Howrah–Chennai Mail
Howrah Junction - Chennai Central Mail is a superfast mail train of Indian railways connecting three metropolitan cities of India, Kolkata and Chennai, Visakhapatnam and the major cities of Vijayawada and Bhubaneswar.
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 Howrah bound Chennai Mail hauled by WAP 4 class electric locomotive at Anakapalle station in Andhra Pradesh | |||||
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Superfast/Mail | ||||
| Locale | West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu | ||||
| First service | 15 August 1900 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | South Eastern Railway zone | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Start | Howrah Junction | ||||
| End | Chennai Central | ||||
| Distance travelled | 1,664 km (1,034 mi) | ||||
| Average journey time | 28 hours | ||||
| Service frequency | daily | ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Class(es) | AC first, AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved. | ||||
| Seating arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Catering facilities | Yes | ||||
| Observation facilities | Large Windows | ||||
| Baggage facilities | Yes | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | Standard Indian Railway coaches | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
| Operating speed | 59 km/h (37 mph) | ||||
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History
The train made its inaugural run on 15 August 1900, which makes it one of the oldest running trains on Indian Railways. It was first hauled by steam engines, including the WP class engines, then by diesel, and now by electric WAP-4 locomotives. It was the first passenger train to be dieselised on South Eastern Railway, in 1964/65. Till the introduction of the Coromandel Express in the mid seventies, it was the main and fastest train link between Howrah and Chennai (then Madras) with much fewer halts. Presently, this train is the second most important train on the Howrah-Chennai main line after the high speed Coromandel Express. It covers 1,664 km (1,034 mi) at an average speed of 59 km/h (37 mph)
Rakes
| Loco | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SLR | UR | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 | S9 | S10 | S11 | PC | S12 | B1 | B2 | B3 | A1 | A2 | HA1 | UR | UR | SLR |
This train has Ac first, Ac two tier, AC three tier, Sleeper, General classes. A Pantry car facility is available in it.
Route
Important stations through which it passes are Kharagpur, Balasore, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Brahmapur, Naupada Junction, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Vijayawada, Tenali, Nellore, Gudur,
References