There’s something oddly beautiful about not being in a hurry.
In a world where everyone wants to reach faster, board quicker, skip lines, and save time, train journeys still exist like a soft rebellion. While flights promise efficiency, trains quietly offer something far more human — the feeling of truly travelling.
Because sometimes, the best part of a journey isn’t the destination. It’s the chai at a random station. The changing landscapes outside the window. The strangers who somehow become part of your story for a few hours. The silence between tunnels. The slow passing of time.
Air travel gets you there.
Train travel lets you feel it.
1. I don’t think flights ever gave me memories the way trains did.
Flights gave me destinations. Trains gave me stories.
Growing up, some of my happiest journeys began with giant steel trunks, overpacked bags, my mother carrying snack boxes “just in case,” and one simple sentence that instantly made me excited:
“Train miss naa ho jaye.”
Those long journeys to my grandmom’s house never felt tiring. In fact, the journey itself felt like a vacation before the actual vacation even began.
I still remember sitting by the window for hours, watching the city slowly disappear into green fields, tiny villages, rivers, and endless tracks that felt like they were leading somewhere magical. Somewhere between sharing chips with cousins, playing antakshari, and fighting over the window seat, time used to pass differently.
Slower | Softer | Better.
2. The Magic of Railway Platforms
There was always something special about platforms during long train journeys.
The moment the train stopped, everyone suddenly became active.
“Chai loge?”
“Water bottle lelo.”
“Kitna time rukegi?”
And somehow, getting down at every station felt compulsory even when there was absolutely no reason to step out.
I remember standing near the train door holding a packet of hot samosas while watching people rush around the platform. Vendors shouting, children sleeping on shoulders, the smell of chai mixing with rain sometimes, it all felt so alive.
You don’t experience moments like that at airports.
At airports, people avoid eye contact.
At railway stations, stories quietly exist everywhere.
3. Train Windows Raised Me
There’s a different kind of peace in staring outside a train window.
Not scrolling.
Not refreshing notifications.
Just watching the world move.
I’ve spent hours looking outside without getting bored once. Watching sunsets disappear behind mountains. Seeing random stations with names I can never forget. Counting tunnels. Waiting for bridges. Watching people wave as the train crossed their towns.
Sometimes I think train journeys taught me patience before life did.
Because trains don’t rush you.
They let you sit with your thoughts.
4. Flights Feel Efficient. Trains Feel Personal.
Flights are convenient, yes.
You board, wear headphones, land, and leave.
But train journeys feel personal.
I still remember sharing food with strangers because Indian train journeys somehow turn everyone into temporary family. One aunty always insists you try homemade parathas. Someone asks where you’re travelling to. Someone’s child keeps peeking from the upper berth. And somehow, by morning, the entire compartment knows each other’s destination.
There’s warmth in that chaos.
A kind of comfort that cannot be explained unless you’ve experienced it.
5. Sleeper Coach Memories Hit Different
Nothing competes with the feeling of waking up in a moving train at 5 AM.
That cold breeze.
Half-open eyes.
Someone already drinking chai.
Blankets folded messily.
The sound of tracks in the background.
And outside? Foggy fields passing slowly while the sun rises somewhere far away.
Those moments never looked luxurious.
But they felt rich.
6. Why I Still Choose Trains Sometimes
Even today, when flights are faster and easier, a part of me still looks at train options first.
Not because they save money.
But because they save feelings.
Train journeys make me feel connected to travel again. They remind me that travelling is not only about reaching quickly. Sometimes it’s about everything in between.
It’s the conversations with strangers that somehow don’t feel strange after a few hours, the crowded platforms filled with chai smells and rushing footsteps, the pantry food at midnight that always tastes better on a moving train, the scenic routes that quietly change outside the window, and those peaceful moments where you simply sit near the window doing nothing but watching the world pass by. Even the excitement of finally arriving after a long journey feels different on a train.
Somewhere between departure and destination, trains have a way of turning ordinary moments into unforgettable memories. Maybe that’s why train travel will always feel more soulful to me. Flights may take us across places quickly, but trains take us through them slowly, allowing us to truly experience the journey.
And years later, when I think about those childhood trips to my nani’s house, I don’t remember how many hours the journey took, I remember how it felt.
Happy Sundaying!
Travellogs 