Railgarion ki Devi, Nanda Devi AC ko pranaam - Sunaina Malhotra

Shirdi temple is like 3km away from the railway station. Usually, the small auto rickshaws will charge you about 100 rupees for 4-5 people. But those bigger APE autos may charge you up to 150 rupees for 8-9 people. If you're in a group, you can try bargaining for 20 rupees per person. Before getting into the auto, make sure you confirm your destination in Shirdi. With this fare, you can ask them to drop you off at any hotel or location where you made a reservation in advance. These auto drivers might try to mislead you about the hotel's location or prices. They might say that the hotel you booked isn't good, far from the temple, or expensive, and then they'll take you to hotels where they'll get a commission. If you want accommodation in Shirdi, you can book in advance through the Saibaba Sansthan website. They have rooms starting from 200 to 1200 rupees. The rooms in Dwaravati Bhaktinivas are good and clean, and they start at 500 rupees. If you can't book a room online, you can go for private hotels or guesthouses in Shirdi. If you're looking for a room on a low budget, you can try the Kotegalli or Chavadi area. The room rents there start from 300 rupees. It's very close to the temple but a little far from the main road, so you'll have to walk. Alternatively, you can check out Kankuri road, Pimpalwadi road, or Hedgevar Nagar for good budget hotels starting from 500 rupees. Personally, I prefer staying in Kankuri road or Pimpalwadi road. There are also many hotels on the highway, but they can be quite noisy and disruptive. Just go straight to any hotel and you'll get the best rate. In Shirdi, these touts and auto drivers will try to misguide you, so be careful.

Don't even think about catching the connecting train from DDU with this MEMU, bro! DDU folks don't let this MEMU in before 4am because it's got a partnership with 03384 DDU-GAYA MEMU. This one leaves at 4am! So, if you're trying to avoid unnecessary parking drama, just hop on any express train instead and avoid this MEMU. It's always reaching DDU super late, like 4-5 hours, every single day.

Agar tuhe DDU se judne wale train leni hai aur is MEMU se jana hai toh kabhi bhi ye galti mat karna..!!!!
DDU Divison DDU mein iss MEMU ki entry ko 4 baje se pehle mana kar deta hai.
Iska RSA Partner 03384 DDU-GAYA MEMU 4 baje chali jati hai.. isiliye ECR ko kahi par bhi khada hone se bachane ke liye, DDU ye train subah 4 baje kareeb le leta hai taaki 10-15min ka rook lagake wo 03384 Gaya MEMU ke taur par chali jaye.
Toh DDU pahuchne ke liye, kisi bhi express train ko lo aur ye MEMU mat lena, ye har din DDU 4-5 gante der se pahuchti hai

12138 Thane par rukti hai jab aati hai. TT mein rukne ki jagah dikhayi nahi deti.
Par 12137 Thane par nahi rukti hai.

The AC coaches were cleaned a couple of times last time I traveled, but the SL coaches were in bad shape. Many people are from Ayodhya Jn. Food orders are taken by vendors on the train, but the quality is not great. Sometimes, especially in Bengal, people selling idli come on the train, which is much better. Tickets are pretty easy to get on this train because the starting and ending stations are small. The train speed is slow due to various reasons, but the loco reversals are cool for train enthusiasts.