By virtue of being a resident of Pune since 1978 I had the opportunity of travelling in this train for umpteenth number of times.
During old days as I may recall it was the most prestigious train to travel to & fro from Pune & we used to feel proud of it.
But with time passing by we had more trains to cater for fellow passengers & we had Pragati, Indrayani, Shatabdi etc & now Deccan queen train is one amongst the few superfast trains to & fro from Pune.
The nostalgia is definitely lost in the crowd & today as I feel people use it as one of the many options to travel to Mumbai.
Thus today I do not feel it has got the same charm as it used to have in yesteryears though time & again nostalgia comes back when the announcer in her sweet voice tells about the departure /arrival of ’’Dakshin ke Rani’’ on her loudspeaker.
However I still will love to travel by this train though people may criticise about downgrading of service .After all she is’ Dakshin ke Rani’ & we must continue to give her the respect she deserves though she may be mixed in the crowd.