Clicketey Clicks - Indian Railway Pictures

WR: Mumbai Central

2010-06-27T16:42:00.001+05:30

My favourite name for an Indian train: The Flying Ranee.

WR: Bandra

2010-03-22T10:00:00.000+05:30

Not Western, Central or Harbour, this is the Washing Line.

CR: Vashi - Mankhurd

2010-01-30T17:33:00.000+05:30

First Class to Car Class.

One of the biggest changes over the last decade and especially in the last 5 years has been the way many people in Mumbai commute. From the shoe size they used to occupy in a crowded local train's first class compartment, an upper middle class, Sea Link worshiping, red light blind, Mumbaikar now occupies many square feet of road space. No more train friends or smelly armpits for them; many Mumbaikars now enjoy their own foul language as they curse fellow road users inside their air conditioned shells.

This also means that people who used to look for homes closer to the railways stations, now look for pigeon holes near main arterial roads or highways.

But if you don't have a car, there's a new option that revolutionizing public transport across India and here in Mumbai: the A/C buses under the JNNURM (Urban Renewal) Scheme. The picture above was taken from a BEST bus made by Cerita.

CR: Harbour Line - Mumbai Suburban Railway

2010-01-12T10:03:00.001+05:30

Class Apart.

When railway gang men who maintain the tracks hop into the 1st Class compartment for a ride to a nearby station, they prefer to squat on the floor.

Wadala Road

2009-11-22T21:01:00.002+05:30

Bandra Terminus (BDTS)

2009-11-21T09:40:00.002+05:30

The main stations and terminals in Indian cities have multiplied according to the growth and needs of the city. In Mumbai, trains on the Western Railway now depart from the more centrally located Bandra Terminus (BDTS) rather than Mumbai Central. On the Central Railway, it's the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Kurla, instead of the iconic Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

It's the same with other Indian cities.

SR: Ernakulam Town (ERN)

2009-10-16T09:46:00.001+05:30

SR: Trivandrum-Bangalore Express

2009-10-15T10:04:00.001+05:30

Upper Berth. Sleeper Class.

WR: Bandra + Goregaon

2009-10-10T10:37:00.005+05:30

Prime location for election campaigns.

Millions use the Mumbai Suburban Railway system everyday. And at peak hours, people from every strata of the society; from stock market players and government employees to daily wage workers and students have to pass through the station nearest to their home or work.

Above: The MNS candidate, Dr Uday Mashelkar, former Principal of Patkar College who is contesting from Goregaon, outside the station, smiling at voters on their way to work.

Below: Congress and SP make their pitch outside Bandra station.

WR: Bandra

2009-10-07T22:07:00.002+05:30

A now familiar name on the Mumbai Suburban Network resurfaces on Platform 1, Bandra.

WR: Bandra (Local)

2009-10-05T21:22:00.001+05:30

After a whole night, and a day of grim, grey rain; the sun casts an eerie orange glow over Bandra Station in the evening, from behind low-hanging clouds.

SR: Kayamkulam Junction (KYJ)

2009-10-02T20:47:00.003+05:30

Travelling Salesman

SR: Kayamkulam Junction (KYJ)

2009-09-25T09:03:00.000+05:30

SR: Kayamkulam Junction (KYJ)

2009-09-24T17:45:00.004+05:30

Alight here for the Hugging Godwoman Mata Amritanadamayi's aka Amma's ashram (poster in the background). And the shopkeeper's frown is not because I'm poking a camera into his shop. That's a permanent expression many shopkeepers in Kerala seem to have. The petty bourgeois smile.

Train in the background: The LTT-TVC Nethravati Express.

SWR/SR: 2257 Garib Rath Yeshwathpur - Kochuveli

2009-09-22T12:14:00.003+05:30

This is the warm golden brown colour scheme of the slightly cramped, yet clean Garib Rath train. The 3-tier air-conditioned bogies (made in Kapurthala in 2008), are designed to carry 78 passengers. The sides have the an extra middle berth that allows the Indian Railways to sell tickets for these trains at a lower rate than the regular 3 tier AC compartments that carry 64 passengers. This SWR run train pulled by a diesel loco from KJM had 16 AC 3-tier compartments and one power car.

