Duronto Express
Encyclopedia
Duronto Express is a category of long distance trains on Indian Railways. The special feature of these trains is that they run non-stop from source to destination, barring technical halts. All Duronto Express trains can be easily recognized by the characteristic yellow-green livery of their passenger coaches. Several Duronto Express services connect the metros and major state capitals of India. The Duronto Express trains are projected to be the fastest trains between the particular pair of cities they serve, although this is not necessarily true for all services.
Since several years, the Government of India's Ministry of Railways (India)
has been trying to introduce high speed rail in India. In 2007, the ministry chose the 500-kilometre stretch between Delhi and Amritsar for a pre-feasibility study. The cost for setting up the Delhi-Amritsar corridor is estimated to be around Rs 25,000 crores. On 19 January 2009, the former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav
said that his ministry was in the process of appointing global consultants for introducing the high-speed trains on certain routes.Besides the Delhi-Amritsar route, Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijaywada-Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulam and Howrah-Haldia. But, this High Speed rail
service for India
is expected to be completed on a long run. Meanwhile, the new Railway minister of India, Mamata Banerjee
announced the introduction of the non-stop Duronto Express trains in the Indian Rail budget 2009-10 as a first step towards high speed rail travel.
for the negligence of their state in allotting the Duronto services, the Union Railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee
(as of 2009) made an announcement of two more Duronto Services. Duronto is a premier class train in India
. These trains run faster than Rajdhani Express
trains which hold the record of the fastest long-distance trains in India
.This has been made possible as these trains, unlike the Rajdhani Express, will have no intermediate stoppages and run in much the same speed clocked by Rajdhani.For example, the new bi-weekly non-stop train between New Delhi
and Sealdah
will take 16 hours to cover the journey, as against 17 hours taken by Rajdhani Express
.The trains will, however, have technical stoppages at a few stations for facilitating staff and loco change but the transit time will come down drastically.The trains will adhere to the speed limit of 110 km/h {non stop}. The Chennai and Pune Duronto are projected to run at a speed of 130 km/h.
There are two of this type,
The frequency of following Duronto Trains have been increased:
Since several years, the Government of India's Ministry of Railways (India)
Ministry of Railways (India)
The Ministry of Railways in India is in charge of the Indian Railways, an organisation that operates as a monopoly in rail transport in India. Dinesh Trivedi is the current minister responsible for railways....
has been trying to introduce high speed rail in India. In 2007, the ministry chose the 500-kilometre stretch between Delhi and Amritsar for a pre-feasibility study. The cost for setting up the Delhi-Amritsar corridor is estimated to be around Rs 25,000 crores. On 19 January 2009, the former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav
Lalu Prasad Yadav
Lalu Prasad Yadav is an Indian politician from Bihar. He was the Minister of Railways from 2004 to 2009 in the ruling United Progressive Alliance government, and the President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party...
said that his ministry was in the process of appointing global consultants for introducing the high-speed trains on certain routes.Besides the Delhi-Amritsar route, Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijaywada-Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Ernakulam and Howrah-Haldia. But, this High Speed rail
High-speed rail in India
India has one of the largest rail networks in the world. As of 2011, India does not have any high-speed rail lines capable of supporting speeds of or more, and none is under construction or subject to definite plans, only of longer-term proposals....
service for India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
is expected to be completed on a long run. Meanwhile, the new Railway minister of India, Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee is the 11th and current chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal. She is the first woman to hold the office. Banerjee founded All India Trinamool Congress in 1997 and became chairperson, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
announced the introduction of the non-stop Duronto Express trains in the Indian Rail budget 2009-10 as a first step towards high speed rail travel.
Controversies
Due to strong protest lodged by the MPs from the Indian state of Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
for the negligence of their state in allotting the Duronto services, the Union Railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee is the 11th and current chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal. She is the first woman to hold the office. Banerjee founded All India Trinamool Congress in 1997 and became chairperson, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
(as of 2009) made an announcement of two more Duronto Services. Duronto is a premier class train in India
Efficiency and Speed
The Duronto Expresses are one of the fastest trains in IndiaIndian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
. These trains run faster than Rajdhani Express
Rajdhani Express
Rajdhani Express is a passenger train service in India connecting New Delhi with other important destinations, especially state capitals. Rajdhani means "The Capital" in Hindi.- History :...
trains which hold the record of the fastest long-distance trains in India
Rail transport in India
Rail transport is a commonly used mode of long-distance transportation in India. Almost all rail operations in India are handled by a state-owned organisation, Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways. The rail network traverses the length and breadth of the country, covering a total length of...
