Welcome to JagrutAndJourneys: Projects - Geography - Train - Travel - Food

"JagrutAndJourneys" is all about my journeys and various projects; focusing on Miniatures and Travel. On this blog, I write all about my travel plans, details of the places I visited in the journey as well as sharing my travelling experience with the world; also place to learn about travel geography. Here, mostly you will find information about train journeys as comparing to other alternatives, a rail journey is incredibly scenic, comfortable and reliable way to reach the destination.

Sunday, 17 December 2017

Trip to Delhi and Agra, Experience of the Journey through The Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express, Mumbai-Delhi-Agra tour

A beautiful Journey through Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express, Mumbai-Delhi-Agra trip
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I just returned from a three days trip to Delhi and Agra. It was my family trip, which was fully planned by me. Here on this blog post, I am going to share my experience of the journey through Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains and a tour plan for this Mumbai-Delhi-Agra trip.
Since my childhood, it has always been my dream to travel on The Rajdhani express train to experience the high-speed luxurious journey. This time, I decided to plan my next family trip to Delhi & Agra by train and that day came when we traveled on the Rajdhani (From Mumbai to Delhi) and Shatabdi exp from Delhi till Agra and successfully executed the plan of visiting the famous tourist places in Delhi & Agra. Everyone of us enjoyed a lot each and every moment of the trip i.e. visiting a tourist attractions as per my tour programme, my 1st journey by metro rail in Delhi, journey through prestigious Rajdhani and Shatabdi express trains, sound and high-speed experience of new LHB coaches and luxury treatment during the rail-journey, sightseeing tour in Delhi and Agra, shopping etc. It is one of our best and the most memorable family trips ever!! Please go through below the plan of my tour to Delhi and Agra, this might help you if you are planning a trip to Delhi and Agra by train.

Red Fort Delhi

Day 1: We packed our bags and reached Mumbai Central railway station with our luggage quite early to check the coach position of my train. The rake of the Rajdhani exp was waiting for departure from the platform. The WCAM2 loco came from a shed and got attached to the rake just before few minutes of schedule of departure. We had a seat confirmed in A2 ac 2 tier. In great excitement, We boarded the train, got into our coach and occupied our seats. I sat on the window side so as to enjoy the scenery along the route. A memorable journey was about to start. The loco pilot honked the horn and at around 5 pm, we departed from Mumbai and the journey towards Delhi began. I had a pleasure of listening to my favourite melodious twin-tone horn of the loco. Train picked up a good speed after crossing Parel. We were served morning and evening breakfast and dinner in the train at regular interval. After having dinner, we had been served an Icecream. The train was running at full mps speed. We left Surat around 8 pm. I wanted to view the scenery more on that route but, due to the darkness outside, I could not get a good view out of the window. Hence, instead of looking outside, I started observing the features of new LHB coaches. Our coach was neat and clean and well maintained by the coach staff. One thing I observed that the staff was perfectly trained to manage everything on the train and their service was very nice and punctual. They provided us blankets and bed sheet on time, which were also clean. At that time, our train was hauled by wcam2 upto Vadodara. At Vadodara, wcam2 loco got detached and was replaced by Wap5 to haul the train onwards. After watching the process of the loco change, I went back to my coach and settled down to sleep. Mumbai Rajdhani express is one of the superfast express trains of Rajdhani class of railways and It is one of the best trains in India in terms of its service and time taken to reach the destination and hence, much popular among passengers.

View of the Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

Day 2: After 15hr long journey, We reached New Delhi railway station at around 8.30 in the morning. Upon arrival, we proceeded to check into one of the hotels near the railway station. After freshening up and a delicious breakfast in the hotel, we directly commenced our sightseeing tour in Delhi. We visited Jantar Mantar, Fort, Shopping centres etc. Also, I enjoyed traveling by Metro train from Delhi to Qutab Minar metro station. That was my first journey by Metro rail. Here are some of the best tourist attractions in Delhi: Red Fort, India Gate, Qutb Minar, Lotus temple, Museum, Jantar Mantar, Connaught place which is a well known shopping area in Delhi. I visited most of the tourist places in Delhi.
Best time to visit Delhi: I would suggest you visit Delhi during winter.
On the next day, You can also plan for a day trip from Delhi to Agra for visiting The Taj Mahal and Agra fort. We considered this plan and went to Agra by train on the next morning.