CR: Harbour Line: Masjid Bunder

2009-07-10T20:43:00.002+05:30

Bollywood dreams. Just a phone call away.

CR: Kasara-Igatpuri Ghat Section (Thull Ghat)

2009-07-08T11:41:00.005+05:30

As a child, I had read a travel account by Rudyard Kipling (or was it a British official who lived around his time?) travelling from Bombay to the North of India. In that account, he breaks the train journey at Kasara and then makes a backbreaking trek up the hills to a station up in the Deccan Plateau, before continuing the journey. There was no railway line up the treacherous, leech-infested Thull Ghat then.

Ever since, I have always wanted to have a look at this section and compare it to the Pune-Mumbai, Londa-Madgaon, Sakleshpura-Mangalore and theTenkasi-Punalur crossings across the Western Ghats. And this one rocks, especially now in July 2009, with the monsoon in full force.

The track up the Ghat is now powered by 25KV AC traction. Express trains with names like Tapovan and Panchavat,i pulled by 3 to 6 locomotives snake up and down the fog-veiled Thull Ghat.

SWR: Yeshwantpur Jn. (YPR)

2009-01-17T13:20:00.000+05:30

Jumbo Express

CR: Parel Workshop

2008-11-28T17:43:00.001+05:30

Remnant of an old Rail Strike threat.

SWR: Yeshwantpur Jn. (YPR)

2008-10-31T11:09:00.000+05:30

SR: Pamban Bridge

2008-10-24T12:14:00.003+05:30

The double-leaf bascule bridge section of Pamban Bridge. These open up to let ships pass and is part of the 2,065mts. long bridge that connects mainland India (Last stations: Mandapam Camp: MC/Mandapam MNM with Rameshwaram Island: Rameshwaram Stn: RMM)

WR: Malad

2008-10-09T09:42:00.005+05:30

Energy flow on Mumbai's lifeline.

SWR: Bangalore Cantonment (BCN)

2008-10-05T11:01:00.001+05:30

Colonial style

SWR: Bangalore Cantonment (BNC)

2008-09-28T20:36:00.002+05:30

Travellers waiting for the Mysore-SBC-Arakkonam Passenger train (Tr. No: 0101) offer the evening prayer during Ramadaan.

SR: Nilgiris Mountain Railway. Udhagamandalam (UAM)

2008-09-25T19:54:00.004+05:30

6732 Mysore - Tuticorin Express

2008-09-25T09:12:00.003+05:30

Stealing a smoke, next to the loo.

SWR: Bangalore City (SBC)

2008-09-25T09:10:00.002+05:30

Pf 7, SBC

WR: Mahalaxmi

2008-09-25T08:59:00.001+05:30

WR: Dadar (DDR)

2008-09-25T08:52:00.002+05:30

Dadar. The name is derived from the words 'Steps' in Marathi. This station, with two station codes, in the nerve centre of the Mumbai Suburban Rail Network, where the Western and Central Railway tracks run parallel. The Western Railway (WR) code is DDR and the Central Railway (CR) code is DR.

SWR: Bangalore Cantonment (BNC)

2008-09-25T08:46:00.001+05:30

Beautiful red. Porters

WR: Santa Cruz, Mumbai Suburban Rail Network

2008-09-23T17:29:00.004+05:30

WR and Harbour Line(CR) run parallel here.

SR: Chennai Central (MAS)

2008-09-23T17:25:00.001+05:30

Konkan Railway: Thivim (THVM)

2008-09-23T17:07:00.001+05:30

SR: Nilgiris Mountain Railway.

2008-09-23T17:02:00.002+05:30

Nearest station: Lovedale (LOV)
Between LOV and Ketti (KXT)