12993 came into my life out of nowhere, man. When Garbha Express started, us Maharashtrian and Chhattisgarhi peeps thought it would go through the BSL-HWH route. But damn! It went via NCR/ECR instead. Then, a year later, Mamta Banerjee introduced 12993. I still remember that day 7 years ago when I first rode this train. Back then, my favorite train was 12905. Like most folks on IRI, I also liked 12905 because it was a high-speed train, you know? Being a new train, I didn't expect it to run too smoothly because new trains always have crappy priority. So, when I had to urgently go to NGP with my fam and all the tickets from ADI were sold out, I took this one as a last resort. At first, I wasn't too fond of this train. Buttttt, man, times have changed! So, I boarded this train from GIMB at 2245 HRS. The train was 80% full from the start. The loco link was VTA WDG3A. And it arrived at SBT 20 minutes early. Luckily, I was awake that night (I slept well in the afternoon, though). What a run it was, dude! It was fast as hell, even on a single-line section. The next day, I checked out the condition of the coaches. They were brand spanking new, man! Not like those shabby 12905 ones. We were ahead of schedule in BRC and ST, and in ST, I checked out the cleanliness in some coaches. They were clean (they had been cleaned in BSL). We blasted past 2 freights and 1 passenger train between ST-NDB. Back when ST-JL used to be a single line, 12833 used to wait for us (at NOL if it wasn't too delayed). We were 25 minutes ahead of schedule at JL outer when it was a single line, man. Puspak Express overtook us at BSL (the only overtake on the way). After that, it was all speed, man. Just like yesterday, it arrived at Khapri 32 minutes early and at Nagpur outer 40 minutes early, damn! So, I've been taking trips on this train ever since. Even in 2014, when I found out about IRI, I used to check the forum section of 12993. That trip made me realize that it's not just about high-speed, you know? After that, I traveled on many legendary trains like Ashram and Vidarbha, but I don't know, man, no other train could become my favorite like 12993. Now, every Friday, I check its running status. Even the one time I traveled with my friends on a Saturday in 2012, it was to track 12993's run, haha! Every day when I come online on IRI, the first thing I do is open 12993's page. And on YouTube, every week, I search for videos of 12993. So much to say about 12993 from my side, man. I've had so many good experiences with this train. HBD, dude! 😎