.This has been made possible as these trains, unlike the Rajdhani Express, will have no intermediate stoppages and run in much the same speed clocked by Rajdhani.For example, the new bi-weekly non-stop train between New Delhi
New Delhi Railway Station
The New Delhi Railway Station , station code NDLS, situated between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj is the main railway station in Delhi. New Delhi railway station is the second busiest and one of the largest in India. It handles over 300 trains each day with 16 platforms and about 360,000 passengers...
and Sealdah
Sealdah
Sealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal...
will take 16 hours to cover the journey, as against 17 hours taken by Rajdhani Express
Rajdhani Express
Rajdhani Express is a passenger train service in India connecting New Delhi with other important destinations, especially state capitals. Rajdhani means "The Capital" in Hindi.- History :...
.The trains will, however, have technical stoppages at a few stations for facilitating staff and loco change but the transit time will come down drastically.The trains will adhere to the speed limit of 110 km/h {non stop}. The Chennai and Pune Duronto are projected to run at a speed of 130 km/h.
List of Duronto Express trains
The Duronto trains are to ply between the Metro Cities of India. During the inaugural announcement of these services in the Railway Budget 2009-10 (made on 3 July 2009), 12 weekly, bi-weekly and tri-weekly Duronto trains were announced. In the next rail budget of 24 February 2010, ten more Duronto were announced.| Sl. No. | Stations | Train No | Classes | Distance Km. | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sealdah Sealdah Sealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal... -New Delhi New Delhi Railway Station The New Delhi Railway Station , station code NDLS, situated between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj is the main railway station in Delhi. New Delhi railway station is the second busiest and one of the largest in India. It handles over 300 trains each day with 16 platforms and about 360,000 passengers... AC |
12259 U, 12260 D | 3A 2A 1A | 1453 | Bi-Weekly |
| 2 | Mumbai-Jaipur Duronto AC | 12239 D, 12240 U | 3A 2A 1A | 1159 | Bi-weekly |
| 3 | New Delhi New Delhi Railway Station The New Delhi Railway Station , station code NDLS, situated between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj is the main railway station in Delhi. New Delhi railway station is the second busiest and one of the largest in India. It handles over 300 trains each day with 16 platforms and about 360,000 passengers... - Lucknow Charbagh Railway Station The Charbagh Railway Station is the main railway station of Lucknow, situated in the south of the city. Its station code is LKO. Charbagh Railway Station was built in 1914 and incorporates the nest of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture... AC |
12271 U, 12272 D | 3A 2A 1A | 493 | Tri-weekly |
| 4 | New Delhi New Delhi Railway Station The New Delhi Railway Station , station code NDLS, situated between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj is the main railway station in Delhi. New Delhi railway station is the second busiest and one of the largest in India. It handles over 300 trains each day with 16 platforms and about 360,000 passengers... - Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,... |
12275 U, 12276 D | SL 3A 2A 1A | 634 | Tri-weekly |
| 5 | Hazrat Nizamuddin - Chennai Central Chennai Central Chennai Central , erstwhile Madras Central, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai . It is the home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India. The other major railway hub stations in the city are Chennai Egmore and Tambaram... |
12270 U, 12269 D | Sl 3A 2A 1A | 2176 | Bi-weekly |
| 6 | Hazrat Nizamuddin - Pune Pune Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ... AC |
12264 U, 12263 D | 3A 2A 1A | 1520 | Bi-weekly |
| 7 | Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million... - Howrah Junction Howrah station Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which... AC |
12261 U, 12262 D | 3A 2A 1A | 1968 | Bi-weekly |
| 8 | Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million... - Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Railway Station Ahmedabad Railway Station is the main railway station of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It is also the biggest & busiest railway station within Gujarat... AC |
12267 U, 12268 D | 3A 2A 1A | 491 | Tri-weekly |
| 9 | Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million... - Nagpur Nagpur Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune... |
12289 U, 12290 D | SL 3A 2A 1A | 838 | Tri Weekly |
| 10 | Howrah - Yeswanthpur Yeswanthpur Yeswanthpur is an industrial-cum-residential area located in the north western part of Bangalore City in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is close to areas like Malleswaram and Mathikere and the famous MS Ramaiah college and hospitals. It has a central bus stand providing connectivity to various... |
