THE FORGOTTEN TRAINS OF INIDA

Roark arrived in Pondicherry via rail, Simone in tow, searching for her mother who’s living in a nearby ashram since she had renounced all of her worldly possessions years before. The Pondicherry railway line is one of the oldest rail link in India and it was constructed in the year 1879 by the Puducherry Railway Company during the period of French and British rule in India. Under the supervision of South Indian Railway with the object of connecting the town and the port of Pondicherry with South India and to develop the resources of the Pondicherry Territory, the rail link between Pondicherry and Villupuram had been established. India has many types of trains: fast and slow passenger trains, Express trains, Superfast Express Trains, the swanky Shatabdis and Rajdhanis that can travel 150 kilometers an hour. Then there are “The Forgotten Trains of India!

Ritayan Mukherjee is a photography enthusiast, Dylan junkie and a foodie with wanderlust. His journey with photography started with the streets and mansions of Calcutta where he lives in the suburbs. His work has been published in Lonely Planet, Better Photography, Asian Photography, Yuva, National Geographic Traveller and The Sunday Guardian’s Guardian 20 weekly. He takes a commuter train every day and they are a big part of his life. Read Ritayan’s “The Forgotten Trains of India” feature on Roads & Kingdoms now.