Hirakud Express

Hirakud Express
Overview
Service type	Express train
Locale	Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab
First service	1992
Current operator(s)	South Coast Railway Zone
Route
Termini	Visakhapatnam; Amritsar
Stops	47
Distance travelled	2,579 km (1,603 mi)
Average journey time	48 hours 05 minutes
Service frequency	tri-weekly
Train number(s)	18507 / 18508
On-board services
Class(es)	AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, Sleeper Class, Unreserved/General
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Pantry car attached
Entertainment facilities	None
Baggage facilities	Under seat
Technical
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	53 km/h (33 mph) average with halts
Route map
Route map

Hirakudkud Express is a tri-weekly express train which runs between Amritsar and Visakhapatnam. It passes through the cities of Delhi, Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi, Bilaspur, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar and Brahmapur. It was initially introduced between Sambalpur and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station (Delhi) in 1992. Later in 2002 it was extended to Bhubaneswar and thereafter up to Visakhapatnam and Amritsar in the coming years.

Etymology

Hira means diamond and Kud means island in Sambalpuri language spoken in Western Odisha. Sambalpur was famous as an ancient diamond mine and reference about it can be found in the works of Claudius Ptolemy, Edward Gibbon, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. Hirakud Express is named after the famous Hirakud Dam in Sambalpur, Odisha which is one of the longest dams of India.

Coach composition

The coach composition of the 18507/18508 train is:

1 AC 2 tier + AC 3 tier (Hybrid) coaches
3 AC 3 tier coaches
10 Sleeper Class coaches
6 Unreserved/General coaches
2 Second-class Luggage/parcel van
1 Pantry car

Loco	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23
	GRD	GEN	GEN	GEN	S10	S9	S8	S7	S6	S5	S4	S3	PC	S2	S1	A1	B3	B2	B1	GEN	GEN	GEN	GRD

Timetable

18507- Starts from Visakhapatnam every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and reaches Amritsar Junction on 3rd day.
18508- Starts from Amritsar Jn every Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday and reaches Visakhapatnam on 3rd day.

Major stops

Rake sharing

This train shares its rake with Visakhapatnam–Hazur Sahib Nanded Superfast Express

References

External links

[1]

v t e Railways in Northern India
National network/ trunk lines	Howrah–Delhi main line New Delhi–Chennai main line New Delhi–Mumbai main line Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line Delhi–Jaipur line Jaipur–Ahmedabad line
Branch lines/ sections	Agra–Bhopal section Ahmedabad–Udaipur line Allahabad–Mau–Gorakhpur main line Ambala–Attari line Amritsar–Khem Karan line Amritsar–Pathankot line Aunrihar–Jaunpur line Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines Bathinda–Rewari line Bathinda–Rajpura line Bikaner–Rewari line Bhanupli–Leh line Chandigarh–Sahnewal line Delhi–Fazilka line Delhi–Kalka line Delhi–Meerut–Saharanpur line Delhi–Moradabad line Jalandhar–Firozpur line Jalandhar–Jammu line Jammu–Baramulla line Jodhpur–Bathinda line Jodhpur–Jaisalmer line Kanpur–Delhi section Laksar–Dehradun line Lucknow–Gorakhpur line Lucknow–Moradabad line Ludhiana–Fazilka line Ludhiana–Jakhal line Marwar Junction–Munabao line Mathura–Vadodara section Mau–Ghazipur–Dildarnagar main line Merta Road–Rewari line Moradabad–Ambala line Mughalsarai–Kanpur section Rewari–Rohtak line Shri Ganganagar–Sadulpur line Suratgarh–Bathinda line Varanasi–Chhapra line Varanasi–Lucknow main line Varanasi–Rae Bareli–Lucknow line Varanasi–Sultanpur–Lucknow line
Urban and suburban rail transport	Delhi Suburban Railway Delhi Metro (Blue Green Grey Magenta Orange Pink Red Violet Yellow) Rapid Metro Gurgaon Lucknow–Kanpur Suburban Railway Barabanki–Lucknow Suburban Railway Delhi–Meerut RRTS
Heritage railways	Kalka–Shimla Railway
Monorails	Patiala State Monorail Trainways
Defunct lines	Jammu–Sialkot line
Manufacturing units and workshops	Banaras Locomotive Works Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli
Railway companies	Northern Railway North Eastern Railway North Central Railway North Western Railway East Indian Railway Company Kangra Valley Railway Rajputana–Malwa Railway Tirhut Railway Oudh and Tirhut Railway Indian Branch Railway Company Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Cawnpore–Burhwal Railway Cawnpore–Barabanki Railway Lucknow–Bareilly Railway Bengal and North Western Railway Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway Mashrak–Thawe Extension Railway Lucknow–Sitapur–Seramow Provincial State Railway Bareilly–Pilibheet Provincial State Railway Segowlie–Raxaul Railway Delhi Metro Rail Corporation National Capital Region Transport Corporation
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) 1974 railway strike in India Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor