THE DRIVING GAME

To all intent and purpose there are no rules of the road. To the new arrival travelling by road in Kerala it seems that chaos reigns with vehicles occupying every space on the road in a very haphazard fashion. In fact, there are highway regulations (which I know from having to learn them for my driving licence), but it seems that for most Indians once the driving test has been passed all the rules are conveniently forgotten! Instead driving is akin to participating in a chaotic game of highway chess.

There are essentially four things to watch out for when driving:
1.      Pot Holes – these can suddenly appear even in what seems to be a good road surface. To save their tyres and suspension everyone swerves to avoid them even if this means driving on the wrong side of the road.
2.      Road Humps – why ‘sleeping policemen’ are needed in areas where roads are congested is a mystery as traffic moves so slowly especially during the rush hour periods at the start and end of the working day. Although they are supposed to be marked most are not and can take the driver by surprise and give their passengers a nasty jolt!
3.      Traffic Lights – some of the major road junctions have them, usually positioned above the lanes, but there is no advance warning that they are there and some can be very dim to see.
4.      Traffic Police – many road junctions have one or more uniformed policemen to control the flow of traffic. Unlike the bobbies who used to wear white gauntlets to direct traffic in England, the Keralan policeman uses flailing arms and whistles to stop and start vehicles.

Given these ‘hazards’ the cautious person drives at a leisurely pace watching out for vehicles to front and rear and to left and right. Mirrors are essential, as would be eyes on the back and sides of the head.

Apart from pot holes, vehicles move out to avoid pedestrians and the many animals that share the roads – cows, goats, buffalo, stray dogs. Horns are essential to announce to anybody and everybody that you are there, and particularly when overtaking other vehicles; passing anything that breathes; or on blind bends. In fact, some drivers consider it obligatory to sound the horn continuously. The exception is late at night when full beam is used but without bothering to dip for oncoming vehicles!

Overtaking slow moving vehicles seems mandatory. In doing so you have to move out, look for a clearish gap in the oncoming traffic, check nothing is coming up behind or to either side and then go for it. But then a vehicle may swerve out or a pot hole may suddenly appear so giving a wide berth is essential.  Even then another vehicle may overtake you meaning there can be 3 or 4 vehicles abreast of each other, which can be scary when there is traffic approaching from the other direction!

Roundabouts exist but there is no real concept of ‘give way to the right’ and more often or not vehicles will go around them in the wrong direction! At road junctions drivers have to watch out for scooters, motorbikes, rickshaws and indeed any vehicle joining the road from any side. There is no concept of stopping first and it is assumed approaching traffic will slow down or swerve around them.

Additionally, vehicles will turn around at will, usually involving pulling into the centre of the road before doing so. On dual carriageways U turning vehicles force vehicles to slow down and change lane to allow them to join. As the use of indicators or hand signals is minimal the use of the horn is essential.

Road signs are limited to some of the major junctions and in many urban and rural areas street signs can equally be non-existent. Sat Nav helps but is not always accurate and signal can be lost in mountain areas. Even so it is better than trying to ask directions without any Malayalam. Petrol stations are frequent, and all charge roughly the same price although diesel is cheaper than petrol. There is no concept of self service and attendants fill the fuel for you - just like they used to do in the UK fifty years ago.

Basically, driving on Indian roads is like a game of draughts or chess. You can move in any direction where there is an empty space if it gives you a millisecond of advantage – and this principle is adhered to by all drivers. It is very much survival of the fittest. Tailgating is obligatory!

The biggest menace on the roads are the buses. They are big, solid lumps of metal that are always driven as fast as possible expecting everyone else (sensibly) to make way for them. If they are the King of the Road then the fleets of Toyota Innova seven seater cars favoured by tour companies are the Queens of the Road as they sweep serenely along. Alongside them are the hordes of auto-rickshaws that really are the Knights of the Road, picking their way through the traffic making the most of their mobility if not their speed.

It would be nice to term the heavy goods vehicles, with their brilliantly colourful decorations, as the Bishops of the Road but in reality, they are the donkeys that plod along slowing everything up behind them. The role is taken by the motor cars which are generally piously driven with care and attention.

