Train Journey Essay

A train is not just a vehicle. It carries emotion; it carries the joy of moving forward, it carries the thrill of speed. Many times, when we read about any train journey in a book or on the internet, we are told the story of traveling in inter-state trains. However, a local train-journey is not devoid of thrill, adventure and happiness either. There is a thrill of being on time, the adventure of exploring local sites and the happiness of being able to travel comfortably and safely. 

Details of My Memorable Train Journey

Last week I traveled to ____________ from _____________ on a local train. It was my maiden train journey. I had always dreamt of visiting ___________ and too by a Train. I was very excited and had made all the arrangements on the previous night. I woke up earlier that day, had my bath and  breakfast. I prepared myself for the journey I was very excited about, I wore my favorite clothes and took some light snacks with me.  I reached the station at 10 am. Just from the first look at the station I knew this was going to be a very thrilling and adventurous journey. The station itself had many stories to tell. There were so many people- families, office-goers, masons, laborers, vendors, the fruit hawkers and food sellers and so on. All looked so busy, so full of life.  I checked into the station and located the platform where my Train was going to arrive. I reached the particular platform no. and sat on one of the many available benches. There were many people waiting for their respective trains. One train arrived just 5 mins after I reached the platform but that was to a separate destination and my train was coming after that. People boarded that train, it waited for a few minutes and after that it departed. As I was sitting in the station for my train to arrive, I saw many trains come and go at different platforms. A deep realization engulfed me- the trains come and go, the station remains the same.

My Experience of Train Journey

Almost 15 minutes later, our train arrived. The train was pretty new and had a very attractive color combination of maroon and blue painted on it. It had “Made In India” written on it in  big letters and our national flag was painted next to it. I felt very proud about it and got more excited about this journey. Since this was my first time travelling by train, I wanted to experience the moment at its fullest and thus before boarding the train I waited to see how the passengers boarded the train and how people wanted to get in first so that they could sit on a seat. After I was done with my experience, I boarded the train before its departure time. I got into the train and was eagerly looking for a seat so that I could sit.  There was so much rush as it was office hour. At first, there was no seat for us to sit. All those who were standing were trying to get themselves a seat but once we moved for a few minutes, everyone settled with their position in the Train, some got a seat and some didn’t. The train started moving and the station moved backwards. The sound it created as the Train moved was something new to me, I had heard it in the movies and dramas but experiencing it first hand was something very enthralling. I was imagining how this sound was being created as the train rolled on the tracks, the giant size and huge weight of the train could be realized as the train accelerated and the sound got louder. It felt so amazing to imagine that the train was still but the trees and the houses were moving. However, it was hard for me to look out from the window because of the crowd. I still managed to stand near the window and get myself a look outside. There were green meadows somewhere and at some places we could see the concrete jungles, buildings and houses constructed alongside the train track. The beauty of green meadows is what I liked the most and wished we could have more of them, the beauty of nature I experienced in the moving train seemed to be more lively and soothing than the commercial areas. There were different kinds of people in the train involved in distinct activities of their own, some in the groups and some alone. The office goers were the regular commuters, so they remained in their group and talked about politics and the sports. The women in the train were sitting and wiping the sweat off their faces. I saw two senior citizens. They were standing. It felt good to see that some of the passengers offered their seats to those two people. However, there were some rowdies too in the train who were standing near the door and were blocking the entrance. People were finding it hard to enter the train because of them. 

As two or three stations passed, the crowd in the train became thin. Now, I can enjoy the journey. I got a seat. The typical sound of the train moving had a rhythm to it. It felt musical. While seated, I could feel the rhythm of the moving train in a better way. I grabbed the snacks I had with me and started to enjoy the journey. Outside the window, I could see the meadows, the houses, the cows and goats. The train was moving at a decent speed and the air from the window brushed my face. It felt good in the sweltering heat. There was a couple sitting on the opposite seat. They had a 5-year old daughter traveling with them. Somehow, the family and I started a conversation and it felt good to meet new people.

I talked to other people in the train as well and they told me about the conveniences the train travel gives them over taking a cab or driving a car themselves. They also explained the difficulties they face in the Train travel like rushin the train, delays in the train timing, cancellation of trains at times and inadequate  seating capacity of the trains. But most of them were very happy with the new trains, people explained that these trains were more comfortable and affordable to them and also the cancellation and delay problems were very less with the new trains.

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While I was on the train, many hawkers boarded the compartment. They were selling different kinds of things. Some were selling toffees and snack items, some were selling files and copies, some were selling perfumes and so on. The speciality of these local train hawkers was, they can outshine any advertisement-writer with their own sales-pitch. Their sales pitches were not bland and dry. Some sang songs, some imitated the politicians while selling things. They had a very distinct sense of literature. 

At this point I realized how different forms of employment were generated by introduction of railways and I couldn't even imagine the number of families that were dependent on the trains for their livelihood. I also got to know the fact that Indian railways is the largest employer in India and employs about 1500000 people. The hawkers were changing frequently, they boarded at one station and unboarded after a few stations. Then new hawkers came in at that station and the cycle continued.

There was one thing that I wish I had not experienced. Apart from the green meadows and huge constructions that I saw from the windows, I also saw countless huts and tin-shade houses. There were many slums that were present beside the rail line. The poverty all around was disheartening to see. I could see the children living in these huts and tin houses, somewhere playing and some were helping their parents in doing their work. I wished that they could go to the school and get education so that they could be earning good and could then help their parents and build themselves decent houses. I promised myself to help these poor people when I start earning money.

The train was about to reach my destination station, the rush had again built up and I thought of going near the exit so that it would be easier for me to unboard. I prepared my bag and offered my seat to another person who was standing near my seat. As the train stopped at my destination station, I got down. After leaving the station, I felt like I was living on another planet for the past 40 minutes. It was not a train journey. It was an epiphany.