Duronto Express
 | |
| Main Operation(s) | India 2009 – Present |
|---|---|
| Fleet size | 26 |
| Parent company | Indian Railways |
| Other | |
| Website | www.indianrail.gov.in |
Duronto Express is a category of long-distance non stop source to destination trains run by the Indian Railways. Initially these trains did not have any ticketing stops between the origin and the destination, but since January 2016 it is possible to book tickets from those technical stops. "Duronto" means "restless" in Bengali language. These trains' coaches have characteristic yellow-green livery. Duronto Express services connect the several metros and major state capitals of India. These trains are faster than Rajdhani and Shatabdi express.
History
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.[1] On 19 January 2009, Railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee, said that the 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-Thiruvananthapuram and Howrah-Haldia.[2] But, this High Speed rail service for India is expected to be completed on a long run.
Meanwhile, non-stop Duronto Express trains were introduced in 2009–10 as a first step towards high-speed rail travel in India.[3] The first Duronto ran between Sealdah and New Delhi.
Efficiency and speed
The Duronto Expresses are one of the fastest trains in India. These trains run faster than Rajdhani Express[4] trains which hold the record of the fastest long-distance trains in India. For example, the New Delhi – Sealdah Duronto Express takes 16 hours to cover the journey against 17 hours taken by Rajdhani Express. The trains will adhere to the speed limit of 110 km/h {non-stop}.[5] The Chennai, Sealdah, Ernakulam and Pune Duronto run at a speed of 130 km/h.The Howrah-New Delhi Bi-weekly Duronto Express, with Hybrid-LHB rakes is the only Duronto permitted to run at a speed of 120 km/h[6] In March 2011, the cost of travel in the Duronto Express went up as the Minister of Railways announced a hike in railway fare. The decision to hike railway fares resulted in trouble across the Government and were rolled back,[7] only to be raised again on 1 April.[8] A feature exclusive to the Duronto is the LHB Sleeper coach. The sleeper class is the most common coach, and usually ten or more coaches could be attached.Dynamic pricing is applicable on all Duronto expresses
List of Current Duronto Express trains
| No | Previous Service | Now running as |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajmer Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express | Ajmer Hazrat Nizamuddin Jan Shatabdi Express |
| 2 | Chennai Thiruvananthapuram AC Duronto Express | Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram AC Superfast Express |
| 3 | Chennai Coimbatore AC Duronto Express | Chennai Coimbatore Shatabdi Express |
| 4 | Amrtisar Chandigarh Duronto Express | Amritsar Chandigarh Superfast Express |
| 5 | Lucknow New Delhi AC Duronto Express | Lucknow Rajdhani Express |
| 6 | Anuvrat AC Superfast Express | Anuvrat AC Duronto Express |
| 7 | Howrah Digha Duronto Express | Howrah Digha AC Superfast Express |
Incidents and accidents
- In January 2010, the passengers of the Duronto Express between Nagpur and Mumbai complained about passengers without confirmed tickets travelling inside the reserved coaches.[9]
- In May 2010, at least 19 passengers on board the Ernakulam Duronto Express were admitted to the Government General Hospital after complaining of food poisoning.[10]
- In June 2010, the Howrah Mumbai CST Duronto express faced interruption as its engine and generator car were detached from the rest of the train's coaches due to technical problems. The problem was fixed within less than an hour.[11]
- In June 2013, the 12264 Pune Duronto derailed near Monkey Hill due to a landslide. No injuries were reported & the train reached 5 hours late at Pune Junction [1].
- In September 2015, 12220 Secunderabad Mumbai Duronto Express Express derailed at Martur station between Shahbad and Gulbarga on Solapur Division in Karnataka at around 2:15 am. Two passengers were killed and more than 30 injured when eight of its coaches were derailed.[12]
See also
- Express trains in India
- Jan Shatabdi Express
- Shatabdi Express
- Rajdhani Express
- Garib Rath
- Superfast Mail/Express – other categories of fast rail services in India
- Rajya Rani Express
- Vivek Express
References
- ^ "Bullet Trains Expected in India". Rediff. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
- ^ "India plans High Speed rail Service for Railways". Rediff. January 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Non-stop point-to-point long-distance trains introduced in the Budget". Rediff. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Duronto Trains Will Be Faster Than Rajdhani". India TV. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
- ^ "Kolkata-New Delhi Duronto Express!". My News.in. 19 September 2009. Archived from the original on 6 November 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Duronto blazing new tracks". The Hindu. 21 September 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
- ^ "Didi's Duronto hits Rajdhani; Trivedi hikes fares". DNA India. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ^ "Revised train fares from April 1". The Deccan Chornicle. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ^ "Waitlisted causing trouble in Duronto". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Harrowing experience for Duronto Express passengers". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Duronto Express coaches come loose". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ Sivanandan T V (12 September 2015). "Duronto train derails near Kalaburagi; 2 dead". The Hindu. Martur, Kalaburagi district. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
External links
- Duronto trains at India Rail Info
- Videos of Sealdah-New Delhi Duronto
- List of Duronto Trains on India Rail website
- Duronto Map – Latest
- [2]
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