#TRAINCYCLOPEDIA
#6
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NAME :
16345/16346 Netravati Express.
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ROUTE:
Lokamanya Tilak Terminus(Mumbai) to Thiruvananthapuram via Konkan Railway.
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ETYMOLOGY:
The train derives its name from the Netravati River on the outskirts of Mangalore City in Karnataka. The train was introduced in the late 1980`s in order to cater to the rising popularity on the Mumbai Kerala route. The original train ran from Lokamanya Tilak Terminus to Mangalore/Cochin with the train being split at Shoranur Jn. one part towards Mangalore and the rest of the train towards Cochin Harbour Terminus.
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HISTORY:
In the period during 1980s there was only one train from Mumbai to Kerala, the old faithful the then 1081 Jayanti Janata Exp from Mumbai to CAPE. the journey on it was 3 day long and tiresome as it passed through the hot regions in AP and Karnataka. During the 70s and 80s Mumbai witnessed a huge influx of people from the southern part of the nation and soon Jayanti became overcrowded. Hence a new train was introduced. The train was to run from LTT to MAQ via Kalyan, Pune, Solapur, Dharmavaram, Krishnarajapuram, Salem, Erode, Palakkad, Shornur, Kannur and Mangalore. Soon slip coaches were attached and the train also had runs to Cochin Harbour Terminus. When Konkan Railway opened to the traffic, the train was re routed via KR and extended to Thiruvananthapuram. The current 16331/16332 CSTM-TVC Exp travels the same route as the earlier Netravati Exp. The train was the first SR train to run on KR alongwith the 12619/12620 LTT-MAQ Matsyagandha Exp.
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DESCRIPTION:
The train has a 22 coach rake. It is run by TVC division of SR. The train departs daily from LTT at 11:40 and reaches TVC at 18:40 the next day averagaing a speed of 48 kmph. The train offers both AC and non AC sleeper options as well as non AC seating coaches. It has 12 non-ac Sleeper coaches, 4 AC Sleeper 3 Tier coaches, 1 AC 2 tier coach, 1 Pantry Car, 2 General coaches and 2 General cum Luggage coaches. The train traverses the beautiful Konkan and Malabar Region. The train passes through Mumbai city and the western ghats of Konkan Region and the Malabar Coastal Region in Kerala. The train plies on the Western Ghats which is famous for its bio diversity and offers a scintillating view of the mountains and valleys. the route is exceptionally beautiful during monsoon. The train connects the Marathi and Malayalam speaking regions. the train crosses the rivers of Patalganga, Vasishti, Savitri, Zuari and Mandovi, Sharavati, Netravati, Valappattanam, Kadalundi, Bharatapuzha, Periyar. The train has a poor record of cleanliness. Cockroaches, Mice and Bugs are a common sight in this train. The train has old rakes made in 1998 and have not been replaced yet. The train was the only conection to Kerala from Mumbai via KR untill the introduction of 12201 Garib Rath exp 10 years later. The train is the numero uno choice for the people travelling to Kerala from Mumbai and hits the WL soon. The train has a pantry car aboard and the food is quite tasty though a bit pricey. The train has 46 stopagges in both the directions. The train has a maximum permissible speed of 110 kmph and speeds up as soon as it enters KR.
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LOCO LINK: The train used to hauled by ERS WDMs and later the privilege was given to WDM3Ds from Erode. Soon the links shifted to EMD WDG4 from Pune and currently the train is being hauled by WDP4D from Golden Rock Shed.
The earlier version of the train ran with WCM series loco from LTT to PUNE. Then it was hauled by Pune/GY WDMs untill ED. onwards it was hauled by WAM4s towards SRR and the MAQ bound section was again hauled by ED diesels.
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RSA: The train does not have any Rake Sharing Arrangement.
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VERDICT:
Hugely popular. The train has comfortable arrival timings at all the stations enroute. The pantry has a good food. But maintainence is pathetic and the train is always shabby. The train does good speeds and offers the most pocket friendly option of travelling to Kerala from Mumbai.
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FARES
AC 2 Tier : 2295 INR
AC 3 Tier: 1560 INR
Sleeper Class: 590 INR
General: 292 INR
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RATINGS:
Speed: Poor 4/10
Comfort: Average 6/10
Cleanliness: Troll 2/10
Food: Good 7/10
Punctuality : Good 7/10but unreliable in monsoon
Total score: 26/50

#TRAINCYCLOPEDIA
#5
NAME :
12261/12262 Mumbai-Howrah AC Duronto Express.
