Euro railvolution's coming our way!

We have been reliably told there's a quiet revolution rattling along Europe's tracks. And it doesn't involve French strikes or German punctuality seminars. Indians - legions of them - armed with Swiss Travel Passes and Eurail tickets, are politely queuing, whispering 'Excusez-moi' in four languages, and discovering that trains can, in fact, arrive on time. India has emerged as the second-largest market for Swiss railway travel and fourth-largest for Eurail by ticket share. This means Europe's railways are now unofficially powered by dhoklas, selfie sticks, and the collective astonishment of desis who thought clean train toilets were a myth.

But here's the brilliant bit: these travellers will return home. And when they do, they'll bring with them the contagious memory of Swiss silence and Dutch efficiency. Imagine the ripple effect: Indian Railways will suddenly face passengers who refuse to spit, insist on not littering, and demand that trains not be crowded, never mind overcrowded. The railways will have no choice but to become - that magic word - 'world-class' - not because of government policy, but because Auntie from Ahmedabad now expects the Konkan Express to behave like the Glacier Express. Europe thought it was selling tickets to people from the land of loud phone caller tunes and private space invaders. It's actually exporting manners.