The Pawns are definitely the swarms of scooters and motorcycles that weave their way between other vehicles with impunity. They are a sight to behold, often with a whole family of two adults and three or four children balanced on them. The irony is that legally only the driver must wear a crash helmet whereas their passengers do not!

With time the shock of travelling on Indian roads wears off as you become inured to the apparent chaos. There are accidents but essentially the ‘unwritten’ rules (based around the official ones) do work and only occasionally is highway stalemate experienced.

THE JOY OF INDIAN TRAINS

Public transport in India is cheap and if you have time taking a train is without doubt the best way to travel long distances across India. Certainly the few journeys we have made have been interesting and mostly enjoyable. Below are our reflections on how to get about by train. Apologies if anything important has been left out!

All the roads between major towns and cities are busy with buses, lorries, cars, bikes, scooters and rickshaws each attempting to as go as fast as possible. Ironically the quicker they try to undertake and overtake each other and to weave around the numerous potholes using the whole road width in spite of oncoming traffic the slower the traffic gets. With trains this is not a problem and even though ‘express’ trains are not especially fast they cover the same distance as roads in roughly the same time.

Comparable speeds and the low prices explain why all trains are full to capacity (and even exceed capacity at times). Each train can be up to 24 carriages in length and each carriage is designated for a particular class of travel.

CLASSES OF TRAIN TRAVEL

These are:

Class Name Berth/Seat	Description
AC FIRST CLASS 2/4 berth	Air conditioned carriage. Most expensive class, with fares that can be on par with airline fares in some cases. It has spacious, carpeted and lockable compartments with a washbasin. Showers and toilets are available at either end of the carriage.
AC 2-TIER 2/4 berth	Air conditioned carriage. AC 2-tier is found on almost all long-distance trains and is slightly cheaper than AC First Class and around 25% more expensive than non-AC First Class (FC). Coaches are air-conditioned with 2 tier sleeping berths, curtains and individual reading lamps. Toilet facilities are available at either end of the carriage.
AC 3-TIER 2/6 berth	Air conditioned carriage. Slightly cheaper than First Class, AC 3-tier is similar to AC 2-tier, but it is more crowded than AC 2-tier, and it lacks the privacy curtains and individual reading lamps found in AC 2-tier. It has three tiers of bunks—upper, middle and lower. Toilet facilities are available at either end of the carriage.
FIRST CLASS 2/4 berth	This is the way the Raj travelled, First Class has mostly been phased out in favour of Air Conditioned carriages. The fare is generally three times the Sleeper (SL) fare. It offers non-AC coaches. Showers and toilets are available at either end of the carriage.
AC CHAIR CAR 2/3 seat	Air conditioned carriage. Generally three times more expensive than Second Sitting (2S), the AC Chair Class is normally found on daytime shuttle or ‘intercity’ trains. There are a total of five seats in a row, three on one side and two on the other side of aisle. Only sitting room is provided, with no standees allowed.
SLEEPER 2/6 berth	Arguably the most popular class of travel, Sleeper has three tiers of bunks—upper, middle and lower. Toilet facilities are available at either end of the carriage.
SECOND SITTING —	The cheapest class of travel on the Indian Railways, Second Sitting has ordinary coaches which have seating arrangement on cushioned seats in two rows of 3 seats each.

Our preference is for AC chair car as the seats are spacious and reclining. Unfortunately they are not available on all services. We do not enjoy sleeper trains which may be pragmatic for long distances but are particularly dark and depressing if you cannot sleep!

There is no denying that the engines, carriages and tracks are showing their age and desperately in need of replacement. That said the rail system manages to function and daily to move millions of people.

BOOKING REGISTRATION

Seats generally must be booked either by a travel agent or yourself. Booking yourself is straightforward once you work out the system. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) is a Government of India enterprise on whose website you can make bookings.

First though you have to register which is relatively straightforward. You have to give name, phone number, email and an address. The system prefers an Indian address and Indian postcode (PIN) so may be possible with a hotel address.

Once registered you are issued a User ID and Password with which to login.

 

BOOKING TICKETS

To book a ticket you need to know which station you want to travel from and which one you want to go to. This can be awkward as there are no railway timetables but online you can find maps, as above, of the rail routes and stations in the different Indian states.

Once you know the start and end of your journey you enter this at the booking page with the date of travel and the capcha letters. This then offers the available trains and the days they run. In the final column is shown the available classes.

