Slow and fast passenger trains in India

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Slow and fast passenger trains in India
Azimganj bound 53028 (MLDT-AZ) Passenger.jpg
Malda Town–Azimganj Passenger Train
Overview
Service typeConnecting various states of India
StatusOperating
First service16 April 1853;170 years ago (1853-04-16)
Current operator(s) Indian Railways
Website http://indianrail.gov.in
On-board services
Class(es) Unreserved Seating & Unreserved Sleeper
Seating arrangementsYes
Sleeping arrangementsYes
Catering facilitiesOn-board catering
Baggage facilitiesUnderseat
Technical
Rolling stock ICF rakes
Track gauge 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Operating speedMaximum 40–80 km/h (25–50 mph)
Track owner(s) Indian Railways

The Slow and fast passenger trains are passenger train services of Indian Railways which connect small towns and cities to metropolitan cities in India. [1] The classification Passenger means it is an ordinary passenger train which halts at all or most of the stations on the railway routes. Currently, a total of 3572 passenger trains are running of all railway zones of Indian Railways.

Contents

History

The country's first passenger train ran in Western India between Bombay Bori Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Thane on 16 April 1853. The 14-carriage train was hauled by three steam locomotives: the Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan. Travelling 34 kilometres (21 mi), the train carried 400 people. The passenger line was built and operated by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR). [2] It was built in 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge, which became the country's standard for railways. First passenger train from Eastern India, ran from Howrah (near Calcutta, now Kolkata) to Hoogly, a distance of 24 miles (39 km), on 15 August 1854. The line was built and operated by the East Indian Railway Company (EIR). [3] First passenger train from Southern India, ran from Royapuram–Veyasarapady (Madras) (now Chennai) to Wallajah Road in Arcot, a distance of 60 miles (97 km), on 1 July 1856. It was built and operated by the Madras Railway. [4]

First electric passenger train in the country, ran from Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) to Kurla on the Harbour Branch of Great Indian Peninsula Railway on 3 February 1925 using 1500 V DC overhead traction. [5] In 1957, the first diesel passenger train ran in the country. [6] [7]

In 1993, the Integral Coach Factory started production of DMU's and MEMUs. After productions of both series, the first MEMU train started running between Asansol and Burdwan (now Barddhaman) on 11 July 1994. [8] And later, the first DEMU train was started running between Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur on 23 October 1994. [9] On 15 July 2017, a solar-powered DEMU train was launched on the route of Delhi Sarai Rohilla and Farrukhnagar of Haryana for connecting the capital of India to the small towns with the aim of reducing the usage of diesel and more usage of electricity for a better environment and economically. [10]

Types

Trains are classified into four types:

In some cases, trains run as fast passengers on one section, while running as slow passengers on another section. Fast passenger trains generally run on longer routes as compared to slow passenger trains. These trains have unreserved coaches, for short-distance unreserved seating coaches are used and for long-distance both unreserved sleeper and seating coaches are used.

The slow and fast passenger trains are usually hauled by locomotives such as WAM-4, WAG-5, WAG-7, for electrified routes and WDM-2 for non-electrified/semi-electrified routes. On the other hand, the DEMUs and MEMUs are multiple units, have cabs at both ends, resulting in quicker turnaround times, reduced crewing costs, and enhanced safety. So, IR is progressively replacing all locomotive-hauled slow and fast passenger and intercity trains with DEMUs and MEMUs, starting from North Western Railway zone on 1 October 2015. [12] [13] [14] [15]

Trivia

Longest-running

Currently, the longest route of a slow passenger train running in India is Tatanagar–Itwari Passenger (numbered 58111/58112) with a record distance of 887 km (551 mi) with an average speed of 35 km/h (22 mph). [16]

Whereas, the longest route of a fast passenger train running in India is Howrah–Rajgir Fast Passenger (numbered 53043/53044) with a record distance of 658 km (409 mi) with an average speed of 28 km/h (17 mph). [17]

