There is lots of excitement in India with the contrast between fast, modern trains, the rural nature of the country, and the dense population:
Here is the contrast between the rural nonchalance and a high speed train:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9YT5uZKroI
A little grade crossing fun:
Train length is impressive compared to USA
Yes, they are long passenger trains and mostly are powered by just one unit. I find it interesting how the trains are proportioned differently than here. In India, the trains are wider with the 5-foot-gage and not as tall compared to their width as trains in North America. The proportions of the Indian trains are quite apparent when looking at the last car going away with the big X on the end. The amount of human activity around the railroad settings is amazing.
Oddly enough, I got to watch a BBC documentary on the Indian Railways this afternoon….seems they are the largest employer in the world, over 1.5 million employees.
And, the director of the Central Railway that serves Mumbai, (Bombay) stated they move over 6 million people a day on the railways…pretty impressive numbers, although they also have 8 to ten people daily getting killed by trains, most according to the show, are trespassers.
Having been to India, I can tell you that I remember the people being both the most optimistic people you will ever meet, they all seem to be able to find something to be happy about and the most fatalistic people you will ever meet, they all see death as something that is a part of everyday life.
We were there in the early 1970s, and the caste system still ruled the lives of everyone….unsettling how they all accepted their lot in life….I can tell you this, once you have seen how a vast majority of them have to live, you quickly realize there are no really “poor” people in America, you begin to appreciate how truly lucky you are to live here.
Ed,
I have never been there, but I can understand your characterization of the culture and people there. It seems to come across in the videos. What also comes across is the massive population in India.
The excess accident rate seems inevitable, given what I see in the videos. There is that sort of third world nonchalance toward dangerous activities such as hanging on the outside of trains for a ride or walking in front of them until the last second. Here is a video that gives a sense of that dangerous, but happy nonchalance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDvoMCZ_qUI
Pictures of Indian trains covered with people have become famous, but I read that that is not the normal day to day passenger train routine. Instead, it is very poor people moving back and forth between home and their jobs in neighboring countries or distant territories. They travel maybe once a week, mobbing a train, and riding free.