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ETYMOLOGY:...
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The Duronto express derives its name from the Bengali word Duronto which means restless . These category train run non stop between the origin and destination and halt only at pre designated TECHNICAL halts. The Duronto express predecessor was the Samparkkranti exp which also ran initially as a non stop train. But owing to poor response halts were added to it and samparkkrantis are now one of the fastest Superfast trains. Duronto express trains are the countries fastest trains. Duronto trains are available in full AC variants as well as regular variant. Both ICF and LHB coach rakes are utilised for its services. The train was the brain child of the railway minister Ms Mamata Banerjee. Many of them connect the city of Kolkata with other major cities. These trains have been surrounded by many controversies since a large chunk of them have fared poorly though there were some outstanding HITS. The LHB variants are fit for speeds as high as 160 kmph although no Duronto exp travels faster than 130 kmph.
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HISTORY:
The duronto express train was one of the earliest Duronto exp to be flagged of. The train began its services from Howrah in Kolkata to Mumbai on Sep 28 2009. The train departs at 17.15 from Mumbai CST on Sunday Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays and arrives at Howrah at 19.40 hrs on the next day. The train departs from Howrah on Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Fridays at 08.20 and reaches Mumbai at 10.30 averaging about 75 kmph.
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DESCRIPTION:
The train is maintained by the South Eastern Railway. The trains base station is Santragachi Coaching Depot. It offers only AC sleeper accomodation. The train offers 3 classes of accomodation . The rake consists of 9 AC 3 tier compartments and 3 AC 2Tier compartments and 1 AC First Class Compartment, 1 Pantry car and 2 luggage cum Generator vans. The train is an outstanding performer . The train is one of the first trains to hit WL during the vacation season. The train passes through Mumbai city and the western ghats, the vidarbha region and the chhota nagpur plateau region. The train connects the Marathi and Bengali speaking regions. The train crosses the rivers of Godavari, Purna, Wardha, Kanhan, Sheonath, Subarnarekha, Karkhai, Brahmani, Kangsabati, Rupnarayan, Damodar. The train is the fastest train on the Mumbai-Howrah route and goes at a good speed of around 120 kmph. The MPS of tracks in the Mumbai Region is less owing to the very high density of traffic. The train is a very high priority one and is very well noted for its speed and aggression. The food is also of decent standards in this train. The train is very comfortable owing to the advanced LHB rakes and improved air suspension as opposed to pneumatic spring suspension on other trains. The train has technical halts at Igatpuri, Bhusawal, Nagpur, Bilaspur, Tatanagar stations where water for the lavatories and food items are loaded. Also the train is checked for any problems.
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LOCO LINK:
The train is hauled by WCAM-3 locomotive from the Kalyan Loco Shed from Mumbai to Igatpuri after which a WAP-4 locomotive from HWH shed hauls it till Howrah. The train gets a HWH WAP-4 since SRC WAP-4 cannot go beyond 110.
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RSA: The train shares rakes with the Pune- Howrah AC Duronto express
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VERDICT:
The train is good for its speed and very good timetable The train however does not have commercial stoppages in between Mumbai CST and Howrah and hence is unsuitable for people in other regions although people can get down at technical halts at their own risk. Also the train is completely AC and hence may not be pocket friendly.
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FARES
AC - First Class INR 5175
AC - 2 Tier INR 2975
AC - 3 Tier INR 2060
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RATINGS:
Speed: Outstanding 10/10
Comfort: excellent 10/10
Cleanliness: excellent 9/10
Food: Good 7/10
Punctuality : good 7/10
Total score: 43/50

#TRAINCYCLOPEDIA #4
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NAME :
12133/12134 Mumbai CST- Mangalore Jn SF Express.
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ETYMOLOGY:...
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The train belongs to the superfast category trains of the Indian Railways and is currently the fastest superfast train running on the Konkan Railway thrashing the record the Pune- Ernakulam SF exp by about an hour.