Clicking on the train and class of travel brings up the price and availability screen. This shows whether tickets are available for different dates and can be flagged as available to book now or not available at all or tickets may become available by adding your name to a wait list. Spare tickets are issued to wait listed people close to the departure date so not much use unless you can be very flexible. Generally the closer it gets to the date of departure so availability cannot be guaranteed. So book early!

The screen also shows the total cost for the one way ticket per person. Say for this example that we want to book the Kerala Express from New Delhi to Kochi on 25 January 2018 travelling in an AC 2 tier compartment at a cost of 3,415 Rupees (about £43) click on Book Now under the date.

A new screen comes up to enter passenger details – name, age, gender, seating preference. If you are not Indian you do not have the option for a senior citizen discount but you do have to enter your nationality and passport number – which will be checked on the train. There are other options that you can choose from.

Once all the details are entered click the Payment button. Another screen opens up giving a range of options for payment. For foreigners the only option is to click on international credit cards. You enter card details and confirm your address etc.

Finally once payment has gone through you get your confirmation.

You will be sent your confirmation both in an email and a text. It is advisable to take a print out of the confirmation with you as you will be asked for the paper copy or the text message on the train, as well as your passport / ID, as proof of purchase.

You will have to repeat the whole booking procedure for each single journey but eventually you will be ready to travel.

AT THE STATION

At most stations there are only two tracks so it is relatively easy to find your way to the right platform. At larger stations and major junctions you may need to ask which one for your train.

Due to the length of some trains, perhaps over 360m in length, Indian railway platforms are enormous. Gorakhpur, a city in Uttar Pradesh, has a platform measuring 1,350 metres long. This means it can be a nightmare finding your seat or berth if you simply jump on a carriage as you may walk for ages in the wrong direction forcing your way through packed carriages.

Fortunately the stations take pity on the traveller and place boards near the entrance to the platform showing the make-up of the train and which classes of carriage are in what order from the engine. Additional boards may show if trains are running late and there may even be a printout confirming passengers with reservations due to board.

The really useful information is the number beside the carriage as this gives the place to stand on the platform. All along the platform there are numbered signs hanging from the roof. If your carriage is C1 you must stand near position 13 but do remember which direction the train will travel as signs and numbering are different on each side.

Although Indian trains technically run to a schedule this is notional only. The train arrives when it arrives and the delay can be anything from a few minutes to 3 or 4 hours. There are station announcements which are given in at least three languages including English. The one thing you need to know is the number of the train. The Kerala Express is train number 12626 which is how it will be referred to on notice boards and in announcements.

ON THE TRAIN

All being well your carriage has stopped near you and you can make your way to your seat or berth. This can be easy in daylight but after dark the lights are dimmed and the curtains in sleeper cars are drawn. This can make finding your right berth difficult but usually there are train staff or other passengers who will assist.

The facilities for most carriages are a bare minimum. Pillows and sheets are usually provided for sleepers although you may have to ask for them. During the day young men parade up and down carriages carrying canteens of tea or coffee or trays of snacks or ready meals such as biryani or cutlets. At night they disappear so good advice is to make sure you have your own supply of water and snacks. A torch and even a portable fan can be useful to have with you.

Toilet facilities are also very basic. There may be a European style sit down toilet but often it is just squat-type toilets at the end of each coach. Two washbasins are normally available at either ends of the train.

If you are not in an air conditioned carriage fans are available but frequently fail to have much impact especially in very crowded coaches. Most carriages have power points where mobile phones can be recharged.

Security is minimal. Carriage doors are often left wide open to let air in but they can be a good place to stand and see the scenery as carriage windows are often cracked, broken or dirty. Good advice on overnight journeys is to bring a small chain and a padlock to secure your bags beneath a seat or onto the luggage rack. There is never enough room for luggage so travel light if possible.

And finally be aware that there are no on board train announcements as you come into the platform so you have to look out for the station name signs and be prepared to move quickly as trains may only stop long enough to let passengers on and off. At intermediate stations caution must be exercised before nipping off to the toilet or shop as the train may depart leaving you stranded.

Please don’t be put off travelling on an Indian train at least once. It really is a worthwhile experience if only to make the train services at home seem efficient.