Day 3: Agra tour plan: Board the train (Shatabdi express) in the morning from New delhi railway station and start the journey towards Agra Cantt. Arrive at Agra Cantt. @7.57 am. This train leaves New Delhi at 6:00 hrs and reaches Agra at 07:57 hrs. Book the taxi from the taxi stand outside Agra Cantt. Railway station and start sightseeing tour in Agra. Visit the Agra fort and Taj Mahal by local gov. Auth. Cab. After sightseeing and shopping in Agra, Return to New Delhi by the same train 12001 Shatabdi. From Agra, It departs at around 21.10 hrs for Delhi and arrives at Delhi at 23.30 hrs on the same day. (For more information about train timetable and reservation, please check the official website of Indian Railways). Upon arrival, take an auto from Delhi station to proceed to check into the Hotel for overnight stay in Delhi.

About my tour from Delhi to Agra,
On the 3rd day of the tour, We woke up quite early in the morning, Quickly we freshened up to reach New Delhi railway station to board the train for Agra. An auto was arranged to drop us at the railway station. We reached Delhi Railway station quite early. The coach positions of our train were being displayed on indicators on the platform. The train hauled by WAP series of loco arrived on the platform on time. We boarded the Shatabdi express train from New Delhi and started our journey towards Agra Cantt. I observed that the train has only sitting accommodation and all coaches are fully airconditioned. We were served breakfast on the train. I think, on Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains, all meals are included in the ticket fare i.e. the cost of the food is already included as a catering charges in the fare when you book your tickets hence, you will not have to pay extra for the food during the train journey. Around 8 am, we reached Agra Cantt Railway station. There is a taxi stand right in front of the Agra station where visitors can hire a taxi or cab to visit tourist places in Agra. From there, we booked a prepaid taxi and started our sightseeing tour to visit famous tourist attractions.

The Taj Mahal, Agra

Agra city is situated on the bank of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh, India and it is one of the most visited tourist destinations of India.
Our tour to Agra was to experience the beauty of Agra's monuments, food and shopping. That was our first trip to Agra so we were excited to visit The Agra Fort and The Taj Mahal. I asked our taxi driver to take us to the Agra fort first. After having seen the Agra Fort, now It was time to visit the Taj Mahal. Hence, we proceeded to visit the next destination of our tour but before that, we had our lunch at a good restaurant and continued the journey. We spent good 3 hours at Taj Mahal and headed to Market for shopping in the evening. We had a quick breakfast at a food stall on the way to Agra Market. The moment I entered to Agra Market, I observed many shops of Pethas. Petha is a famous sweet dish food and is available in many flavours, that too in different shapes. After shopping, we headed back to the Agra Cantt. Railway station to start the return journey towards New Delhi by Shatabdi Express. Around 9.10 pm, Train arrived at Agra Cantonment railway station. We got into our coach, occupied our seats and proceeded towards Delhi. That time during the journey by the same train, while returning from Agra to Delhi on Shatabdi exp, We were served dinner on the train at around 9:30. (The cost of dinner is included in ticket fare). Around 11.30 pm, we reached New Delhi railway station. From the station, we took an auto and proceeded to check into our hotel for an overnight stay. Our tour to Agra city has given us a lot of memories and reminded us of our history. I had a fantastic time in Agra by visiting the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. Overall It was a mixed experience. From this tour, we realized that instead of going with the tour operator's plan, you can go through the online travel guide, read travel blogs etc. and you can make your own travel plans so as to have maximum fun and that will be affordable as well as convenient for you.

The Taj Mahal, Agra

Our plan for the next day was to visit the sight-seeing places in the city and after having lunch, board the train for Mumbai from NZM.

Day 4: We spent most of the time of the day in local sightseeing tour and Shopping in New Delhi. We came back to the hotel around 2 pm and went for lunch. After lunch and small nap, we got ready for our return journey to Mumbai by train from NZM. we took an auto (local transport) to reach Hazarat Nizamuddin railway station to board the August Kranti Rajdhani Express for Mumbai. (Schedule departure of the train from NZM: 04.50PM). The train hauled by pure ac WAP loco, arrived at H Nizamuddin station. We boarded the train and occupied our seats. The announcement was being made that the train is ready to depart and after some time, loco honked the horn and the train departed from NZM at about 04:50 in the evening and the journey towards Mumbai started. We picked up speed and were doing around 120kmph. Dinner and breakfast had been served on time during the journey. As I was tired due to continuous traveling, I decided to go to sleep early.

