren't actually at particularly convenient locations. Access to the stations is down unpaved, narrow streets, little paths, even involving a scramble up to the platforms. As well as getting tourists in taxis rather lost, it also means there's been an increase in assaults and robberies late at night.
The train was on time, but seemed to go from a random platform. I think I was the only one using the bridge rather than crossing the tracks (it's the main line from Secunderabad south, and anyway, all those toilets flush on to the track, as is abundantly clear...) It's a modern EMU, and pretty decent to travel in (the usual always-open doors, etc). But it goes at a snail's pace - not least because you just can't keep people off the tracks in this country.
But it got me to central Hyderabad on a Friday night, so for that I am grateful. Not bad for 5p.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
CHENNAI MRTS
This trip also took me to Chennai. I was actually going to the coast, and arrived far too late, so got a taxi down there. On the way back, I got a bus to Chennai, and noticed we were coming in along the route of the elevated MRTS line (only one line is) serving the IT areas. As the bus station is an arduous journey away, to the middle of nowhere, seemingly benefiting nobody but auto-rickshaw drivers, I hopped off over to what I assumed was a station.
Now, there is a certain era of modern Indian architecture that consists of roughly case concrete boxes painted yellow. This was definitely of that era, although there were some splashes of red. However, as it was Sunday, it wasn't at all busy. It was, however, stupendously ugly.
I approached with some trepidation. It looked derelict. The doors and interior didn't improve this impression. The rusting escalators were out of use, and the interior was nothing but raw concrete, some of it not looking in the healthiest state. I failed to find a ticket office, but headed up and up until I found something looking like a platform...
...and this is where everybody was. The platform level is somewhat better - marked with the familiar roundels, and afforded a very station-style canopy. It looked like a station that had seen better days. However, I asked around, and was directed to the ticket office in another lobby, which I assumed would be in a better state. No. It had the same post-apocalyptic, derelict look to the first. I had vague flashbacks to late-90s first-person video games. It all felt quite wrong.
And then the train turned up. Quite an old EMU - broad, 3+3 wooden seating, strange compartment divides and carriage allocations, lots of fans, and no AC. This is the hottest city in India - I wouldn't fancy this in rush hour in June. Barred windows, and pegged-open doors, as usual (wouldn't fancy being in an accident in one of these - if you can't get to the door, you're a goner).
As always, hanging out the door is a prime position. You have to jostle for it - here, the technique is to leave the carriage at every station and ensure you shove yourself on in very last place.
But now, it feels very different. You are transported on an elevated line (which means you can actually go at some speed) above the rooftops of the leafier part of tropical Chennai, peering into people's windows, looking down on the street life and markets below. As you rejoin the older section of railway, you're at ground level, the stations now feeling far more traditional and less freakishly dystopian.
The MRTS lines run to Chennai Beach (there are some Indian Railway suburban lines here) but don't connect directly to Chennai Central - there are two stations (Park and Park Town) that have a designated connection, which basically involves either walking down the middle of a busy flyover, or finding a hidden entrance on a busy street. I did eventually find Park station, so I could head out to Tirusulam. The old MRTS line does have a connection to the airport - quite the novelty in India.
This line was old-school - how I remember the suburban lines in Mumbai, and similarly busy at that. Wooden seats, and the 3+3 only the theoretical seating arrangement. This is an established suburban line, and it shows - you're well into commuter country. It's not a bad journey, but it's not the most comfortable.
The exit from Tirusulam station towards the airport is impressively well signposted. You're taken in a subway under the highway, and then... Well, you're in the middle of a road with the taxis. It's not quite clear where to go, so if you kind of pick your way towards the terminal, you'll find....
...that you've reached the abandoned domestic terminal. The international terminal is in an transition state, and parts of it are supposedly only reachable by electric cart (not that anybody enforces it) and the new domestic terminal is a 10-minute walk to the right. Not that any of this is signposted, and not that you're segregated from the vehicular traffic while you're there.
(The recently abandoned terminal is also quite eerily fascinating - the lights are all still on, for some reason...)
