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Poorva Express (via Patna)

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Poorva Express
Poorva Express train board
Overview
Service typeSuperfast Express
LocaleDelhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal
First service2 October 1956; 68 years ago (1956-10-02)
Current operator(s)Eastern Railways
Route
TerminiHowrah (HWH)
New Delhi (NDLS)
Stops22
Distance travelled1,531 km (951 mi)
Average journey time22 hours/23 hours 20 minutes
Service frequencyFour days a week.
Train number(s)12303 / 12304
On-board services
Class(es)First AC, Second AC, Third AC, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangementsYes
Sleeping arrangementsYes
Auto-rack arrangementsYes
Catering facilitiesAvailable
Observation facilitiesLarge windows
Baggage facilitiesAvailable
Technical
Rolling stockLHB coach
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed69 km/h 65[convert: unknown unit] average including halt

The 12303 / 12304 Poorva Express are daily superfast express trains of Indian Railways running between Howrah, West Bengal, and New Delhi, the capital city of India. The name Poorva signifies the eastern part of India, and the train attracts travellers from Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal.[1][2]

History

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Prior to the introduction of the Rajdhani Express, the Deluxe Express was the premium category superfast trains of India. Fully air conditioned and superfast, they were given the highest priority in Indian Railways. There were two of them. One use to ply between Amritsar and Bandra Terminus, and another from Amritsar to Howrah. Both of them use to carry the ICF Rajdhani liveried coaches. Later with due course of time the Deluxe Express till Bandra was renamed as Paschim Express while the Deluxe Express till Howrah was renamed as Poorva Express. The Poorva Express was launched on the 2nd of October, 1956 and ran as the first fully air conditioned train of India.

With due course of time, the "fully Air Conditioned" was stripped off from its name to accommodate additional Non-AC sleeper Coaches and was subsequently terminated till New Delhi. And with the launch of Howrah Rajdhani Express, it lost its grandeur and subsequently its priority. It was relegated to Maroon-cream coloured Coaches with no tubelights only bulbs inside the coach first and then to Standard Blue ICF Coaches with tubelights inside the coach. But later getting refurbished to LHB coach in April 2013, being the first superfast category train to receive them.

Though it suffered with time, its popularity never ceased. Due to its huge demand, Indian Railways introduced a second pair of Poorva Express on 1 August 1971 via Patna. Not only that, during its peak time it was one of the longest trains with a load of 24 coaches and was used to be hauled by twin WDM-2 engines between Mughalsarai and Chittaranjan.

Coach composition

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The train has standard LHB rakes with a max speed of 130 km/h. The train consists of 22 coaches:

  • 1HA (1st AC cum 2A)
  • 2 AC II Tier
  • 6 AC III Tier
  • 8 Sleeper Coaches
  • 1 Pantry Car
  • 2 General Unreserved
  • 2 HOG


  • 12303 Coach Composition

ENG<EOG<B6<B5<B4<B3<B2<B1<A2<A1<HA1<PC<S8<S7<S6<S5<S4<S3<S2<S1<GS<GS<SLR<HCPV

  • 12304 Coach Composition

ENG<HCPV<SLR<GS<GS<S1<S2<S3<S4<S5<S6<S7<S8<PC<HA1<A1<A2<B1<B2<B3<B4<B5<B6<EOG

  • 3rd Rakes Coach Composition

ENG<SLR<GS<GS<S1<S2<S3<S4<S5<S6<S7<S8<PC<HA1<A1<A2<B1<B2<B3<B4<B5<B6<EOG<HCPV

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Loco 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
EOG GS GS S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 PC HA1 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 A1 A2 EOG

Route and halts

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Traction

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It is regularly hauled by a Howrah Loco Shed based WAP 7 (HOG) equipped locomotive on its entire journey.

Rake sharing

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The train shares its rake with 12381/12382 Poorva Express (via Gaya).

Train detail

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Detail of Poorva Express
Pair Train No. Sector Departure Arrival Frequency Average Speed Stops Distance
1 12303[3] Howrah – New Delhi Via Patna 08:00 06:00 Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat 70 km BWN, DGR, ASN, CRJ, MDP, JSME, JAJ, JMU, KIUL, MKA, BARH, BKP, PNBE, DNR, ARA, BXR, DDU, ALD, CNB, ETW, TDL,ALJN 1531 km
12304[4] New Delhi – Howrah Via Patna 17:40 17:00 Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 65 km
2 12381[5] Howrah – New Delhi Via Gaya 08:15 06:00 Sun, Wed, Thu 67 km ALJN, TDL, ETW, CNB, ALD, BSB, DDU, BBU,SSM, DOS, ABUR, RFG, GAYA, KQR, PNME, DHN, ASN, DGR, BWN 1449 km
12382[6] New Delhi – Howrah Via Gaya 17:40 17:00 Mon, Tue, Fri 62 km

Accidents and incidents

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On 14 December 2014 the 12381 UP Howrah - New Delhi Poorva Express derailed at 8.27 am after leaving Howrah at 8.15 am.[7] 11 sleeper coaches and a pantry car (AC Hot Buffet Car) of the New Delhi-bound Poorva Express derailed at Liluah shortly after leaving Howrah station. There were no casualties or injuries to any passengers, railway officials said. The train was moving at a slow speed when it derailed, the officials said, adding that the reasons for the mishap were being examined. What saved the passengers was the speed of the train. "The Poorva Express was moving at 10 to 15 km/h when the accident occurred. The average speed of the train is 63 km/h, though it can travel at 120 km/h. Derailment at higher speeds would have been catastrophic," an official said.

References

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  1. ^ "Sanction for regular operation". Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Raising maximum permissible speed of sections" (PDF). Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Train Time Table - POORVA EXPRESS (12303) : etrain.info". etrain.info. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Train Time Table - POORVA EXPRESS (12304) : etrain.info". etrain.info. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Train Time Table - POORVA EXPRESS (12381) : etrain.info". etrain.info. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Train Time Table - POORVA EXPRESS (12382) : etrain.info". etrain.info. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Train jumps tracks like a toy". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
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