A more or less okayish train to travel from Howrah to New Jalpaiguri....if you stay at Siliguri or are to spend the night over there....
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Some tips and observations from my side during my journey in this train on 30/05/2019....
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Cleanliness:...
more... 4/5
The OBHS were good and cleaned the train thoroughly continuous number of times. Also, the toilets were in very good condition, although the water in one of the coaches got finished after crossing Rampurhat.
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Punctuality: 2/5
The train gets heavily delayed (especially after Malda Town) and often reaches New Jalpaiguri delayed by an hour atleast. I was lucky that during my journey it was delayed by only 40 minutes.
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Food: 5/5
The food served in this train was one of the best I have had till date, even better than the food in the Rajdhani. It was served hot and the amount was just correct (so correct that I had two lunches for the day, one from home and another one on the train. Even my dad and sister who had food poisoning the day before were glad to take the food of the train, as it was too delicious).
NOTE: Even though the train departs from Howrah at 2:15 in the afternoon, lunch is served right after the train crosses Dankuni, a unique feature of this train.
Along with this, snacks, dinner starter and dinner are also served (menu updated in the train page).
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Ticket Availability: 4/5
As this train reaches at a very odd time at New Jalpaiguri, so people tend to not prefer this train over the numerous overnight trains available. Thus, this train is your last hope to get tickets during the peak season.
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Railfanning: 1/5
There are plastic semi-transparent vinyls pasted on the windows, blocking your view of the outside. So, the only way to solve this problem is to go at the door or peek through the upper portion of the bathroom window.
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Safety: 5/5
1. The AC Seating Area and the Non-AC Exterior Entrance Lobby are separated by sliding doors which close automatically if no one holds them by force. Thus, children can easily play within the AC Seating Area without any fuss.
2. The right-hand side door (if you are facing the direction of travel of the train) will remain closed for the entire leg of the train's journey once it departs from Howrah. This area is used for storing the on-board food served during the meals. The other door is opened at halts and is used for boarding and de-boarding.
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HAPPY JOURNEY !!
