About six years back I was traveling from Chennai to Calcutta en route Guwahati in Assam. My train was to reach Howrah at about 1130 and my connecting train from Howrah to Gauhati in the Northeast was at 3:20PM. I thought there was sufficient time between the two trains, enough even to go to a favorite egg roll joint in town. Unfortunately my train from Chennai was delayed by about 4 hours when it started from Chenna Central. And, well, at 1:3.PM when we reached Kharagpur it was still running late by 4 hours. And we were expected to reach Howrah at 3:30PM. My train to Guwahati was to leave at 3:20PM. I could now only hope now that the connecting train would be delayed. Even then Howrah station has 23 platforms. My train from Chennai being SER (South Eastern Railway) and the Guwahati train being ER would likely be in two platforms on opposite ends of HWH station complex far from each other. Plus Kolkata's Howrah station being a terminus, there are no overhead bridges to go from one platform to another. One had to go to the beginning of the platform (near the station exit) and then walk to the other platform and... You can imagine it. Then I thought. Until about half a km from HWH station, both eastern railways and SER run next to each other. After that SER goes West while ER goes North. So there was one last hope. I hoped that before reaching HWH station I could spot the Guwahati train, in which case I could alight from my train, cross the tracks (remember 23 PFs) and climb up the other train. Guess what!! At around 3:25PM, when our train was slowly edging into HWH station, I spotted the Guwahati train about 4 tracks away slowly moving away from HWH in the opposite direction. I had my backpack on my back.
I slowly climbed down, then walked across the tracks. It was monsoon season and there were puddles of water. I stepped over them gingerly constantly look at the two trains and to see if any other trains were coming on the tracks that I was crossing. Luckily there were no other trains. In my hurry, one of my slippers got loose. I didn't wait to retrieve it. The Guwahati train was now picking up speed. It was now about 10 to 20 seconds since I had alighted from the Chennai train.
When I was very close to the Guwahati train, I realized one more thing. The vertical steel bars that you hold on to near the door is more than 6feet above the ground. I had to jump up into the moving train ensuring that I should catch those steel rods. Luckily I did. I was on the steps of the train holding on to the rods tightly. The door was locked. I knocked on the door - a passenger was kind enough to open the door for me. The compartment that I got into wasn't the one in which I was alloted my berth. I walked to my compartment, got into my seat, locked my backpack and then went to the toilet to clean myself up wearing only the one slipper I had on, the other still lying somewhere between the platforms. Later at night a young guy lent me his extra pack of old slippers. In subsequent trips I always packed an extra pair of light weight slippers. No vendor sells slippers on trains or at stations.
I noticed one interesting thing after I got into the Guwahati train. It was only about 2 minutes since I had got out of the Chennai train. The features of people in the two trains were starkly different. Wow.
About a month back when I was returning from a short trip something happened in train. I was standing near the exit door of my compartment after we crossed Vyasarpadi. As the train neared Basin Bridge a gentleman asked me to move back so he could alight at that station since the train was moving slowly, it being an express train it wouldn't stop at Basin Bridge. He got down and slipped and was falling backwards towards the crack between the train and the platform. I caught him with my left arm and wrapped my left hand around his neck and pulled him back into the steps of my train (I was holding on to the train with my right hand). People behind me were loudly telling me to leave the man and that he would pull me down with him.
The man got his balance with my help, got into the steps of the train and then alighted into Basin Bridge platform easily now since the train was moving very slowly. He didn't look back or say anything. He kept walking. This incident is kinda similar.
Anyway.. It was like a movie scene - actually both the incidents were so... I was wondering. I usually only observe and never do anything heroic in life. Do i become a different person when I am in a train?
A lady RPF constable saved a passenger from getting run over on the tracks: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/rpf-woman-constables-quick-action-saves-commuter-from-being-crushed-under-train-at-chennais-egmore-station/article65356145.ece/amp/
I was reminded of myself when I read this on Apr 26, 2022.
This post was typed on a phone.
Additional reading:
- Kabhi Jaisalmer Kabhi Naa: http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2010/08/colored-eyes-golden-buildings-and.html
- http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-weekend-budget-trip-to-rameswaram-rmm.html
- http://vbala99.blogspot.com/2014/04/going-on-trip-tips.html
- https://www.google.co.in/amp/www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/woman-dies-after-falling-from-train/article22839828.ece/amp/
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