The train chase

It was a race against time. We had to board a train, but we were running late.

Four of us -- my friend PP, his wife RP, my wife SK, and I -- were on a temple hop yesterday. Early morning around 5.30 am, we reached Palakkad railway station from Bengaluru.

After freshening up, we visited two small temples, the Thiruvara Shiva temple in Kizhakkencherry; and then the Kodikkattu Bhagavathi temple in Vadakkancherry.

View of the Theevra River on the banks of which
is the Triprayar temple.

After breakfast, around 9.30 am, we headed to the Sree Ramaswami Temple in Triprayar, located on the banks of the Theevra or Purayar River. This is one of the well-known temples dedicated to Lord Ram. (More about the temple.)

From there, after lunch, around 12.30 pm, we went to the famous Krishna temple in Guruvayur.

THE LONG WAY BACK AND THE CHASE

Our return trip to Bengaluru was in the evening by the 16525 Cape-SBC Express train, and we were to board it from Palakkad, where it reaches at 9.17 pm.

Since it would take around at least 2 and a half hours from Guruvayur to Palakkad railway station, the plan was to leave Guruvayur no later than 6.30 pm.

However, we got delayed as we were lucky enough to be able to stay back in the temple to see the full 'Deeparadhana' (an auspicious time when the deity is worshipped using the light of a lamp).

After that, we made a dash to our car. 

LIVING ON THE EDGE

It was around 7.10 pm when we started our road trip from Guruvayur to Palakkad railway station.

That would mean we would definitely miss the train since we would reach the station only around 9.40 pm, while the train's ETA was 9.17 pm. 

We then checked if the train was running on time. 

We opened three train-tracking (spot your train) apps. So desperate we were to know where exactly our train was and, more importantly if it was running sufficiently late for us not to miss it.

Why three apps? That's to reduce the margin of error. The apps aren't always right since sometimes there is a lag.

All three apps showed that the train was running late - around 15 to 20 minutes. That meant the train would reach the station around 9.35 pm - 9.40 pm.  

That was a relief, but still, it would be a close call.

PLAN B

The evening traffic was only adding to our worries, and we devised a Plan B. 

If we miss the train, we will stay over in a hotel in Palakkad, and the next day morning, take a bus to Kochi and then a flight to Bengaluru.

CHANGE IN PLAN

As we tracked the train on the apps and the progress of our trip on Google Maps, we realised that we stood a better chance of making it if we boarded the train at Ottappalam, the station just before Palakkad.

Our decision was also influenced by another factor. At Palakkad, we would have had to board from platform 4, but at Ottappalam, it would be platform 1. 

Going to platform 4 at Palakkad would mean taking an elevator resulting in further wastage of precious time. At Ottappalam, since it's platform 1, we would be able to get into the train just at the entrance itself.

A SLIVER OF HOPE

In our desperation to know how good our chances are, we even called up a friend who works in the railways.  We thought he might have a more authentic and accurate idea of how late the train was running.

But, his estimation of the train's ETA wasn't very different from what the apps showed. 

However, he did give us some hope. 

If there was an oncoming train, then our train could be held over at the Bharathapuzha station for the oncoming train to pass.

The app indicated that the train's expected time of arrival at Ottappalam was around 8.55 pm. That was our ETA as well, according to Google Maps.

So, to be sure that we would get the train, either we would have to reach earlier, or the train would have to be delayed for some reason.

THE EXIT PLAN 

Since our train journey booking was from the next station (Palakkad), we had to buy a ticket to travel from Ottappalam to Palakkad. What if there is a long queue at the ticket counter?

If we are lucky, there would be barely a minute to alight from the taxi, take the luggage, buy the ticket, and board the train.

So, we planned that upon reaching the Ottappalam station, my friend PP would rush to the ticket counter, while two of us would get the luggage out, and the fourth would settle the bill with the cab driver.

All four of us would then make a dash to the door of any compartment that's right at the entrance and board the train.

So anxious we were that I had to caution PP (though in a lighter vein), "Don't get out of the car before it stops!" 

Everyone laughed, reducing the tension. 

THE ONLY HOPE DASHED 

Meanwhile, our eyes were fixed on the apps to see if the train had crossed Bharathapuzha or not. If it hadn't, then there was hope; if it had, then it would still be a close call.

Our hopes were dashed when we noticed that the train had crossed Bharathapuzha station. That meant our train wasn't held over there. So, it would still be a close call.

Screenshot from the Ixigo app
tracking yesterday's train

CRUCIAL 5 MINUTES

Our hopes, however, brightened some 10 minutes later when we noticed on Google Maps that our ETA at the station had moved from 8.55 pm (the same as the train's ETA) to 8.53 pm and a while later to 8.50 pm. 

This meant we might reach about 5 minutes before the train arrived. 

The saving of time was because of two reasons. 

One, the road was traffic-free, and two, the driver being a local person, knew shorter routes than what Google Maps was aware of. 

TOO EARLY TO REJOICE

There was a big if, still. What if the train-tracking apps were wrong, and the train arrived at 8.50 pm, and we weren't able to board?

So, we told the taxi driver not to leave but to wait till we had actually boarded the train, after which we would give him a call.

As we were approaching the Ottappalam station, we looked to the left. We could see the rail tracks at the station. The train hadn't yet arrived.

But it was too early to rejoice.

What if the train was approaching, and the taxi and the train reached the station exactly at the same time?

We reached at 8.50 pm exactly. The train's ETA was 8.54 pm.  

But, we left nothing to chance. PP rushed to the counter. Two of us took the luggage out. The fourth paid the taxi driver.

THE BIG RELIEF  

There was no queue at the ticket counter. The train was nowhere in sight.

Finally, the train pulled in at 8.54 pm. Those four minutes seemed like 4 hours.

We boarded one of the general (unreserved) compartments. It was luckily not crowded.

We called our driver and thanked him for taking us to the station in time.  

AT PALAKKAD

We reached Palakkad at 9.19 pm. We got off the general compartment and boarded our reserved coach.

It was a good decision to board from Ottappalam, as we would surely have missed the train had we decided to go to Palakkad. We wouldn't have reached before 9.30 pm.

There was one problem, though. 

We hadn't had our dinner. We thought we would get a takeaway from one of the food counters on the platform at Palakkad. 

But there was nothing. We had to be contented with a few biscuits and water. That's okay. 

We were so relieved and happy.

The train chase that we won.