50-517: The 12615 / 12616 Grand Trunk Express (commonly called G.T. or G.T. Express ) is a daily Superfast Express train on Indian Railways , running between New Delhi and Madras Egmore . From February 2024, the train is starting from Madras Egmore . It is a historic train and is one of the oldest trains starting services in 1929. It originally ran between Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province (present-day capital of
100-464: A WCP-1 locomotives with seven coaches along the route. The Grand Trunk express commenced operating as a dedicated daily train between Madras and Delhi from 1 September 1930. WDM-1 , the first diesel locomotive introduced in 1957 was capable of speeds of up to 104 km/h (65 mph). In 1957, Indian Railways adopted 25 kV 50 Hz AC traction with the first runs beginning in December 1959 with
150-486: A maximum operational speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). The actual operating speed was much lower due to track restrictions and congestion with top speeds restricted to 130 km/h (81 mph) for most trains. In December 2023, two modified WAP-5 locomotives were used to haul the Amrit Bharat train-set in a push-pull configuration, capable of reaching speeds of up to 160 km/h (99 mph). According to
200-559: A maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph). WAP-5 class locomotives, initially imported from ABB in 1995 and later manufactured at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works in India, reached 184 km/h (114 mph) in trials and later set an Indian speed record by hauling an express train between Delhi and Agra at a speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) in 2014. In December 2009, the Ministry of Railways of Government of India envisaged
250-751: A mixed consist on the remaining 5 days. In time, the air-conditioned service was discontinued. Today, the train covers the 2182.4 kilometer journey in 35 hours and 15 minutes, with 40 halts (exclusive of the terminals) at an average speed of 62kmph. From 10 December 2015, the train started terminating at Delhi Sarai Rohilla instead of New Delhi . From 12 May 2018, the terminal was reverted to New Delhi . From 9 February 2024, This train got shifted to Madras Egmore few kms away from Madras Central . Additional stoppage provided in Madras Egmore . 12615 Madras Egmore - New Delhi Grand Trunk Express leaves Madras Egmore by 17:40 and reaches New Delhi by 05:05
300-407: A plan to increase the speed of passenger trains to 160–200 km/h (99–124 mph) on dedicated conventional tracks and improve the existing conventional lines to handle speeds of up to 160 km/h (99 mph). Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India has built dedicated freight corridors across India to divert cargo traffic from the passenger railway tracks, thus helping increase
350-414: A population of 69,213 with a sex-ratio of 1,022 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 6,808 were under the age of six, constituting 3,543 males and 3,265 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 14.76% and 0.08% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the town was 77.11%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had
400-593: 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, spanning across 68,584 km (42,616 mi) in route length, 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)
450-575: A ticket holder to board the train and share a berth. Reserved tickets can be booked by passengers who want to travel at short notice at higher fares through the Tatkal train ticket , where no refund is applicable on cancellation. A valid proof for the purchase of ticket along with photo identification is required to board the train. Unreserved tickets for short distance or unplanned travels may be purchased at stations or through UTS mobile app at any time before departure. Holders of such tickets may only board
500-641: A total of 18,423 households. There were a total of 26,595 workers, comprising 147 cultivators, 437 main agricultural labourers, 704 in house hold industries, 23,870 other workers, 1,437 marginal workers, 8 marginal cultivators, 60 marginal agricultural labourers, 92 marginal workers in household industries and 1,277 other marginal workers. As per the religious census of 2011, Mettupalayam had 69.24% Hindus , 25.65% Muslims , 4.84% Christians , 0.02% Sikhs , 0.15% Jains , 0.04% following other religions and 0.05% following no religion or did not indicate any religious preference. Mettupalayam (State Assembly Constituency)