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HISTORY:
The train was introduced as CST- Karwar tri weekly SF with first run on Nov 23 2009.Later it was extended to Mangalore Jn ( erstwhile Kankanadi ) and made a daily train. The train departs at 22.15 everyday and arrives at MAJN at 12.25 the next day. The train waits at MAJN and returns as the 12134 towards Mumbai, leaving MAJN at 14.00 and arriving CST at 04.10 the next day. The train travels at a max speed of 110 kmph.
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DESCRIPTION:
The train is maintained by the Central Railway. The trains base station is Mumbai CST. It offers both AC sleeper and non AC sleeper accomodation as well as 2nd class sitting. The train offers 4 classes of accomodation . The rake consists of 3 AC 3 tier compartments and 1 AC 2Tier compartment and 1 AC 2 tier +3 tier Compartment, 8 non AC sleeper compartments,2 2nd sitting compartments and 2 sitting cum luggage vans . The train is an outstanding performer . The train is one of the first trains to hit WL during the vacation season. The train passes through Mumbai city and the western ghats of Konkan Region . The train plies on the Western Ghats which is famous for its bio diversity and offers a scintillating view of the mountains and valleys. the route is exceptionally beautiful during monsoon. The train connects the Marathi,Konkani, Kannada,Tulu speaking regions. the train crosses the rivers of Patalganga, Vasishti, Savitri, Zuari and Mandovi, Sharavati. The train is one of the fastest trains on the Konkan railway and chugs at a good 110 kmph on the Konkan railway.. The train is a very high priority one and is very well noted for its speed and aggression. Lack of pantry car is a big disadvantage though there is on board catering available. The train has a On Board House-Keeping service which ensures proper maintainance and cleanliness of the train. The train uses ICF rakes made in the 2008 and 2009 years. thetrain has 12 stoppages in both the directions.
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LOCO LINK:
The train is hauled by WDM 3D or WDG3a locomotive from the Kalyan Loco Shed.
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RSA: There does not exist any Rake sharing arrangement for this train.
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VERDICT:
The train is good for its speed, cleanliness and very good timetable. But during monsoon period, the trains schedule sometimes goes haywire and ends up getting very late. also the lack of pantry is a big issue
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RATINGS:
Speed: Outstanding 10/10
Comfort: excellent 8/10
Cleanliness: Good 8/10
Food: N/a 3/10
Punctuality : Okay but unreliable during monsoon 6/10
Total score: 35/50

#TRAINCYCLOPEDIA
#3
NAME :
12223/12224 Lokamanya Tilak Ter. Ernakulam South Duronto Express.
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ETYMOLOGY:...
more...

The Duronto express derives its name from the hindi word Turant which means quick and speedy and also from Bengali word Duronto which means restless . These category train run non stop between the origin and destination and halt only at pre designated TECHNICAL halts. The Duronto express predecessor was the Samparkkranti exp which also ran initially as a non stop train. But owing to poor response halts were added to it and samparkkrantis are now one of the fastest Superfast trains. Duronto express trains are the countries fastest trains. Duronto trains are available in full AC variants as well as regular variant. Both ICF and LHB coach rakes are utilised for its services. The train was the brain child of the railway minister Ms Mamata Banerjee. Many of them connect the city of Kolkata with other major cities. These trains have been surrounded by many controversies since a large chunk of them have fared poorly though there were some outstanding HITS. The LHB variants are fit for speeds as high as 160 kmph although no Duronto exp travels faster than 130 kmph.
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HISTORY:
The duronto express train was one of the earliest Duronto exp to be flagged of. The train began its services from Lokamanya Tilak Terminus station in Mumbai to Ernakulam South station in Kerala on Jan 18 2011. The train departs at 20.50 from LTT on Tuesdays and Saturdays and arrives at Ernakulam at 17.45 hrs on Wednesdays and Sundays. The train departs from Ernakulam on the same days at 21.30 and reaches LTT at 18.15 averaging about 62 kmph.
