Sunsets, Goats and Thieves: An Epic NFR Trip [Part-1]

 

My phone’s alarm rang as I rubbed my sleepy eyes to shut it up. Climbing out of my bed, I took a look at my roommate, fast asleep on his bed. He would live life as it was for us, NLU Kolkata law boffins - stressful and mundane. After getting ready, I picked up my rucksack and headed for the door, from where I walked to Chingrighata bus stop. After changing buses at Ultadanga, I finally reached Kolkata station, where my epic journey to the eastern frontiers was to begin.

My train, the 12363/ Kolkata – Haldibari Intercity Express, was to leave at 9:05 AM, and here I was on a deserted Platform No. 1 at 8:00 AM. Dumping my bag on a bench near the sad-looking Comseum, I bought a bottle of juice and two chicken patties. A few EMU services operating on the Circular Railway passed by. Bored out of my wits, I stared at a couple of station dogs trying to tear each other to shreds. Having made a bet on a particularly violent dog, I was glad to see the ICF rake of the Haldibari Intercity pulling into Platform 2. The rake was a Utkirsht one, with a few Jan Shatabdi coaches thrown in. Using the ramp near the parcel office to cross the tracks, I found Beliaghata WDS6R 36119 getting decoupled from the consist. The loco clearly wasn’t in the best shape, with a rusty body and white smoke pouring out of the exhaust despite idling. Making my way up the platform, I found my 2S coach and tried to get in, only to realise that the doors were still locked. After waiting for the doors to be opened, I entered the dark and musty coach. Using my phone flashlight, I found my seat, pushed the shutters up and settled into what I thought would be my spot for the next ten hours. A few minutes later, the lights were turned on, and the coach was soon brimming with passengers. I went to the front to check the locomotive for the day and found Howrah WAP4 22575 getting ready for the long haul to Haldibari. When I returned to my seat, a man pounced upon me, asking if I could exchange seats. After being told that his seat was a window one, I agreed and moved to the back. After trying it out on the Kota Jan Shatabdi, I noticed that the seating arrangement was in the bench configuration, which I wasn’t a big fan of. The padding wasn’t too bad, though.

At 9:05 AM, the Intercity departed from Kolkata. After a crawl through the Kolkata suburbs, we sped up after Dankuni, hitting our MPS of 110 km/hr and maintaining it till Shaktigarh, where we were let a P7 hauled LHB express overtake us. We reached Barddhaman five minutes late. Departure was quick, though we slowed down near Khana Jn. to use the massive loop to join the line to Ahmadpur. After crossing the Delhi – Howrah Mainline, the Intercity overtook a WAG9 hauled coal consist at Jhapater Dhal. On our way to Bolpur Shantiniketan, we crossed the Howrah-bound Kaviguru Express and the Rampurhat – Barddhaman MEMU, which had been replaced by an EMU that day. After an unscheduled halt at Banpas, we entered Bolpur at 11:18 AM, a full five minutes late. Bolpur Shantiniketan has a lovely station building, with what I think are lamp holders dating back to the days of the East Indian Railway stuck on the walls. After Bolpur, we maintained our maximum speed all the way to Rampurhat, with the train crossing the Mayurakshi River at Sainthia and crossing with the New Jalpaiguri – Howrah Shatabdi and Tebhaga Expresses.

With a rapidly building delay, we reached Rampurhat, where most passengers got off. The coach was really empty now. From there, it was a quick jaunt to Pakur, our first and only stop in Jharkhand. A few passengers got off here as well. Departure was quick, with the WAP4 putting in all its might to accelerate out of the station and past the largish yard. A few minutes out of Pakur, we were detained at Gumani for twenty minutes. Gumani is a lovely station with a station building built on stilts and with fruit trees around. After receiving a green aspect, we departed towards the highlight of the section – the Farraka Barrage.

We left the Tinpahar line at Boidanga and headed on the newish (built in the 1960s) line towards the Barrage. I noticed a few flats around the railway line, which seemed to be built by the Farakka Barrage Project Authority. It was interesting to note that the apartments, which were in the middle of nowhere, looked exactly the same as the Central Government pool flats dotted around Salt Lake in Kolkata. Talk about uniformity! We finally reached Malda Town, where my lunch, which I had ordered through e-catering, awaited. I had ordered a dish from Domino’s Pizza that sounded like a cross between pizza and pasta. I opened it to find a measly portion that, at most, could be regarded as a snack rather than lunch, though it tasted pretty good.

Harischandrapur came and went. At Mukuria Jn., we encountered two WAG9s as they hauled a BOXN consist toward Katihar. The sun began to set around this time, and I became quite philosophical, as I dreamt about the days when YPs and YGs ruled the rails of the Northeast Frontier Railway. The MG alignment was quite prominent and easy to make out. The train was nearly empty, with only a few people bound for Kishanganj and New Jalpaiguri on board. We skipped Barsoi at speed, with the MG and BG embankments for Khempur curving sharply away. It was already dark, and the shutters and windows were down. We finally arrived at New Jalpaiguri at 19:20, 35 minutes late. Getting off, I bid farewell to the Intercity as it departed for Haldibari. Feeling tired, I found the check-in area for the dormitory, where I confirmed my booking and trudged up a series of stairs and passages to find the dormitory. Each dorm had about eight beds, which were fairly comfortable, though the bogs were absolutely rank. After scrounging down a pretty average tasting non-vegetarian thali at the Comseum outlet, I returned to my retiring room where I called my parents and conducted a complete debrief of the day.

Turning my mobile data off, I fell asleep, dreaming of the trip ahead.