550-684: Is a municipal town and headquarters of Mettupalayam Taluk in the Coimbatore district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu . It is the second largest town in the Coimbatore district after Pollachi . It is located to the north of Coimbatore city on the way to Ooty , in the foothills of Nilgiri hills . As of 2011, the town had a population of 69,213. Mettupalayam railway station is the starting point of Nilgiri Mountain Railway and it operates
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#1732786872170600-535: Is considered super-fast. As of 2023 , India does not have any operational high-speed trains . The maximum operational speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) is achieved by Gatimaan Express and Rani Kamalapati (Habibganj)–Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express on the Tughlakabad – Agra section. Earlier steam locomotive operated trains largely operated below 100 km/h (62 mph). With
650-588: Is part of Nilgiris . The Nilgiri Mountain Railway , which connects Mettupalayam railway station with Udagamandalam (Ooty), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Nilgiri Express connects Mettupalayam to the State capital, Chennai , via Coimbatore . Mettupalayam is situated at the base of Nilgiri Hills and hence is the starting point for the Ghat Roads . MEMU express special trains are operated between Coimbatore Junction and Mettupalayam daily. Coimbatore
700-570: The Great Indian Peninsular Railway 's Calcutta Mail at Manmad to proceed to the northern and the eastern parts of the country. The East Coast line between Madras and Calcutta opened in 1900, providing a shorter route for the passengers bound to Calcutta, but the passengers bound to Delhi, Lahore and other major cities in the north, continued to rely on the Madras–Manmad mail service. A record in through-train running
750-680: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan ) and Mangalore Central in the Madras Presidency (present-day city in Karnataka , India). From September 2021, it runs with modern new LHB coach with revised coach position. For most of the 19th century, the main railway route from Madras to Calcutta and Delhi was through Bombay . The Madras–Bombay mail train carried through carriages between Madras and Manmad which were detached at Daund . Passengers would then transfer to
800-583: The North Western Railway and Mangalore with two coaches detached and connected to Madras further. The Frontier Mail made its inaugural run between Bombay and Peshawar in 1928. Technical advancements led to automatic colour light signals become operational between Bombay and Byculla in 1928. In the subsequent years, the route from Bombay to Poona was electrified and in June 1930, the first deluxe train, Deccan Queen began running, hauled by
850-503: The North Western Railway (British India) and Mangalore in the South Indian Railway . The two coaches, consisting of a composite First and Second class coach and a composite Third class and Luggage coach, made their way to Madras attached to the South Indian Railway 's Mangalore–Madras mail train. Between Madras and Itarsi sectional coaches to Itarsi, Bezwada (now Vijayawada ) and Hyderabad were operated. At Itarsi,
900-586: The WAM-1 locomotives, capable of reaching speeds of up to 112 km/h (70 mph). In 1960, the Railway Board of India commissioned a study to increase the speed of its trains, which was restricted to 96 km/h (60 mph) on the existent broad gauge lines. A target of 160 km/h (99 mph) with an intermediate stage of 120 km/h (75 mph) was set for passenger trains. Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) started work on
950-486: The Ministry of Railways, express trains are classified as follows: a. Super-fast express: Any passenger train with an average speed higher than 55 km/h (34 mph) on 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ) broad gauge . b. Mail: Trains which earlier had a mail coach attached. Newer trains are not named so, but older trains remain in operation. c. Express: Express trains travel faster and have fewer stops than ordinary passenger trains. As of 2023 , it manages
1000-761: The coach class and the second letter identifies the coach number. The berths and seats are numbered by an alphanumeric code with the letter(s) identifying the berth/seat type and numbers identifying the position. In standard coaches, the berths and seats are classified as follows: Indian Railways Operates various classes of Express trains . The trains are classified basis average speed and facilities with express trains having fewer halts, priority on rail network and faster average speed. The trains are identified by five digit numbers with train-pairs traveling in opposite directions usually labelled with consecutive numbers. Express trains often have specific unique names for easy identification. Rajdhani Express introduced in 1969 were
