Wait, I had heard of pax getting into 2nd AC [ some person posted a video here of that happening in Kumbha express] but how is it possible in 1st AC where the doors can be bolted from inside?

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Why start VB from Gomti Nagar when you can start it from Lucknow Jn? More people will board from LJN or BNZ than GTNR. Unless IR wants to artificially decrease time taken on paper like they did with JP VB by starting it from DEC instead of DLI/NDLS, it doesn't make sense.

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Yes, I am aware of that. Massive construction work going on at GTNR. But the station is still tucked away in one part of the city. Not connected via Metro unlike BNZ or LKO/LJN. The few trains that do stop here, only see a trickledown in terms of passengers. The station, as of now, hasn't matured enough. It might some years down the line, but until couple of months ago, it barely had a single shop at the whole station.

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I beg the newspapers not to call it a 'semi high speed' train. The British had faster coal hauled trains than what would run on this route. The Pink City MG Express was faster than AY-BSB route as of now. This route barely touches 100 kmph [the mps of GKP-LKO VB on this route] and goes even worse post AY towards BSB. An average of 60 kmph doesn't make anything a semi high speed in this era.

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They have improved it significantly. Significant parts of it are now doubled and whole route is electrified now. The shitty part is only the mps which is low. They are improving the yard remodelling section at Barabanki NR as of now which might optimize that section a bit more. This has led to large scale cancellation of trains on NER side though for a month.

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I went to Gwalior via 11123/24 Mail barely a week ago. If IR had cancelled the trains a week earlier, I would probably have been stranded in GWL. I would probably have then needed road transport to Jhansi and then to Lucknow.

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Why would, say the down version of the train be treated differently? As for the food, I am not surprised. Good food in trains is an exception these days, not the norm.

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I never understood why they diverted the Rajdhani from SLN route. It didn't used to have any stoppages [still doesn't, right?] and it made sense to take the shortest route. The PBH route still had a small single line section last I traveled.

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I also thought so until someone showed me here than SLN actually has [or used to , atleast] more trains going via it than PBH bound for Varanasi.

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