Archive for 2016
10 FACTS ABOUT INDIAN RAILWAYS!
10 FACTS ABOUT INDIAN RAILWAYS
FACT #10
Indian Railways took on its maiden journey on April 16, 1853 from Mumbai to Thane
A book found in IIT Roorke library (Report on the Ganga Canal, 1860), however, claims that the first train actually ran between Roorkee and Piran Kaliyar on December 22, 1851.
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| One of the first trains that ran in india! Source : WIKIPEDIA |
FACT #09
Indian Railways is the largest rail network in Asia and the world’s second largest.
Transports almost 23 MILLION PASSENGERS A DAY!
FACT #08
The Gatiman Express is india's fastest train that runs between Delhi and Agra . It operates at a speed of 160kmph (99mph)
It takes 100mins to cover 188kms (NZM-AGC)
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| GATIMAN EXPRESS ON ITS FIRST RUN! PIC CREDITS : NITIN |
FACT #07
The Fairy Queen was certified by the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the world's oldest steam locomotive in regular operation.
It was also awarded the Heritage Award from the International Tourist Bureau, Berlin.
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| FAIRY QUEEN Locomotive ! PIC Credits : S.. SUBRAMANIUM (Taken from the Hindu article , Fairy Queen Image |
FACT #06
Indian Railways is one of the world's largest employers (#7, according to the Economist magazine), staffing over 1.4 million people.
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| Credits : Google Images . Gangman At Work! |
FACT #05
The New Delhi Railway Station has found a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s largest Route Relay Interlocking System.
Around 88 trains depart from here daily!
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| Credits : indianrailinfo Wesite |
FACT #04
'Ib' in Odisha is the shortest name of a railway station In India
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| Credits : indiarailinfo |
While The longest s in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, called 'Venkatanarasimharajuvariipeta(Single word)
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| Pic Credits : https://www.flickr.com/photos/inderstadt/ |
FACT #03
The railway station of Navapur is built in 2 states; one half of it is in Maharashtra and the other half is in Gujarat.
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| Credits : Google Images |
FACT #02
Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari Vivek Express Takes the longest route on the Indian Railways network, in terms of distance and also it takes the max no of time(hrs) to reach the destination by any train in india , and is the 9th longest in the world!
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| Credits : Wikipedia |
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| Credits :Abhinav Phangcho |
FACT #01
The under-construction Chenab railway bridge, in Reasi district, J&K, is expected to be one of the highest rail bridges in the world, when completed.
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| Credits : Google Images |
How to plan an Affordable Goa Trip? (Cheaper)
PLANNING FOR AN AFFORDABLE TRIP
It is indeed possible for us to plan an affordable trip to goa to enjoy with our friends . The real problem is we don't really have the patience to sit and plan . We have a mind set that "Goa" Means Costly . Indeed, instead of a last minute plan - planning early would cut down various costs.Reaching Goa
Reaching Goa depends on your choice . It is well connected by Trains and Flights . I would prefer Taking a train from anywhere in India as MADGAON (MAO) Railway Station is well connected with all the parts of the country,OR reach mumbai /Mangalore and take a train upto MADGAON/VASCO-DA-GAMA. (because taking a train (Sleeper Class) will make the trip even more economical even though you have to spend a little more time travelling .STAY AT GOA
Have you ever heard of retiring rooms? . Retiring rooms are the rooms which are available for the passengers to stay in the station premises itself . Mostly 2 per room are allowed but with the extra fare of 150 bucks one more person can be included . A Retiring room can be booked for a single ticket for 48hrs . (Means Either 08:00hrs to 08:00hrs of day #2 or 20:00hrs to 20:00hrs of day #2). For Example I can book a Room From Monday 20:00hrs to Wednesday 20:00hrs) . |
| View Form the retiring rooms at Vasco Railway Station |
Retiring room details can be checked in https://www.irctc.co.in
You should be able to find hotels around goa itself at the rate of around 1000 bucks per night . But it Solely depends on your luck that the hotel guy will allow how many people to stay along with you ,So its not really reliable . Anyway you can check the list of hotels here
@https://www.goibibo.com/hotels/budget-hotels-in-goa
@https://www.makemytrip.com/hotels/cheap-hotels-in-goa
These Things depend on your taste/Choice . But a safe bet for an affordable trip would be a retiring room.
DECIDING HOW LONG YOUR STAY WILL BE
Usually its better that you stay in GOA for atleast 4 full days to cover atleast some places . You can stay even longer but here since we are talking about on how to plan an economical trip we have to restrict ourselves from not staying for a very long time . 4 Days is fine from my point of view as you can very well explore different places In GOA .
If you are going to stay for 4 full day and if you are going to use retiring room to stay ,then you can book the retiring room for the first two days by using the arrival ticket and the next two days using the departure ticket .
We Booked a retiring room at Vasco-da-Gama railway Station recently for 3 people , we spent around only 650 Bucks for 3 people for 48hrs . so roughly it will be around 1300 Bucks for a single person for 4 days . This is for the stay (Rough Calculation , Actual Calculations may Differ).