1050-702: The early 2010s. From the late 1990s, the ICF coaches were replaced by safer and newer LHB coaches designed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch of Germany . In the late 2010s, Indian railways started upgrading the coaches of select express trains from LHB to new Tejas coaches with enhanced features. As of March 2022, Indian Railways had 84,863 passenger coaches. Semi-high speed Train 18 was rolled out in 2018. These self-propelled EMU train sets manufactured by Integral Coach Factory are capable of reaching 180 kilometres per hour (110 mph). These trains have eight or sixteen coaches with driver cabins on both ends, which eliminates
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#17327868721701100-566: The first railway line in India at Madras . In 1837, the first train ran on Red Hill railway line between Red Hills and Chintadripet in Madras and was hauled by a rotary steam engine imported from England . In 1853, the first passenger train ran between Bombay and Thane which covered a distance of 54 km (34 mi) in 57 minutes, averaging a speed of 57 km/h (35 mph). Earlier trains ran using steam locomotives , where barely reached speeds of 90 km/h (56 mph). With
1150-501: The first trains to reach speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph). Shatabdi Express , introduced in 1988, are capable of running at a maximum speed of 150 km/h (93 mph). In 2019, Vande Bharat Express was launched with self-propelled EMU train-sets capable of reaching maximum speed of 180 km/h (110 mph) with operational speeds restricted to 130–160 km/h (81–99 mph). A non-airconditioned semi-high speed train-set hauled by two modified WAP-5 locomotives
1200-432: The fourth largest national railway system by size with a track length of 132,310 km (82,210 mi), running track length of 106,493 km (66,172 mi) and route length of 68,584 km (42,616 mi). Track sections are rated for speeds ranging from 80 to 200 km/h (50 to 124 mph), though the maximum speed attained by passenger trains is 160 km/h (99 mph). In 2009, Indian Railways started
1250-439: The general or unreserved coaches. India has some of the lowest train fares in the world, and lower class passenger fares are subsidised. Discounted fares are applicable for railway employees, the differently-abled, students, athletes, patients and those taking competitive examinations. Seats of lower class of accommodation are reserved for women or senior citizens in some trains. Mettupalayam, Coimbatore Mettupalayam
1300-558: The implementation of regional high-speed rail projects to provide services at 250–350 km/h (160–220 mph), and planning for corridors connecting commercial, tourist, and pilgrimage hubs. On 25 July 2013, Government of India established the High Speed Rail Corporation for the implementation of high-speed rail corridor projects and in 2014, the Diamond Quadrilateral high speed rail project
1350-504: The introduction of WP class locomotives in 1947, speeds of 100 km/h (62 mph) were operated commercially. While the first electric train ran in Bombay in 1925 on DC traction, WCP-1 class electric locomotives were introduced in 1928, capable of hauling trains at speeds of up to 137 km/h (85 mph), though trains operated at lower speed. On 1 April 1929, Grand Trunk Express commenced operations between Peshawar in
1400-436: The introduction of electric locomotives in later 1920s and newer steam locomotives, speeds of 100 km/h (62 mph) were achieved. With the movement to AC traction in late 1950s and introduction of diesel locomotives , maximum speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) were achieved in the late 1960s. With the introduction of high power electric locomotives in the 1990s, operating speeds of 130 km/h (81 mph)
1450-411: The last three digits indicating the class. In 2018, the numbering system was changed with the first two digits indicating the year of manufacture and the last four digits indicating the sequence number. As of March 2022, Indian Railways manages and operates 7,308 stations. Prior to 2017, the stations were classified into seven categories based on their earnings. Since 2017, Indian Railways categorizes
1500-420: The minimum essential amenities required by each station. Express trains stop at select set of stations identified using a combination of factors including commercial importance, traffic and capabilities. Indian Railways offers various travel classes on its coaches . For the purpose of identification in passenger trains , coaches in a train-set are assigned an alpha-numeric code. The first letter identifies
