Author name: S Anand

Punctuality of Bombay trains

12:05 Churchgate

Hmm, maybe it’s not just the London and Tokyo trains you can set your watch by. On the way back from my trip to Ullas Nagar, I was sitting at the Bandra station waiting for the 12:05 to Churchgate. (That’s 12:05AM — as in the middle of the night.) The train was late, and I was enjoying the last of my plum cakes on the platform.

Two old people clad in khadi strutted in, and looked at the display. It said “12:05 C”. The older one said, “Heck, we’ve missed the train. Let’s go to the next platform.”

“No, we couldn’t. It says ’12:05 C’. The train’s coming,” says the “younger”.

The older one purposefully turns towards the big clock on the station, points to it, and says, “Look. It’s 12:10. The 12:05 train has left.” End of argument.

Maybe there’s something to be said for the punctuality of local trains in Mumbai, after all.

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