Delhi to Mumbai by train or Air? WHAT Employees can take note of it!

(Train window Del-Mum view)

Train Travel or Air Travel?

Planes are faster, trains are comfortably fast enough!

Few months ago, my friend Vishal in Delhi told me that he has to go to Mumbai and come back at night to be able to rejoin the office next day. Obviously, in some sense, he was excited that as a newly joined MBA trainee, he has been assigned for a responsible job and required to travel and come back. I asked him, if it was an emergency meeting where one has to dash in and dash out quickly to rejoin the office....his hesitant response was NO.


When he came back after his ONE day 2800 Kms round trip, he told me "You were right" !
I said about what? ( I try to be right in many things J )

"As a responsible citizen, as a responsible and company loving employee, cost conscious in times of cost cutting and giving a more enjoyable relaxing time to myself, I should have taken a 2nd class AC ticket of Rajdhani ! " he said.

Next time he went by Rajdhani Express which leaves Delhi at 5pm.

When he came back after his THREE day 2800 Kms round trip, he told me "You were correct " !
I said about what? (I try to be correct in many things J )

Here is a short comparison and explanation of WHAT?

What?	Train (Rajdhani)	Plane (XYZ)
Start Time	4:30 pm ( Can work half day in office)	Starts around 6 am ( have to start from home at (o4:30 am)
Transit Time	14 hours (good 9 hours sleep, 2 hours work on laptop, 3 hours on eating and enjoying the meals)	2 hours
Port /Station Distance from Delhi central ( same could be assumed at Mumbai)	Approx. 2 kms	Approx. 25 kms
Meals	Yes, they are exciting to have and good past time or change from routine	Not necessary…no frills , sometimes you don't even have an option of buying on board
Cost savings you can show you have done for the company	Rs 4000/- ( Rs 1900*2 +200 (max for station travelling+ collie, if any)	Minimum 7500/- ( 3500*2+ 200*2 for airport transit)
Relaxing coefficient (max 1)	0.8 (get to sleep, on a flat bed)	0.5 (long distance airport transits, sitting chair makes it extremely uncomfortable)
Feeling refreshed coefficient (max 1)	0.7 can resume work better after a good sleep and fresh	0.6, Feels tired at times after rapid rush of transits and quick 2 hour flight
Holidays	2 days literally you can take out …doing India Yatra	Immediately Back to work …feels monotonous
Reaching Time	11 ish in the night	Comfortably 8 ish in the morning