Hyderabad Limited

In Mexico, very sadly, there are no trains to speak of (except Chepe on the Sierra Tarahumara, but it's different, it's a tourist thing), so other than the one at the zoo I don't remember taking many trains before I lived in Switzerland for a year (almost ten years ago!). During my time there I traveled a lot by train and since then I find it very exciting. There is something romantic to it, and it is very comfortable. You don't have to worry about traffic, or other cars, you can just sit back and enjoy the scenery. And I especially like overnight trains, so I was very happy when I heard I was going to Hyderabad, where I'll be living until mid-August, by train. My first train ride in India! Chennai-Hyderabad, 17 hours, III AC.

Trains in India were developed by the British starting in the 19th century. The Governor General at that time, after analyzing proposals for a rail system, came to the conclusion that the East India Company should assist private capitalists who sought to setup a rail system in India, regardless of the commercial viability of their project (solving the coordination problem!). The British government encouraged the setting up of railways by private investors under a scheme that would guarantee an annual return of 5% during the initial years of operation. Once completed, the company would be passed under government ownership, but would be operated by the company that built them.

The system grew until the Great Depression and WWII (almost 85% of the railways today were laid before independence). By 1947 the network was in very bad state. Almost half of the railways passed through Pakistan and had to be rerouted. The system was consolidated in 1951 as Indian Railways and is an important source of revenue for the government. It is one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, transporting over 18 million passengers and more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily, has more than 1.4 million employees, services 6,909 stations and covers more than 63,327 km (equivalent to going round the equator 1.6 times). It is very impressive that even with the many low costs airlines that fly all over the country the trains are still so used and prosperous.

The train I traveled on, the Kacheguda Express, was very comfortable. I was in 3rd class AC and paid 16 USD. Many families were in the car. The train left in the afternoon, so we had many hours to see the scenery and enjoy the ride. At different stops people come on the train selling water and sodas, candy, and you can order dinner that will come on the train at a designated stop (I didn't know this, so I had only crackers for dinner :( ) I got to see some very beautiful stretches of rural areas that I tried to photograph with litttle success. The car attendant found it very curious and told me on numerous ocassions to be careful or I would fall off, which was very funny since I was 2 feet away from the door. I slept very well (I was well prepared with ear plugs and eye mask) and woke up with enough time to enjoy the morning air before reaching HYD. It ran a bit late, but nothing too serious. At the station, Bala, the office boy (who deserves a post of his own) was there to meet me. I had arrived. My internship project awaited.