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Old 23rd September 2009, 18:18   #16
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That gives way to great idea of a Team Bhp Public Transportation day. Fix a date and all Bhpains will use the public transport where ever they are for a day and report their experiences here.
Is that a good idea ? Least we would be helping the traffic conditions. 50000 of us.
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Old 23rd September 2009, 18:45   #17
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Originally Posted by prince_pervez View Post
That gives way to great idea of a Team Bhp Public Transportation day. Fix a date and all Bhpains will use the public transport where ever they are for a day and report their experiences here.
Is that a good idea ? Least we would be helping the traffic conditions. 50000 of us.
Sounds like a good idea.

I am also hoping that the Bangalore Metro finishes fast. (At least in my life time ) I hope it to be something like Delhi Metro. Have been in that once and Boy that was an experience. I like to drive my car but hate the slow traffic. I would any day travel in Metro for daily commute rather than car.
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Old 23rd September 2009, 18:52   #18
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Originally Posted by Atul-C View Post
Sounds like a good idea.

I am also hoping that the Bangalore Metro finishes fast. (At least in my life time ) I hope it to be something like Delhi Metro. Have been in that once and Boy that was an experience. I like to drive my car but hate the slow traffic. I would any day travel in Metro for daily commute rather than car.
Why only train. We could use buses, if metros aren't in place.
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Old 23rd September 2009, 19:20   #19
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Indeed having a good transport system would have been a fantastic thing for Mumbai.

I have spent a year in Mumbai traveling from Vashi to VT in local train. there are no fast trains on that route and trains used to quite full. Daily commute was one of the big reasons for me to move out of Mumbai.

And as many of you already pointed out about traveling in Europe, I am experiencing it currently. I am in Zurich now and the city which barely has a population of 4,00,000 is being served by trains, trams and buses. And the amazing thing is, in morning and evening hrs. the frequency of most of the trams and buses is 1 per 7 minutes.

Compared to Zurich, Mumbai is 25/30 times bigger, we surely need to improve big time.
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Old 24th September 2009, 02:27   #20
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Originally Posted by ani_meher View Post

The worst thing about the train travel in Mumbai is, you lose your individuality. ....You get free massage daily in trains, only you have to have the mindset to accept it. If you are travelling at odd hours, then the trains are surely a better option. But at peak hours (and for central, the peak hour is from 8-11am and 6-10pm), you better start praying!
These crowds - do they have any other option?

No doubt that the train services and Public transport in general needs to improve by leaps and bounds in Mumbai and also in other metros of India. And we are really awaiting eagerly the launch of Metro.

However, despite the "massage" etc, many a times train travel is still the preferred option compared to the trafic Jams.

Just reminds me of my days in Tokyo, where many prefer train journey for daily commute to work despite the fact that the trains crowds are comparable in those in Mumbai, (seen rail staff Pushing the crowd inside so that the coach doors can close), just due to trafic on roads.
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Old 24th September 2009, 06:49   #21
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If Indian cities are to remain liveable, good mass transit is the only solution. And that is why the European cities are so much more interesting than the ones in the US, that are dull and boring, and in some places, decaying and dangerous. The automobile was invented for wide open spaces.
In my experience the only downside to using good mass transit is shopping expeditions where one has to lug the bags along. For any other purpose, it wins hands down, and allows inner cities to remain pollution free and pedestrian friendly. And to be honest, that is what gives cities character, not streets crowded with flash cars.
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Old 24th September 2009, 10:46   #22
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Indian Railways Fan Club

Going slightly OT: If any BHPians are fans of the railways, I'd request them to check out this interesting website: www.irfca.org
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Old 24th September 2009, 10:59   #23
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Originally Posted by comfortablynumb View Post
Going slightly OT: If any BHPians are fans of the railways, I'd request them to check out this interesting website: [IRFCA] Welcome to IRFCA.org, the home of IRFCA on the internet.
I follow that on a regular basis. They have a mailing list where guys take weekends breaks, take any train to the some small town and come back. They report on all trains they have seen, loco makes etc.

The site is amazing with a huge info DB. The only issue I found was that their forum is not organized. Everything is under one post. How I hope it was more like team-bhp.