12245 U, 12246 D | SL 3A 2A 1A | 1946 | 5 days a Week |
| 11 | Ernakulam - Hazrat Nizamuddin Ernakulam-H.Nizamudin Duronto Ernakulam Duronto is a weekly non-stop superfast train which runs between Kochi , and the national capital New Delhi.. It runs through the scenic Konkan Railway. This is the first duronto express to the Kerala and the longest running duronto express in Indian Railways.- Frequency :This train runs... |
12283 U, 12284 D | SL 3A 2A 1A | 2943 | Weekly |
| 12 | Ernalulam - Lokamanya tilak terminus AC Ernakulam-Lokmanya Tilak Duronto Ernakulam - Lokmanya Tilak Duronto is a bi-weekly nonstop superfast train between Kochi and Mumbai ., running through the scenic Konkan route. It is considered to be the fastest option for train connectivity between Kochi and Mumbai.-Frequency:... |
12223 U, 12224 D | 3A 2A 1A | 1598 | Bi weekly. |
| 13 | Secunderabad Junction - Hazrat Nizamuddin (New Delhi) Secunderabad New Delhi Duronto Express The Secunderabad - New Delhi Duronto Express is a superfast express train of the Indian Railways connecting Secunderabad to Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin . It is currently being operated with 12285 / 12286 train numbers.-Schedule:... |
12285 U, 12286 D | SL 3A 2A 1A | 1659 | Bi-weekly |
| 14 | Secunderabad Junction - Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai) AC Secunderabad Mumbai Duronto Express The Secunderabad - Mumbai Duronto Express is a superfast AC express train of the Indian Railways connecting Secunderabad to Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus . It is currently being operated with 12219 / 12220 train numbers.-Schedule:... |
12219 U, 12220 D | 3A 2A 1A | 773 | Bi-weekly |
| 15 | New Delhi New Delhi Railway Station The New Delhi Railway Station , station code NDLS, situated between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj is the main railway station in Delhi. New Delhi railway station is the second busiest and one of the largest in India. It handles over 300 trains each day with 16 platforms and about 360,000 passengers... - Howrah Junction Howrah station Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which... |
12273 U, 12274 D | SL 3A 2A 1A | 1441 | Bi-weekly |
| 16 | Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jammu Tawi Jammu Tawi Jammu Tawi is a Railway station in Jammu, in India. It is very well connected with the major cities of India such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Ahemedabad, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Patna, Lucknow, Varanasi, Vadodara, Gorakhpur, Dehradun,... |
12265 U, 12266 D | SL 3A 2A 1A | 578 | Tri-weekly |
| 17 | Pune Pune Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ... - Howrah AC |
12222 U, 12221 D | 3A 2A 1A | 2012 | Bi- weekly |
| 18 | Chennai Chennai Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India... -Coimbatore Coimbatore Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India".... AC |
12243 U, 12244 D | CC Ex | 497 | All days Except Tuesdays |
| 19 | Howrah- Digha Digha Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in East Midnapore district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It is the most popular sea resort in the West Bengal.... AC |
12847 U, 12848 D | CC Ex | 189 | Daily |
| 20 | Puri Puri Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages... - Howrah AC |
12277 U, 12278 D | CC Ex | 502 | Daily |
| 21 | New Delhi New Delhi Railway Station The New Delhi Railway Station , station code NDLS, situated between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj is the main railway station in Delhi. New Delhi railway station is the second busiest and one of the largest in India. It handles over 300 trains each day with 16 platforms and about 360,000 passengers... - Bhubaneshwar |
12281 U, 12282 D | SL 3A 2A 1A | 1746 | Weekly |
| 22 | Yeswanthpur Yeswanthpur Yeswanthpur is an industrial-cum-residential area located in the north western part of Bangalore City in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is close to areas like Malleswaram and Mathikere and the famous MS Ramaiah college and hospitals. It has a central bus stand providing connectivity to various... -Delhi Sarai Rohilla AC |
12213 U, 12214 D | 3A 2A 1A | 2314 | Weekly |
| 23 | Mumbai-Indore Duronto AC | 12227 D, 12228 U | 3A 2A 1A | 829 | Bi-weekly |
| 24 | Mumbai-Jaipur Duronto AC | 12239 D, 12240 U | 3A 2A 1A | 829 | Bi-weekly |
Similar Services
These Superfast express are not DURONTO Express but have no intermediate commercial stoppage and serve as non-stop connection between source to destination station like that in case of Duronto express.There are two of this type,
- Shram Shakti ExpressShram Shakti ExpressThe Shram Shakti Express is an Indian Railways Super fast train which runs non-stop overnight between the cities of Kanpur and New Delhi. It is the longest train of North Central Railway, with 25 coaches...
