Train vs. Plane

Or you could call it time (train) vs. money (plane).

I recently made some significant travels in India via train, which is the lifeline of travel within the country. I traveled from Delhi to Mumbai, then Mumbai to Pune, and finally Pune to Goa, all by train. My return trip from Goa to Delhi was made via plane on one of India's "budget" airlines.

I thought this was a bright idea since the train trip back would have taken nearly two days. But as all Indian know and I now know, Delhi is plagued by fog in the winter, which results in huge air traffic delays. My evening flight was delayed for 3 hours and then cancelled. It was rescheduled for the following morning, but we then had to sit on the plane for another two hours. And once we arrived over Delhi, we had to circle around for an about.

All in all, I’d probably opt for the plane again, since it’s just easier, but here’s a breakdown of the distance, time and cost of both legs of the trip.

Train:
- Distance Traveled: 2149 km (1377+192+580)
- Time: 34 hours (17+3+14)
- Cost of Travel for Two People: $44 (2000 INR). Note: Ani traveled for free since he works for the railways. And he was somehow able to get my ticket from Pune to Goa for free.

Plane:
- Distance Traveled: 1904 km
- Time: 3.5 hours (Plus a 14 hour delay because of flight cancellation and a 2 hour delay while sitting on the plane)
- Cost of Travel for Two People: $424.73 (19113 INR)

Lessons Learned: Patience is required either way. The train is MUCH more affordable than flying, but it takes a tremendous amount of time. If you have the time to spare, but not the money, train travel is definitely the way to go. Plus, this is how the majority of Indians travel, so it's more of an experience.