The train commute and opportunities lost

Standing at the Dockyard Road local railway station Rahul glanced at the indicator. The 10.11 train to Panvel was the next train it said. He would probably reach office at Mulund around 11 am. Which was cutting it too fine, but he would take care of it. There was an important meeting today. It was supposed to start at 11, but you know how things are on a Monday morning. He was sure there wouldn't be trouble. Guys from the head office were coming from Delhi. They probably got up at 11. Nobody was as efficient and hardworking as Mumbai-ites he reminded himself.

As the crowd grew in numbers he knew there was something wrong. He looked at the station clock. He could not believe it. It was almost 10.30 am. He was already late. The train from the opposite platform would take him to Sandhurst road station, which was a central line station. It would waste 5 to 6 minutes but at least he would be on his way. As he thought about it he saw a train far away coming to the opposite platform. Should he or should he not make a dash across the tracks. That was certainly risky. Not to mention all the females standing near the ladies compartment who he thought caught the same train everyday so they could see him. Any mistake would make him look like an idiot. He would probably make it if he hurried on the proper way. The train arrived at the station as he contemplated his options. He decided to wait for the Panvel train.

Five minutes after the train on the other platform had left he cursed his luck. Hell, he should have taken that train. After a couple of minutes He saw another train coming from afar to the platform opposite. He hurried down the steps and up the opposite platform going towards Sandhurst Road. He reached the platform as the train was coming to a halt. He had done it. At least now he wouldn't miss the meeting. He could say the trains were late and he wouldn't be lying.

As the train started he sighed with relief and looked at the poor souls standing on the other platform. People have to take decisions. The ones that don't get left behind, he thought to himself. The train moved slowly, but at least it was moving. Sandhurst road station wasn't very far and in a few minutes the train pulled in slowly at the station. He could change platforms for central here too. But he would have to walk the complete distance of the platform. So he decided to do the smart thing by going to Masjid station. There the foot over bridge was right next to the compartment he was in. As the train left the station he saw why the harbor line was held up. A train was standing just out side the station. Engine failure someone murmured. Flat tyre someone else joked. The train he was traveling in slowly grinded to a halt. He looked around. The train had left the station. Holy cow he thought to himself. He should have gotten down at the station. Before he poked his head outside the train he knew what the problem was. Since the trains going down had been delayed the trains going up to csm terminus couldn't get to the terminus and now they too had to wait for their turn to get into the terminus before they started their journey again. Rahul cursed his luck. If only he had got out at Sandhurst road station.

After 15 minutes of waiting the train started slowly. In this time Rahul had seen 3 central line trains whiz past him. He would have been in one of them only if he had changed to central at Sandhurst road station. The train pulled in Masjid station painfully slowly. Rahul got down and rushed to the other platform. There was no train but at least he was in the right place. He would be on his way now.

Fifteen minutes later he was still standing at the station. He saw the harbour line had started functioning. Three trains had gone towards his destination. He took refuge in the fact that he world have to change to central at Kurla anyway.

Finally, a train arrived. It was Thane. The Thane train was usually empty. Rahul chose a nice window seat and settled down in it. The train was slow but at least he was on his way. Suddenly he saw the titwala train on the other track. He groaned in despair. It was a fast train that stopped in Mulund. There was no way he could catch it since his train would stop at Sandhurst road station. Although, the titwala train was simply cruising alongside his train, the stop at Sandhurst road station left his train behind in the race. It would stop only at byculla which was the next station. Giving up on catching the train Rahul took out his phone to check the train timetable for the next fast train. He was late. And the later it was too peak time the lesser the fast trains that stopped in Mulund. The next train was half an hour later. He simply stared out of the window. As the train neared byculla station he saw the titwala train standing there at the station. Should he make a dash for it? The train would probably start as soon as his train pulled in. After thinking about for a few seconds he made his decision to not pursue that train and stay put. His train was moving and it would arrive 15 minutes after the titwala train at Mulund. But he was not taking the risk.

As his train slowly pulled out of byculla station he saw the titwala train still standing there. He expected it to start any minute. But it didn't. He was glad he did not catch it. There was probably some problem with the train. He smiled to himself. At last a right decision today. Suddenly the air rushing towards him felt refreshing. As he breathed the air happily he saw the titwala train catching up from the corner of his eye. In a few seconds it had zoomed past him.

As he traveled to his destination, which was now approximately 40 minutes away, he thought about the decisions he had made since he first stepped on to the Dockyard Road Station. After that it was all missed opportunities and bad decisions. It kind of reflected on his life. He was sure his boss would not be happy about his time of arrival today. He was lucky to have a good boss, but when he had been told to come on time it was inexcusable. He could always think of an excuse to calm his boss down. However, what should he do about his habit of missing opportunities in life?

harbor line
Today was special day a office
Harbor line was running late
Sandhurst road
Csmt towards
Majid
The t was standing at Sandhurst road
What if I had seen the app earlier
What if I had caught that train earlier
Should I cross the tracks
Should have got down at Sandhurst road
How can a train arrive early. Even if it fits the signal system should not allow it to go further