Day 5: I woke up early and sat on the window side to view the scenery. The train was running at good speed. Throughout the journey, we were being served with food and beverages at regular interval. Around 09.45AM, We reached Mumbai Central railway station. I had already booked a cab online to reach our home from the station and our driver was waiting for pickup. Around 10am, we reached our home safely. It was a great feeling coming back home after such a long journey. Here I am sharing some images captured through my cam during my visit to tourist places in New Delhi and Agra

The entrance to The Agra Fort

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Short trip to Agra from Mumbai
Best time to visit Agra: January to March and October to December.
How to reach Agra from Mumbai:
Agra is well connected by railroad with almost all major cities across India.
By Train: Agra has a major railway station i.e. Agra Cantt. There is direct train between Mumbai and Agra. From outside the station, you can hire a taxi for sightseeing tour.
(Note: please go through official website of railway to get details about trains like seat availability, timing of train arrival and departure, train number etc.)
By Road: Approx distance from Mumbai is 1330kms. As there is no direct bus for Agra, you can travel by train upto Mathura or Delhi and from there, take state transport bus or hire a cab/taxi from Delhi to reach Agra as Agra is well connected to Delhi by road.

Mumbai Agra Tour Plan 1: Mumbai LTT -> Agra Cantt -> Mathura -> Mumbai
Day 1: Tuesday
Start journey towards Agra by direct connected train between Mumbai and Agra. Board Lokmanya Tilak Terminus - Hazrat Nizamuddin AC express from Mumbai, that departs from LTT at 14:30 and reaches Agra Cantt. next day morning around 8.
Breakfast and dinner in train.

Day 2: Wednesday
Arrive Agra Cantt. Railway station at 7.55am.
There is tourist cab/taxi stand just outside the railway station. Book a Cab from prepaid taxi booking office and proceed to check into the hotel at Agra and then leave for sightseeing around the city.
1. Visit Taj Mahal / Agra Fort.
2. Shopping
Overnight stay at hotel in Agra.

Day 3: Thursday
After having breakfast in the morning, check out of the hotel and proceed to visit the Agra Fort.
Visit the Agra Fort in the morning.
After having lunch at good restaurant, proceed towards Mathura junction railway station either by train or by road.
Agra to Mathura railway station approximate distance is 60Kms and it takes approximately 1hr30mins by road. By train, it takes approximately 1hr to reach Mathura from Agra Cantt.
Board August Kranti Rajdhani Express from Mathura junction (at 18:30) in order to reach Mumbai. Start your return journey towards Mumbai by train. You can have dinner and next day morning breakfast on the train.

Day 4: Friday
Reach Mumbai Central at 9:45am.

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Weekend tour to Agra from Mumbai
Mumbai Agra Tour Plan 2: Mumbai Central -> Mathura Junction -> Agra -> Mathura Junction -> Mumbai Central.
Day 1: Friday
Board The August Kranti Rajdhani Express from Mumbai Central at 17:40 and start journey towards Mathura by train.

Day 2: Saturday
Reach Mathura Junction railway station at 9:00 in the morning.
Book a cab/taxi to travel from Mathura to Agra and proceed to check-in at the hotel and for sightseeing in Agra. Mathura to Agra approximate distance is 60Kms and it takes approximately 1hr30mins by road.
Sightseeing around the city.
1. Visit Taj Mahal / Agra Fort.
2. Shopping
Overnight stay at hotel in Agra.

Day 3: Sunday
On the third day of Agra tour, After having breakfast in the morning, check out of the hotel and proceed to visit the Agra Fort. Visit the Agra Fort in the morning.
After having lunch at good restaurant, proceed towards Mathura junction railway station either by train or by road.
Agra to Mathura railway station approximate distance is 60Kms and it takes approximately 1hr30mins by road. By train, it takes approximately 1hr to reach Mathura from Agra Cantt.
Board August Kranti Rajdhani Express from Mathura junction at 18:30 and start your return journey towards Mumbai. You can have dinner and breakfast in the train.

Day 4: Monday
Reach Mumbai Central at 9:45am.

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