ABOUT RENTED BIKES/CARS TO EXPLORE PLACES
Taking a rented bike or a car to travel around goa is the best option for a tourist to explore the place . A rented bike will be more cheaper than cars . it is recommended that you visit GOA only during non-monsoon period because when it starts to rain there , it doesn't stop literally! .There are plenty of car/Bike rental places in Goa . You may google and enquire about the rates and negotiate with them if possible . We hired a bike recently during our trip to goa it costed us 300/- per Day (Morning to night 9pm) . We have to fill the tanks that does not come under that amount. There are wide Varieties of bikes starting from Gearless Activas till Avenger!. Amount may differ , the one which we hired was an activa so he gave it for 300/- .
Now if you calculate the total , it should come around 500*4=2000 (This is for bike rental for 4 days and petrol around 1k , Makes it 3000 bucks)
Places to visit in GOA
An international tourist destination, Goa is fondly called the fun capital of India. A small state in Western India and lying in the Konkan region of the Western Ghats, this place is blessed with exotic biodiversity. From beaches to places of religious significance and to flea markets; Goa has it all. Every aspect of this party hub effuses the attributes of a perfect tourist destination. |
| Zuari Railway Bridge . cortalim,Goa |
Bestowed with moderate climate, the weather in Goa is another major attraction for being salubrious for most times of the year. Live entertainment on the beach, at shacks and on docked ships are perennial features. Music and merriment are a part and parcel of everyday existence.
BEST 50 PLACES TO VISIT : https://www.thrillophilia.com/10-best-places-to-visit-in-goa
10 BEST PLACES TO VISIT : https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attractions-g297604-Activities-Goa.html
168 PLACE TO VISIT IN GOA : https://www.ixigo.com/places-to-visit-see-in-goa-lp-1140521
Rest of the cost depends on you , if you opt for Surfing or Boat tours it might cost a little more That you may check from the above links but apart from that there are several places that you can visit in goa without spending money (apart from Travel and Eating expense I mean).
SO APPROX AMOUNT THAT YOU WILL BE NEEDING EXCLUDING FOOD , TRAVEL AND STAY ALONE IF YOU ARE TAKING A RETIRING ROOM (assuming you are going as 4 in number)
1500 EACH FOR STAY *FOR 4 DAYS* You will be needing 2 bikes so 2000*2 + 2k for petrol makes it 6k totally .
1500 EACH
So around 3K-3.5k You can Have the stay and travel expense if you're taking a bike and staying in Retiring ROOMS .
NOTE : THIS IS JUST AN ROUGH ESTIMATE , ACTUAL CALCULATIONS MIGHT SLIGHTLY DIFFER
Journey Through The Aravali Ranges..
JOURNEY THROUGH THE ARAVALI RANGES
Being the First MG Overnight Journey (After almost 12 Years) I was very excited . There were also two co-railfans along with me in this Journey , Adithya and Sarabha Saaluvesh . This journey was a part of our MG Trip That we made in june-2015 (IZN MG , JP MG and Udaipur) .
Highlights of Udaipur section
The Main Attraction of this line is the Scenery . The line passes through the Aravali Ranges ,Particularly Ride in this MG Express would be a bliss as it crosses the aravali in the evening .
There is only one tunnel en-route ie The ZAWAR Tunnel which is located just before Zawar Station .
There are two crossing for this train enroute , one the 52928/Mewar Fast MG Passenger And The other being the counter part of this train 19944/Ahmedabad Udaipur Express (MG)
The First one crosses at Umra while the second crossing happens midnight at HMT Himmatnagar .
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| The Only Day light Crossing , Crosing the ADI - UDZ PASSENGER |
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| Crossing The Aravali Ranges.. |
The only source of food enroute is the stall @ZAWAR railway station . I would suggest any traveler (Whos willing to take this train) to get the dinner at Udaipur Itself as The Zawar Stall has absolutely Nothing except for tea and snacks .
HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR JOURNEY
-We Encountered smoke coming out of the under carriage part . We quickly informed the TTE who was in S1 (we were in S2) when the train halted for an un-scheduled Halt near ZAWAR . The TTE Informed the Guard and the LP/ALP About this and in return the message was that , they would check the train at ZAWAR since the train was now halted at a no man's zone deep inside the aravali . At Zawar the crew inspected the carriage and extinguished the fire that was coming out of it . We Departed Late from Zawar but still managed to reach HMT On time
-The View of the spectacular Aravali Ranges in the evening with the MG Rake Dancing .
-Parallel Action Outside ADI Railway station with JAT - ADI Express..
Overall The Experience Was Very Good.. This is a must try train :)
PS : This is not a film Review :D . I have just shared my experience in the shortest way I can!
TIME TABLE OF THE TRAIN IS GIVEN BELOW (SOURCE : INDIA RAIL INFO)
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