Since they don't have priority on the track they also spend a lot of time waiting for the express trains to come through. They may only have hard, half, and soft seat options. The Express train runs at a blinding speed of 30 mph if there are no breakdowns. They are somewhat more expensive and will have a wider choice of seating. These seats are the cheapest, and invariably packed with poor locals.
Passengers face each other down a central aisle with their knees interlocked.
These seats are also packed. They are arranged a bit like cafe booths with room for six passengers around a small metal table. Six foreigners do not fit into one booth. There's a reason they're called hard seat. Soft is a relative adjective here.