runs between Kanpur Central and New Delhi : No Technical or Commercial Stoppage - Sampoorna Kranti ExpressSampoorna Kranti ExpressThe Sampoorna Kranti Express is an Indian express passenger train service, which runs between Patna and New Delhi.The service began running on February 16, 2002, and is one of the fastest train services in India, traversing the 999km distance in under fourteen and half hours, which is faster than...
runs between Patna and New Delhi : 2 Technical Stoppage (Mughalsarai and Kanpur CentralKanpur CentralKanpur Central is the major intercity rail station and a commuter rail hub in the Indian city of Kanpur. It falls is one of the most busiest stations in India. The Kanpur Central Railway Station is on the main Howrah - Delhi route broad gauge in Uttar Pradesh...
)
Future Services
The proposed Duronto Trains announced in 2011-12 Railway Budget by Mamata Banerjee (Minister of Railways)http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/Nine-new-Duronto-Trains-to-be-introduced-in-FY12-Railway-Budget/5091259712- Allahabad-Mumbai AC Duronto (bi-weekly)
- Pune-Ahmedabad AC Duronto (tri-weekly)
- Sealdah-Puri non AC Duronto (tri-weekly)
- Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam AC DurontoSecunderabad Visakhapatnam Duronto ExpressThe Secunderabad - Visakhapatnam Duronto Express is a proposed superfast AC express train of the Indian Railways, announced in 2011-12 Railway Budget by Mamata Banerjee connecting Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam .-Schedule:...
(tri-weekly) - Madurai-Chennai AC Duronto (bi-weekly)
- Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram AC DurontoChennai-Thiruvananthapuram AC DurontoThe Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram AC Duronto Express is a nonstop superfast AC express train of the Indian Railways, announced in 2011-12 Railway Budget by Mamata Banerjee connecting Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram .- Proposed Timings & Route:Chennai Central dep. 16.30 Trivandrum Central arr....
(bi-weekly) - Mumbai Central-New Delhi AC Duronto (bi-weekly)
- Nizamuddin-Ajmer non-AC Duronto (bi-weekly)
- Shalimar-Patna Duronto (tri-weekly)
The frequency of following Duronto Trains have been increased:
- Mumbai CST-Howrah Duronto Express from 2 days to 4 days
- Mumbai-Ahmedabad Duronto Express from 3 days to daily
- Sealdah-New Delhi Duronto Express from 2 days to 5 days
- Howrah-Yesvantpur Duronto Express from 4 days to 5 days
- Nagpur-Mumbai CST Duronto Express from 3 days to daily
See also
- Shatabdi ExpressShatabdi ExpressShatabdi Express trains are a series of fast passenger trains operated by Indian Railways to connect Metro cities with other cities important for tourism, pilgrimage or business...
and Superfast Mail/ExpressSuperfast Mail/ExpressSuperfast Mail/Express trains are faster Express rail service of India with Superfast charge levied over Mail/Express charges. Superfast trains make small number of stops, unlike Mail/Express and hence cover the same distance in marginally lower time span, as compared to their counterparts...
: Other categories of fast rail services in India - Indore JunctionIndore JunctionIndore Junction BG , is the main railway junction station of largest city Indore City in Madhya Pradesh, India.- Structure and Location :...
- Rajdhani ExpressRajdhani ExpressRajdhani Express is a passenger train service in India connecting New Delhi with other important destinations, especially state capitals. Rajdhani means "The Capital" in Hindi.- History :...
- Bhopal Shatabdi Express
External links
- Duronto trains at India Rail Info
- Videos of Sealdah-New Delhi Duronto
- List of Duronto trains at Govt. Indian Rail site