Review of 22498 Tiruchirapalli Shriganganagar Humsafar exp:
Coach - B16, Bangarapet to Hanumangarh. DOJ - 1 feb 2019
1. Features - No humsafar features except CCTV and info screen at both ends of coach (many of which don't work. And obviously the HS vinyl is wrapped on normal LHB coach.
2. Cleanliness & Maintainance - OK. The train is clean on first day...
more... (as seen at Bangarpet) with exteriors not being spic and span but interiors are OK. The bedrolls are kept at the seats and if not ask for it from the attendant or take from any other seat. The bedrolls are clean. The OBHS is quite lazy and cleans the coach only twice in whole journey and that also once on 2nd day and once on 3rd day. At Ahmedabad, the vestibules and toilets are cleaned by station management.
EDIT - In toilets no availability of tissue paper or handwash. Hand towels have to be asked for separately.
3. Food - Excellent food but lacks variety. Same veg thaali costing rs 100 in all meals. Other items on sale are papad (2 for 20, no single piece, have to take two), samosa (2 for 20), bread butter and cutlets (rs 30). Bread butter and cutlets were excellent, looked freshly prepared in the pantry and piping hot. Food is more than satisfactory in this train. Lunch/Dinner menu - 3 big chapatis, rice, daal, paneer veg, semi dry aalo matar/gobhi, pickle, salt.
4. Punctuality - Punctual till Palanpur. After that gets late by around 1hr 30 min to 2 hr and that continues till Shriganganagar.
5. Sightseeing/Railfanning - Runs through a beautiful route. If the traveller is a railfan, then on 2nd day wake up early and you will be prized with the train negotiating the famous daundaj curve. Then comes the sunrise in shindawane ghats. Take a break at Pune and proceed to look out for the Bhor ghats. Both shindawane and bhor ghats are worth waking up early. You will get really nice views. On third day, train enters Rajasthan's Thar desert and if you like this vegetation then you will not regret taking this train. The bikaner shriganganagar road (an excellent tempting black tarmac) runs parallel to the tracks. As you approach closer to Hanumangarh, vegetation changes from yellow to green (you will think you are in Punjab), all thanks to Indira gandhi canal which the train crosses just before Suratgarh jn.
6. Charging points - Since its a normal 3ac coach only 3 charging points are present in compartment of 8 berths. Most of them (around 9/10) working perfect.
7. Security - No RPFs, no strict attendants. But sometimes thats a boon too as normally this route is safe enough and doorplating can be done in areas to look out for like daundaj, shindawane, bhor, etc.
EDIT - The CCTVs are in working condition and worked throughout the journey.
All in all, the journey will be very nice with no disturbance as its a full AC train . Only thing it lacks is the humsafar features and lazy OBHS.
