Train, train hurry up....

Have you ever been on those trains? Those slow moving ones which start at okay speed, but something happens pretty early in the journey and they  gradually loose all speed, let numerous other trains to overtake them and  seem happy to move at a snail's pace, if at all. They seem to forget that some unlucky passengers are travelling in them, and have absolutely no urge to speed up and reach the final destination. They stop at each and every obscure and sleepy station and also at times in the middle of nowhere. Once the train comes to a screeching halt, you look out expecting to see a busy platform and people hurrying about, instead you see a deserted platform, the shutters down on the stalls, no sign of any waiting passenger or any porter. You can see the gate of the tiny one platform station and outside looks equally dismal. You wonder where this place is and if anyone stays here at all. But more importantly why did this train stop here? No one alighted here and there is no sign of anyone wanting to board the train. It is as if the train is waiting for the passengers to make up their minds, to journey or not to journey. As if the train is saying, 'do not worry I have infinite time, you make up your mind, I will wait for you here'.

 The train whose journey never seems to be coming to an end, neither it seems like the train wants to finish the journey. Sitting inside your blood pressure steadily rises at the inane behaviour of the train...at times you feel like throttling the driver, shake him/her hard, something, anything to make him/her to speed up. The worst part is not having any control over the situation. I know wise people would say not to freak out when you cannot control external circumstances. But easier said than done.  I agree some of the passengers seem least bothered and are happily taking a nap or reading a book. Unfortunately I am not one of them, I cannot relax while the train refuses to behave like a proper modern day train living in a busy world, carrying people who are keen to reach their destinations as quickly as possible.

Sometimes I wonder why these trains behave the way they do? It is that the driver suddenly looses all interest in driving the train? Maybe s/he had a fight with their partner or got a scolding from their boss or generally not feeling up to it. Maybe that day they want to visit every obscure station on the route so that these stations do not feel left out by their busy cousins. Who knows? The possibilities are endless and fodder for idle brains such a mine!

Cartoon train image is taken from here and the rail tracks image is taken from here.