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The longest train ride in India.

78 images Created 11 Jan 2021

Five days aboard the Vivek Express documenting life on the longest train ride in the Indian subcontinent. Starting at the southernmost tip of India, the route stretches 2,637 miles northward from Kanniyakumari to Dibrugarh, joining the two geographical extremes of India.
Full story and VIDEOS here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/india/life-on-the-longest-train-ride-through-india/
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  • The train leaves Erode Junction, one of the 58 stops on the Vivek Express journey. Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170505_0499.jpg
  • Passengers gaze out of the windows from the second class compartment. These "hard-seaters" are the cheapest tickets on the train, and often filled with migrant workers who are returning home to Assam after working construction jobs in Tamil Nadu for better wages. Outside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170505_0489.jpg
  • A tangle of sleeping bodies and folded limbs crowd the second class compartment from floor to ceiling.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170506_1823.jpg
  • A sadhu holy man selling religious items, silver bracelet etc.  Throughout the journey, peddlers pop into the train compartments with all sorts of offerings,  to be bargained for a few rupees.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170507_2692.jpg
  • Peddler selling Chewing tabacco, q-tips, scissors etc. Throughout the journey, peddlers pop into the train compartments with all sorts of offerings,  to be bargained for a few rupees.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170507_2246.jpg
  • Passengers are served a lunch of samosas through the windows of the second class compartment. It's often easier for vendors to sell food from outside of the train rather than traversing its congested interior. Outside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170505_0496.jpg
  • A train ticket examiner (TTE) leans out of the last wagon on the Vivek Express as he prepares to leave at the end of his shift.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170505_1018.jpg
  • A cluster of packages sits on the platform, waiting to be loaded into the luggage compartment. Outside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170505_0500.jpg
  • The clean up train crew.<br />
Outside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170507_2580.jpg
  • One of the cooks takes a break next to a pile of peeled potatoes in the kitchen's "pantry" compartment.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170506_1412.jpg
  • Two friends that met during the train ride embrace while laying on the bed.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170507_2162.jpg
  • Unlike other countries with stringent rules and locked doors, if a train breaks down, passengers sometimes use the opportunity to go outside.<br />
Outside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170505_1002.jpg
  • Between wagons, one of the train staff in charge of changing sheets takes a break on a hard bench.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170505_0891.jpg
  • Many of the men aboard the Vivek Express are construction workers returning to their homes in the northeast after working in South India where the wages are better.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170506_1327.jpg
  • A food vendor and train staff squeeze through the congested second class compartment.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170506_1395.jpg
  • A vendor offers chana masala, a dish made of chickpeas, to anyone willing to pay 20 rupees.<br />
Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170506_1420.jpg
  • Kitchen staff. Open windows provide little relief from India's scorching May heat in the kitchen compartment. Thali, platters of rice, daal, and curry, are served aboard the train and delivered directly to passengers' compartments. Unfortunately, most of the plastic trays are thrown out the window. Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170505_0565.jpg
  • Kitchen staff. Open windows provide little relief from India's scorching May heat in the kitchen compartment. Inside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170505_1070.jpg
  • Moustache man. Passengers congregate in one of the many entrances on the Vivek Express, where the doors are always open and people can jump on and off.<br />
Outside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170506_1798.jpg
  • A mother and son dressed for a wedding wait on the platform.<br />
Outside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170506_1257.jpg
  • Warning signs at the train station in Kanyakumari town, the southermost point of India. This is the beginning of the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170504_0185.jpg
  • A man dries a Sari cloth at the train station in Kanyakumari town, the southermost point of India. This is the beginning of the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170504_0264.jpg
  • A group of people wait for the train to pass on its journey through West Bengal.<br />
Outside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170507_2895.jpg
  • India's eastern coast blurs past the train in a whirlwind of dust and color. A man wearing a blue Sari.<br />
Outside the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train route in the Indian Subcontinent. It joins Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, which is the southernmost tip of mainland India to Dibrugarh in Assam province, near the border with Burma.
    MMi8657_170506_1444.jpg
  • View through a train window. Life on the longest train ride in India, between Kanyakumari and Dibrugarh city.
    MMi8657_170505_0675.jpg
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