hearing the news of Tejas Express running down south in my TN state was a delight to me
boarded the Train from Mdu to reach MS
the train would halt at platform 1 in MDU junction and the doors would be opened around 30 minutes before the Departure time (15.00 PM)
automatic door opening & closing (closes before the train is to leave the...
more... platform)
to move inside the cabin , it has a door which opens based on foot movement around it (censor based)
i booked in CC - it is the usual kind - 3+2 seaters
the leg space is ample between seats
the food table is attached to seat / not in the front (back of the other persons seat) - the table can be comfortably used if and when needed
the push back option is available on the side of seat and not the usual gear type , its actually a button type
there are lamps available overhead , but the train lights are on through out the journey anyways
there is also a call bell switch , if pressed the catering vendors would come to your place
the windows are wide , the screen adjustments for light are switch based to move up / down and for the shield to open/close
there are mobile charging points available to each row - with 2 sockets
you would have a foot rest in the front of your seat
over to the main USP of Tejas - the infotainment TV on boards
nearly half of the TV's had issues starting and were of no use to the passengers
for those ,which worked - it was a great thing to happen
headphones (with 3 mm jack pin) are a must to carry to make use of TV
limited number of video songs , comedy clips and Movies
from Tamil / English / Hindi to choose from
i was enjoying vadivelu's comedy clip and also watched Die Hard movie
more programs will be included in the Future i guess
there was a USB portal which appeared in the front and i had no clue what it was for
the TV's were adjusting to user convenience and had the usual light/sound options which were easy in using (press type)
over to food
when the train started its journey from MDU , before it reached the next stop ie KQN
passengers were offered a newspaper (in random - tamil or english) , a water bottle
snacks were served along with tea / coffee
snacks included - hot samosa with tomato sauce , salted peanuts packet , bar-one chocolate , sunfeast magic biscuit packet
hotwater with nestea packet for Tea - no extra sugar packets needed
once the train departs from TPJ , tomato soup with bread sticks and a yummy small butter sachet is given
once Train crosses VM station , dinner is served - Veg menu as follows
roti and rice with dal fry & panneer masala , a curd packet and a pickle packet
finishing with an ice cream (lazza - vanilla)
The Train reached 10 mins earlier to Chennai Egmore
original ETA - 21.30 PM , & the Actual time of arrival was 21.17 PM
am sure , with some signal issues cleared in between chengalpet and tambaram , also inside city limits the train would reach earlier still
overall it was a satisfying experience in Tejas
the occupancy during Sunday is almost 100% and i heard it is almost 70% during weekdays
personal opinion : Railways can find out some measures to minimize the Cost which can help many others
please make sure if the TV's work well as intended as it would be a big disappointment if it goes wrong
Live TV and GPS , which is in progress shall be so much helpful while traveling if it gets implemented