1550-409: The name 'Grand Trunk express' only referred to the 2 through carriages operating between Mangalore and Peshawar. Shortly after the inauguration of the service, from 15 October 1929, the two through carriages operating between Mangalore and Peshawar were restricted to run between Mettupalayam and Delhi with Slip Coach to Peshawar/Landi Kotal . From 1 March 1930, the service was extended to Lahore. As
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1600-539: The numbers 12615/12616, with 12615 being assigned for the Madras Egmore (MS) – New Delhi (NDLS) run and 12616 for the New Delhi (NDLS) – Madras Egmore (MS) run. It runs with LHB coach . It has a total of 22 coaches. The important halts of Grand Trunk Express are :- It is hauled by a Royapuram based WAP-7 locomotive on its entire journey. Superfast Express trains in India India has
1650-465: The only rack railway in India connecting Ooty and Mettupalayam. Mettupalayam is located at 11°18′20″N 76°56′06″E / 11.3056°N 76.9350°E / 11.3056; 76.9350 . It has an average elevation of 314 m (1,030 ft). Mettupalayam is situated on the bank of Bhavani River at the foot of the Nilgiri mountains. According to 2011 census , Mettupalayam had
1700-628: The operational speed of the passenger trains to 160 km/h (99 mph). In 2014, the Diamond Quadrilateral high-speed rail network project was launched by Government of India and is envisioned to connect the four major metro cities of India namely: Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. The Ministry of Railways envisaged to have dedicated standard gauge tracks capable of top speeds of 300–350 km/h (190–220 mph) with trains running on elevated corridors to isolate high-speed train tracks by 2026 and identified probable routes for
1750-406: The passenger and fare details along with berth or seat number(s) allocated to them on the ticket. In case of no confirmed reservation, a wait-list number is assigned and wait-listed tickets get confirmed if there are cancellations of already reserved tickets. Reservation against cancellation tickets is an intermediate category between the waiting and confirmed lists in sleeper classes which allows
1800-530: The same in 1962 with field trials commencing in 1967. The coaches were manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory at Madras and hauled by diesel locomotives . On 19 February 1969, the Government of India announced the introduction of a new express train capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) in the railway budget . On 1 March 1969, the first Rajdhani Express
1850-452: The same. A 174 km (108 mi) segment of track in the Tughlakabad – Agra Cantonment section supports semi-high speed passenger traffic of up to 160 km/h (99 mph). The early express rail coaches were based on a prototype by a Swiss company and were termed as ICF coaches after Integral coach factory (ICF), the first coach manufacturing unit in India. These coaches, manufactured from 1955 to 2018, were largely in use till
1900-442: The stations by commercial importance into three different categories namely Non Suburban Group (NSG), Suburban Group (SG) and Halt Group (HG). These are further subdivided into subcategories based on their commercial importance (NSG 1-6, SG 1-3 and from HG 1-3). The commercial importance of a station is determined by taking into account its passenger footfall, earnings and strategic importance and these categories are used to determine
1950-465: The third day. 12616 New Delhi - Madras Egmore Grand Trunk Express leaves New Delhi by 16:10 and reaches Madras Egmore by 05:00 the third day. The train passes through the states of Tamil Nadu , Andhra Pradesh , Telangana , Maharashtra , Madhya Pradesh , Rajasthan , Uttar Pradesh , Haryana and Delhi . As per the numbering of the Indian Railways, the train has been assigned
2000-419: The time needed for turnaround at the terminal station with faster acceleration and deceleration, enabling the train to travel at a top speed for longer distance. Coaches are manufactured by five manufacturing units of the Indian Railways and public sector companies BEML and BHEL. The coaching stock have unique five or six digit identifiers. Till 2018, the first two digits indicating the year of manufacture and
2050-455: The train consisted of only 2 through coaches, it proved insufficient to meet the traffic requirements. In addition, the train's schedule depended on the schedules of the trains carrying the through carriages, and was thus subject to regular delays. This led to a revision in the operation of the train and the revamped 'Grand Trunk express' commenced operating as a dedicated daily train between Madras and Delhi from 1 September 1930. The rakes used for
