Just like the AF-JP Shatabdi was kinda the go-to for the Shatabdi line, TATA-Brahmapur might be the same for VB. Running a VB through the countryside of Jharkhand is wild. But I guess folks will still hop on it 'cause it'll link Cuttack and Bhubaneswar in a different way, assuming it cuts through rural Jharkhand and skips the KGP loop. It's crazy that TATA and Brahmapur don't have daily trains and the first one they roll out is a VB. That's like giving Lucknow - Raipur a Garib Rath as the main ride between two cities. Just shows IR ain't learned a thing over the years, and when the government changes, the VB will probably end up like the GR, just forgotten. You know what trains the next governments don't cancel, even when the power shifts from British to Indian hands? Mail/Express trains. Tons of overnight express trains have been going strong in India for over a century without any political drama. They could've done the same for TATA-Brahmapur if they actually cared about the regular people. But in the short run, people are gonna have to cough up extra cash, and in the long run, this train might just get axed when the power changes hands. They didn't think about the average Joe at all.

Bilkul waise hi jaisa AF-JP Shatabdi tha Shatabdi tag ke liye, TATA-Brahmapur VB ke liye shayad wahi sabit ho. Rural Jharkhand se VB chalana bilkul crazy hai. Lekin mujhe lagta hai log ise lenge kyunki yeh Cuttack aur Bhubaneswar ko alag alignment se jodega [maante hue yeh rural Jharkhand se chalega aur KGP se nahi loop karega]. Yeh baat mujhe hairaan karti hai ki TATA aur Brahmapur ke beech koi rozana rail connection nahi hai aur pehla train jo unhone dene ka socha wo VB hai. Yeh itna hi badi baat hai jaisa Lucknow - Raipur Garib Rath ko do shahar ke beech primary connection dena. Yeh yeh dikhata hai ki IR ne saalon mein kuch nahi seekha. Aur jab sarkarein badalengi, to VB bhi GR ki tarah bhool jayega, shayad itihas me. Tumhe pata hai kaunse trains jo successive governments nahi cancel karte, chahe power transfer British se Indian haath me ho? Mail/Express trains. Hazaaron overnight express trains India ke across ek century se bina kisi political connection ke chal rahi hai. Agar unhone sach mein aam logon ki parwah ki hoti, to TATA-Brahmapur ke liye bhi waise hi kar sakte the. Lekin na to short term me [kyunki logon ko extra paise dene padenge] aur na long term me [ye train cancel ho sakti hai jab power transfer hota hai], unhone aam aadmi ke baare mein socha.

No way. PNBE to NDLS is like 1000 km. To make it in 8 hrs, the train gotta go about 125 kph on average. The tracks on that route can only handle up to 130 kph. Even if it's quicker than Patna Rajdhani by an hour, that's still 11 hrs of just sittin'. It's not a big surprise. Every rail min wants to roll out something new to leave a mark, but they've all flopped at it. Sometimes, you just need the basics. Maybe, just maybe run a regular Mail/Express train with a decent number of stops, a good mix of GS+SL+AC, and people will jump on it like back in the day.

Impossible yaar. PNBE se NDLS tak ~1000 km hai. 8 ghante mein cover karna hai toh train ko ~125 kph ka average karna padega. Is route pe tracks sirf 130 kph tak hi le ja sakte hain. Agar maan lete hain ki Patna Rajdhani se ek ghanta tez hai, tab bhi 11 ghante baithna padega.

Yeh kuch naya nahi hai. Har rail minister kuch naya laana chahta hai apni legacy banane ke liye aur har ek inmein se fail ho jata hai. Kabhi kabhi, basic cheezen hi zaroori hoti hain. Shayad, sirf shayad ek normal Mail/Express train chalayen jisme achhi stops ho, GS+SL+AC ka acha combination ho aur log phir se uski taraf khinch aayenge jaise purane dinon mein hua karta tha.

Main ek baar CNB se train se Bithoor/Brahmavart gaya tha. Mainne Gomti tak CNB li aur wahan EMU ka wait kiya. Hairan hone ki baat thi, kisi ko pata nahi tha ki kaunsi train jayegi wahan. Shayaad, LKO-CNB EMU ka Brahmavart wale ke saath RSA tha. Kisi bhi halat mein, uss samay train largely khali thi. Agar IR serious hai, toh woh proposed rail line banani chahiye jisme trains ko Farrukhabad side jaane se CNB station bypass karke Ajgain se guzarna padega. Isse time bachega, especially considering ki CNB station jo bhaari traffic se bhara rehta hai, wahan kaafi samay chala jata hai.