The Chennai Express

When I (Gareth) was told that I would need to travel to Chennai (formerly Madras) for a few days on business, I thought "great, I'll get to see some more of India"......when I heard we were taking the train, that the train was 13 hours each way, and that we were travelling in third class, I've got to be honest, my feelings were mixed! However, after travelling this way I can honestly say it was a great way to travel. Not only do you see parts of India that would normally be unseen from the road or air, but you also see more of Indian life and the way Indians interact and live. I've put a few photos up on the blog to give you an idea, but I would say that it's not until you have done it for yourself that you really know what it's like.


The train is divided into 4 or 5 different tiers - 3 of which have A/C. The A/C carriages are divided into First (where you get a carpet), Second (where there are 6 people to a compartment) and Third (where there are 8 people to a compartment). I was in Third.

The way the beds work is that during the daytime, everyone sits on the bottom bed as it is used as the seat, the middle bed is stowed away, and the top bunk is used for keeping the blankets/pillows/etc. Once everyone decides to go to bed, the middle bunk (pictured below) is pulled out and attached to the hooks from the top bunk. I was on the bottom bunk on each journey and was suprised how well I slept - it really was very comfortable. You are given a pack which includes two bedsheets, a towel, a pillow, and a blanket.



All throughout the journey, people walk through selling food, drinks, and even pirated DVDs!! Johny and I had bought some food previously so did not indulge in the on-board dining. However what we did have was amazing, and I am now totally sold on the offerings of the Indian bakery.

26 hours on a train was a long time - don't get me wrong. But, because the beds are really quite comfortable you sleep well and the journey flies by. It certainly won't be my last train journey - I have heard that there is one journey that takes THREE DAYS!!!! I'm not quite ready for that one yet.