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2100-598: The train were supplied by the Great Indian Peninsular Railway for the next few years. Until the mid-1960s, the Grand Trunk Express completed the 1356 mile journey between Madras and New Delhi in about 50 hours. After the introduction of the Dakshin Express in 1968, the Grand Trunk Express was moved to a faster schedule. For a few years after the change in schedule, the train operated as a fully air-conditioned service for two days every week and with
2150-578: The two through coaches from Mangalore were attached to the Great Indian Peninsular Railway's Bombay–Delhi service. In the final leg of the journey between Delhi and Peshawar, the two through carriages were attached to the Frontier Mail and reached Peshawar traveling through Bathinda , Ferozepore and Lahore . Thus the train covered a distance of 2497 miles in a little over 96 hours. This was not an independent train and
2200-479: Was achieved with further developments leading to speeds of maximum speeds of 160 km/h (99 mph) being realized in the early 2010s. Vande Bharat Express , an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) run service introduced in 2019, is the fastest operational express train with a maximum permitted speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). The history of the Indian Railway began in 1832 with the proposal to construct
2250-522: Was approved by the government. In April 2016, the WAP-5 hauled Gatimaan Express became the fastest commercial train in India, with a maximum operational speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). In 2018, Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, rolled out a semi-high-speed EMU train-set , capable of reaching 180 km/h (110 mph). In 2019, the first Vande Bharat Express entered commercial service with
2300-729: Was done manually. Centralized computer reservation system was deployed in September 1996. The ticketing network at stations is computerized with the exception of few stations. The Indian Railways website went online in February 2000 and online ticketing was introduced on 3 August 2002 through IRCTC. Indian Railways now provides multiple channels for passengers to book tickets through website , smartphone apps , SMS , rail reservation counters at train stations, or through private ticket booking counters. Reserved tickets may be booked up to 60 days in advance and confirmed reservation tickets will show
2350-491: Was flagged off from New Delhi to Howrah , which reached a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) and completed the 1,450 km (900 mi) trip in 17 hours 20 minutes at an average speed of 84 km/h (52 mph). In 1980, the WAP-1 electric locomotives capable of reaching speeds of 130 km/h (81 mph) were introduced to haul express trains. Shatabdi Express introduced in 1988, were capable of running at
2400-1043: Was launched as Amrit Bharat Express . A high-speed rail line is under-construction between Mumbai and Ahmedabad which will become the first true high-speed rail line when completed in 2026. As of 2023 , the maximum operational speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) is achieved by Gatimaan Express and Vande Bharat Express on the above section. India Railways operates various categories of express trains including Vande Bharat Express , Rajdhani Express , Shatabdi Express , Amrit Bharat Express , Garib Rath Express , Double Decker Express , Tejas Express , Gatimaan Express , Humsafar Express , Duronto Express , Yuva Express , Uday Express , Jan Shatabdi Express , Sampark Kranti Express , Vivek Express , Rajya Rani Express , Mahamana Express , Antyodaya Express , Jan Sadharan Express , Suvidha Express and Intercity Express . As of 2022 , Indian Railways operated 2,999 express trains on average daily. In 1986, computerized ticketing and reservations were introduced before which ticketing
2450-591: Was rekindled and the Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway hastened the construction of the missing rail link between Kazipet and Balharshah Junction . The link was opened throughout on 15 November 1928 with the commissioning of the Asifabad Road – Balharshah Junction section. This link reduced the distance between Madras and Delhi by over 200 miles. From 1 April 1929 the 'Grand Trunk' express commenced operating as two through carriages running between Peshawar in
2500-483: Was set in 1921 by a military train conveying families of a regiment from Peshawar to Cannanore (now Kannur in Kerala ). The journey represented a continuous run of over 2500 miles over the North Western Railway (British India) , Great Indian Peninsular Railway , Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway and the South Indian Railway . Following this record journey, interest in a shorter through route between Madras and Delhi
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