Whereas after the second conversion of Slow Passenger train into DEMU, on 18 July 2018, the Guntur–Kacheguda DEMU via Dhone (with numbered 77281 / 77282) becomes the longest distance traveling DEMU train in India with a record distance of 623 km (387 mi) with an average speed of 35 km/h (22 mph). [18] Before that, the first conversion of Slow Passenger train into DEMU, was on 1 October 2015, the Jodhpur–Hisar DEMU (with numbered 74835/74836) becomes the second-longest DEMU train running in India with the recorded length of 470 km (290 mi) with an average speed of 38 km/h (24 mph). [19]

And currently, the longest route running MEMU train in India is Asansol–Varanasi MEMU (numbered 63553/63554) with a record distance of 481 km (299 mi) with an average speed of 31 km/h (19 mph). [20]

Shortest-running

Currently, the shortest route of a slow passenger train in India is Barkakana–Sidhwar Passenger (numbered 53375 / 53376) with a record distance of 6 km (3.7 mi) with an average speed of 18 km/h (11 mph). [21]

The shortest route of DEMU train in India is Garhi Harsaru–Farrukhnagar DEMU (numbered 74031/34 & 74035/38) with a record distance of 11 km (6.8 mi) with an average speed of 27 km/h (17 mph). [22]

The shortest route of MEMU train in India is Jasidih–Baidyanathdham MEMU (numbered 63153/63154) with a record distance of 6 km (3.7 mi) with an average speed of 19 km/h (12 mph). [23]

Exteriors
Interiors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inter-city rail</span> Inter-city passenger rail transport

Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance commuter rail trains within one city area nor slow regional rail trains stopping at all stations and covering local journeys only. An inter-city train is typically an express train with limited stops and comfortable carriages to serve long-distance travel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in India</span> Mode of transport in India

Rail transport in India consists of primarily of passenger and freight shipments along an integrated rail network. Indian Railways (IR), a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India, operates India's national railway system. It is the primary owner and operator of rail operations throughout the country including suburban rail in major metros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Railways</span> Government of India statutory body

Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India that operates India's national railway system. As of 2023, it manages the fourth largest national railway system by size with a running track length of 104,647 km (65,025 mi) and route length of 68,426 km (42,518 mi) of which 60,451 km (37,563 mi) is electrified. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is the world's ninth-largest employer and India's second largest employer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Railway zone</span> Railway zone of Indian Railways

Southern Railway is one of the eighteen zones of Indian Railways. It is headquartered at Chennai and operates across the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and the union territory of Puducherry. The origin of the Southern Railway can be traced back to the Madras Railway formed in 1845. Southern Railway was created on 14 April 1951 by merging three state railways, namely, the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway Company, and the Mysore State Railway. Southern Railway maintains about 5,081 km (3,157 mi) of railway lines and operates 727 railway stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-speed rail in India</span> Overview of High-speed rail in India

Indian Railways operates India's railway system and comes under the purview of the Ministry of Railways of Government of India. As of 2023, it maintains over 108,706 km (67,547 mi) of tracks and operates over 13,000 trains daily. According to the Ministry of Railways, a route capable of supporting trains operating at more than 160 km/h (99 mph) is considered as a higher speed or semi-high speed rail line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MEMU</span> Electric multiple unit trains in India

In Indian Railways, A MEMU is an electric multiple unit (EMU) train that serves short and medium-distance routes in India, as compared to normal EMU trains that connect urban and suburban areas. The acronym stands for Mainline Electric Multiple Unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Express trains in India</span> List of express trains of India

India has a system of express trains, operated by Indian Railways which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Railways of Government of India. As of 2023, it maintains over 108,706 km (67,547 mi) of tracks and operates nearly 3,000 express trains daily. According to the Ministry of Railways, express trains travel faster and have limited stops than ordinary passenger trains. Any passenger train with an average speed higher than 55 km/h (34 mph) is considered super-fast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabad–Pune Express</span>

The 17013/14 Hyderabad Pune Pune Express is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways - South Central Railways zone that runs between Hyderabad Deccan and Pune Junction in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mysuru–Ajmer Express</span>

The 16209 / 16210 Mysuru–Ajmer Express is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways – South Western Railway zone that runs between Mysore Junction and Ajmer Junction in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thiruvananthapuram–Veraval Express</span>

The 16333/34 Thiruvananthapuram–Veraval Express is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways – Southern Railway zone that runs between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Veraval Junction in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saurashtra Mail</span>

The 22945 / 22946 Mumbai Central–Okha Saurashtra Mail is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways – Western Railway zone that runs between Mumbai Central and Okha in India.