Having said that I am a major fan of the rail routes and have checked out most links. Even today me and my dad walk to the nearest station early morning once in a while and spot a few trains before coming back!
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Old 24th September 2009, 11:10   #24
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Originally Posted by prince_pervez View Post
That gives way to great idea of a Team Bhp Public Transportation day. Fix a date and all Bhpains will use the public transport where ever they are for a day and report their experiences here.
Is that a good idea ? Least we would be helping the traffic conditions. 50000 of us.
+1, I like this idea.
We can all choose a day. And on that day we only use public transport.
It could be a train, bus, share auto or helicopter.
But it must be a public transport system.
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Old 24th September 2009, 11:11   #25
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Originally Posted by deepakhon View Post
I recently took a Volvo bus to commute within Bangalore city and I really loved that stress-free travel.
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Work is being done for the Mumbai Metro-rail and I see quite a few full AC BEST buses on the roads.
Good point in bringing up the bus. Question : Are the buses any quicker than travelling by car? I bet not (even in Bangalore whose traffic I have heard a lot about). B.E.S.T. offers an excellent premium air-con bus service in Mumbai. Yet, it does have to travel on the same roads as the cars do, and because of more frequent stops, is slower. Example : Same evening as my example, a bus would have taken 2 hours at the minimum.

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Originally Posted by Sahil View Post
Most of us are used to doorstep drop offs.
Churchgate station is a 30 second walk away from my office. And we can always take a cab home from the station (minimum fare). Or you can have the driver drop / pick up.

[quote=ani_meher;1498133]My experience is quite the contrary of GTO.

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Catching any train from Dadar towards Thane from 6.30 to 9.30 is like challenging Yamdoot.
Hey, I clearly mentioned that the probable reason behind my positive experience was the offpeak hour travel.

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Originally Posted by gomzi View Post
My sentiments exactly. Everytime I visit Singapore or any european capital, I marvel at the public transport. Granted, one thing in their favour is the lack of such dense population as in Mumbai.
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Originally Posted by shipnil View Post
And as many of you already pointed out about traveling in Europe, I am experiencing it currently. I am in Zurich now and the city which barely has a population of 4,00,000 is being served by trains, trams and buses. And the amazing thing is, in morning and evening hrs. the frequency of most of the trams and buses is 1 per 7 minutes.
What about the cost factor? A churchgate - Bandra first class pass costs a mere 300 odd bucks in Mumbai, that's like 5 Euros for unlimited travel in a month! Even with the Metro in Delhi, and when the same is functional in Mumbai, I bet the pricing will be amongst the cheapest in the world.
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Old 24th September 2009, 11:15   #26
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Originally Posted by Gansan View Post
If we don't mind a little bit of walking and a bit of crowds (during peak hours), there is nothing like the trains for stress free travel within the city. I make it a point to use public transport at least once a week and leave my vehicles at home.
See,I am already following this! Let the majority decide the day, and I will adjust mine accordingly. Right now it is Saturday for me.
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Old 24th September 2009, 11:16   #27
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Churchgate station is a 30 second walk away from my office.
C'mon, that ancient lift takes up more than 30 seconds.
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Old 24th September 2009, 11:18   #28
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Originally Posted by Gansan View Post
Right now it is Saturday for me.
What are you serious? Saturdays in Bangyland is pretty drivable. Any Monday would be perfectly fine. Most of the rush is on a Monday.
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Old 24th September 2009, 11:19   #29
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wow- nice experience!
last time we went there, we drove and stayed the night and took 2 whole days. of course we covered Kalahasthi as well which was nice.
But this Volvo option is really good to hear about and is well worth considering for the next visit there!

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Originally Posted by ampere View Post
In fact even commuting by KSRTC Volvo buses (Karnataka) has become an amazing experience. Tickets can be booked online and all one needs is a print out.

The other day me and my friend took a 11'o'clock Volvo from Bangalore to Tirupathi on a Friday night. Reached Tirupathi by 3 in morning, before even we knew. We climbed up the hill in 4 hours, cleaned up in the morning, had darshan in 1.5 hours, and were down back by 12 in after noon.

After lunch when we came to the bus station, we had Volvo waiting for us (chance I guess) for Bangalore.

The best part was when the bus started, a guy came running to catch the bus. He had no reservation and the bus was full. The conductor promptly got up, gave his small seat to him, printed out the ticket through the electronic ticketing system that he was carrying and came to Bangalore all the way standing. I was really impressed both on the service quality as well as the promptness. At least I had not seen this level of service before !

We were back in Bangalore by 7:00 PM on Sat. Lord of Tirupathi in one day by public transport. How is that ?
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Old 24th September 2009, 11:26   #30
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Originally Posted by prince_pervez View Post
What are you serious? Saturdays in Bangyland is pretty drivable. Any Monday would be perfectly fine. Most of the rush is on a Monday.
Not only in Bangy but everywhere!. Saturdays are also more amenable for public transport - less crowds generally. If we fix a day in the middle of the week, the crowds may make the initial enthusiasm wear off very quickly. Asking for Sundays will be too much!

But I am game for any day of the week decided here.
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