C F 9

This is what I long to see every time my feet touch the goregaon platform. This 3 magical alpha-numeric combination heralds my mode of travel home. And I am not the only one… almost all mumbaikars who travel by train have their personal favourite alpha-numeric combinations! Let me help you understand the magic behind these combinations. The first which is C announces to the travelers the ultimate destination (read home in my case!!) to be Churchgate. One of the main starting and ending points of a train – Churchgate is one of the oldest stations of Mumbai – and my personal favourite as it means I am HOME! :-)

The second in line tells us if we are going to fly towards our destination or walk towards it.. let me explain this better – F equals to the speed of the train, in this case “Fast” meaning that the train would halt at only a few main stations on the route instead of all the stations. This is a boon train as it cuts down the travel time by anywhere between 10 to 25 mins depending on the route! If by chance you see “S” and are not going to one of the smaller stations – please do yourself a favour and wait for a Fast train!! Heheehe

Last and not the least the number 9 – this tells me if I need to get off the foot bridge and walk to the ladies compartment (yes we have separate ones!) or if I see a 12 then I need to run a little away to where the ladies compartment would arrive on the platform. Yes, you are correct 9 and 12 relate to the number of compartments or in our Mumbai language “dabbas” of the train that we are about to catch.

Yes, the trains are our lifelines to our daily lives. We live and breathe the timings of the certain trains we catch to work and back home. They constitute a part of our everyday conversations. They give refuge in the rain and from the sun. They allow you to make “train buddies”. They give you the opportunity to buy little knick-knacks and jewellery from the young vendors. They give you the chance to catch up on your reading and studying and your music! So look for me in the C F 9 sitting near the window seat… :-)