"Our train does not seem to be a priority for anyone... Look, it's late again today," said Kalu Ram, as he stared out of the window of the Delhi Express Special train on an early October morning.
The train on its way to Delhi - had unceremoniously halted at New Ghaziabad at 6.53am for 10 minutes, delaying Kalu Ram and hundreds of other passengers, yet again.
The 50-year-old is a safai karamchari, who lives in Meerut and works in Delhi, and has been taking the Delhi Express Special train for 20 years. Each morning, he leaves home at 5am, and gets to work at Mandawali in Delhi by 9am.
There are seven trains from Meerut to Delhi, three of which leave in the morning, serving as a lifeline for those working in the capital.
Of the ₹15,000 Kalu Ram earns each month, he spends ₹359 monthly on the train commute, and spends over four hours on the train, and another hour on the road. "I lost out on so much time with my children when they were growing up because of the commute," he recalled.
The swanky RapidX corridor, a part of which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 20, is however set to change this. For now, the train, which started operating on October 21, covers 17 km, from Sahibabad to Duhai Depot: a speed of 160 kmph. According to National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), the total footfall for the day on RapidX was close to 10,000 on October 21.
By 2025, the full 82km stretch from Meerut to Delhi will be covered by the rapid train. This is expected to reduce travel time for Kalu Ram to less than an hour, but it is likely to cost him over three times more money than what he pays for a ticket on the current route.
"I want to take a faster train, but I also want to save money so that I can buy my grandchildren some goodies," said the 50-year-old.
Kalu Ram has not yet taken the Rapidx train from Duhai to Sahibabad.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Indian Idol ki Star Kalakar Sneha Shankar leaves everyone teary-eyed with her soulful performance
SNEHA SHANKAR'S JOURNEY ON INDIAN IDOL BEGAN WITH HER WINNING THE COVETED PLATINUM MIC
Irish-Persian vlogger refutes Delhi's 'Dirty' reputation in viral post
Irish-Persian Instagram vlogger, Sean Hammond, has gone viral with a post defending Delhi against claims that the city is \"dirty and dangerous.\"
Gems from a Guru, who transformed the Gram
One who points his finger not to the world but the heaven to say that \"someone is taking care\" ought to be god-fearing. But if the person adds that he's \"doing his bit here (on earth)\" then he's certainly a karmayogi.
KNITWEAR RENAISSANCE
As temperatures drop, step up your knitwear game. From playful patterns to exaggerated silhouettes, there's a 'fit for every mood and occasion
Thela lagane ke din aa gaye thhe: Rajesh on acting hiatus
It is a year of milestones for Rajesh Kumar. As the actor clocks in 25 years of his acting career, his popular show Sarabhai vs Sarabhai recently marked its 20th anniversary.
I am either winning or learning, nothing is a failure for me
One hardly expects an established actor to go back to school and live the student life, but Harshvardhan Rane never liked adhering to the norms. On International Students' Day today, he tells us, \"My biggest strength is that I don't have the 'log' of 'log kya kahenge' in my life.\"
SANA SULTAN CALLS HER NIKAAH AT MADINAH 'DIVINE INTERVENTION'
One day, I said 'Wazid ji, can we have our nikaah in Madinah?' He said, 'Isse behtar kuch ho hi nahin sakta'. SANA SULTAN, Actor
I'll be watching Karan Arjun with my son, says Aasif Sheikh
With his 1995 hit Karan Arjun set to be re-released on November 22, Aasif Sheikh is on cloud nine.
I would love to work on Chammak Challo 2.0: Akon
Akon's connection to India and Bollywood runs deep. As we sit down for a tête-à-tête with the Senegalese-American singer on Friday at the Cherry Blossom Music Festival in Shillong, he reveals he's ready to make his \"Bollywood comeback.\"
'I HAVE SIGNED UP WITH AN AGENCY IN LONDON'
Parineeti Chopra talks about expanding her artistic horizons in the UK