The 12911 / 12912 Valsad–Haridwar Superfast Express is a Superfast Express train belonging to Indian Railways – Western Railway zone that runs between Valsad and Haridwar Junction in India.

The 12991 / 12992 Udaipur City–Jaipur Intercity Express is an Intercity Express train belonging to Indian Railways – North Western Railway zone that runs between Udaipur City and Jaipur in India.

The 11107 / 11108 Bundelkhand Express is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways – North Central Railway zone that runs between Gwalior Junction and Banaras. It is also an ISO certified train.

The 14015 / 14016 Sadbhavna Express is an Express train belonging to Northern Railway zone that runs between Anand Vihar Terminal & Raxaul Junction in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archana Express</span> Train in India

The 12355 / 56 Patna Junction–Jammu Tawi Archana Express is a Superfast Express train belonging to Indian Railways – East Central Railway zone that runs between Patna Junction and Jammu Tawi in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millennium Express</span>

The 12645 / 46 Ernakulam Hazrat Nizamuddin Millennium Express is a Superfast Express train belonging to Indian Railways - Southern Railway zone that runs between Ernakulam Junction and Hazrat Nizamuddin in India.

The 14673 / 14674 Amritsar–Jaynagar Shaheed Express is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways – Northern Railway zone that runs between Amritsar Junction and Jaynagar in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mumbai CSMT–Pandharpur Fast Passenger</span> Train in India

The 51027/51028 Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus–Pandharpur Fast Passenger was an express train belonging to Indian Railways that ran between Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Pandharpur in India. It operated as train number 51027 from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Pandharpur and as train number 51028 in the reverse direction. It has been replaced by 11027/11028 Dadar - Pandharpur Express.

A multiple-unit train or simply multiple unit (MU) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more carriages joined together, which when coupled to another multiple unit can be controlled by a single driver, with multiple-unit train control. Although multiple units consist of several carriages, single self-propelled carriages, such as railbuses and trams – are in fact multiple-units when two or more of them are working connected through multiple-unit train control.

References

  1. ↑ walkthroughindia.com, Retrieved 14 July 2020
  2. ↑ "164 Years Ago On This Day, India's First Train Ran From Mumbai To Thane". 16 April 2017.
  3. ↑ "Indian Railways FAQ: IR History: Early Days – 1". IRFCA.
  4. ↑ "Legacy of First Railway Station of South India". RailNews Media India Ltd.
  5. ↑ core.indianrailways.gov.com, retrieved 7 July 2020
  6. ↑ "IRFCA".
  7. ↑ "Report of the expert Committee on Coal Consumption on Railways, 1958". INDIAN CULTURE. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  8. ↑ irfca.org, Retrieved 7 July 2020
  9. ↑ indianexpress.com, Retrieved 7 July 2020
  10. ↑ jagranjosh.com, Retrieved 7 July 2020
  11. ↑ "Railways to replace all general class passenger trains with self-propelled carriages to raise speed".
  12. ↑ North Western Railway, Retrieved 9 July 2020
  13. ↑ North Western Railway, Retrieved 9 July 2020
  14. ↑ North Western Railway, Retrieved 9 July 2020
  15. ↑ North Western Railway, Retrieved 9 July 2020
  16. ↑ naidunia.com, Retrieved 12 July 2020
  17. ↑ jagran.com, Retrieved 12 July 2020
  18. ↑ South Central Railway, Retrieved 7 July 2020
  19. ↑ North Western Railway, Retrieved 8 July 2020
  20. ↑ Eastern Railways, Retrieved 10 July 2020
  21. ↑ livehindustan.com, Retrieved 12 July 2020
  22. ↑ india.com, Retrieved 12 July 2020
  23. ↑ bhaskar.com, Retrieved 12 July 2020
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