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DESCRIPTION:
The train is maintained by the Central Railway. The trains base station is Lokamanya Tilak Terminus. It offers only AC sleeper accomodation. The train offers 3 classes of accomodation . The rake consists of 8 AC tier compartments and 2 AC 2Tier compartments and 1 AC First Class Compartment, 1 Pantry car and 2 luggage cum Generator vans. The train is an average performer . The train is one of the first trains to hit WL during the vacation season. The train passes through Mumbai city and the western ghats of Konkan Region and the Malabar Coastal Region in Kerala. The train plies on the Western Ghats which is famous for its bio diversity and offers a scintillating view of the mountains and valleys. the route is exceptionally beautiful during monsoon. The train connects the Marathi and Malayalam speaking regions. the train crosses the rivers of Patalganga, Vasishti, Savitri, Zuari and Mandovi, Sharavati, Netravati, Valappattanam, Kadalundi, Bharatapuzha. The train is one of the fastest trains on the Konkan railway and chugs at a good 120 kmph on the Konkan railway. The train gets slowed down when it enters Kerala where the mps is just 80 kmph on the MAJN-SRR route. The train is a very high priority one and is very well noted for its speed and aggression. The food is also of decent standards in this train. The train is very comfortable owing to the advanced LHB rakes and improved air suspension as opposed to pneumatic spring suspension on other trains. The train has technical halts at Ratnagiri, Madgaon, Mangalore Jn and Kozhikkode stations where water for the lavatories and food items are loaded. Also the train is checked for any problems.
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LOCO LINK:
The train is hauled by WDM3D locomotive from the Kalyan Loco Shed.
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RSA: There does not exist any Rake sharing arrangement for this train.
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VERDICT:
The train is good for its speed and very good timetable The train however does not have commercial stoppages in between LTT and ERS and hence is unsuitable for people in other regions although people can get down at technical halts at their own risk. Also the train is completely AC and hence may not be pocket friendly.
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FARES
AC - First Class INR 4260
AC - 2 Tier INR 2415
AC - 3 Tier INR 1665
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RATINGS:
Speed: Outstanding 10/10
Comfort: excellent 10/10
Cleanliness: Good 8/10
Food: Excellent 8/10
Punctuality : Good but unreliable during monsoon 8/10
Total score: 44/50

#TRAINCYCLOPEDIA
#2
NAME 1:
2201/12202 Lokamanya Tilak Ter. Kochuveli GaribRath Express.
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ETYMOLOGY:...
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Garibrath Trains a brain child of the former railway minister Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav, aims at providing easy connectivity to the regions at speeds faster than normal Superfast trains and with full AC accomodation at very subsidized rates affordable to the poor people. The name Garib rath literally translates as Poor Mans Chariot. Fares are just the 2/3rd of the fare in normal AC coaches. Passengers are not provided any extra comforts like bedding and food. The trains are fit for 130 kmph which is the same speed as the rajdhani express trains. Passengers often complain about the lack of space and congestion.
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HISTORY:
The sector between Mumbai and Kerala witnessed tremendous increment in the traffic after the Konkan Railways was developed. The was a need for another connectivity to Kerala from Mumbai. Hence the Garibrath train from LTT in Mumbai to Kochuveli in Kerala was announced. After 10 long years a train was put to Kerala from Mumbai on a regular basis. The train had its maiden journey on Thursday Jan 31 2008 from the Kochuveli Terminus. The train departs from Mumbai on Mondays and Fridays at 16.55 and arrives at KCVL the next day at 20.30. The train departs from KCVL on Sunday and Thursday at 08.50 and reaches Mumbai LTT at 11.45 the next day averaging about 57 kmph .
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DESCRIPTION:
The train is maintained by the Southern Railway. The trains base station is Kochuveli Terminus. The train offers 2 classes of accomodation AC 3 Tier sleeper Economy and the AC Chair car. The rake consists of 12 AC economy compartments and 2 AC chair car and 2 Generator vans. The train is a hugely popular one . The train is one of the first trains to hit WL. The train passes through the Mumbai suburbs during the evening times.slowly the landscape changes to semi urban in the Panvel side and turns completely rural after ROHA. The train passes through the Konkan coast and the Malabar Region in Kerala which has Red laterite soil and the region is famous for its ALPHONSO mangoes and jackfruits which are endemic to only India and found nowhere else in the world. The train plies on the Western Ghats which is famous for its bio diversity and offers a scintillating view of the mountains and valleys. the route is exceptionally beautiful during monsoon. The train connects the Marathi,Konkani, Kannada, Tulu and Malayalam speaking regions. the train crosses the rivers of Patalganga, Vasishti, Savitri, Zuari and Mandovi, Sharavati, Netravati, Valappattanam, Kadalundi, Bharatapuzha, Periyar. The train is one of the fastest trains on the Konkan railway and chugs at a good 110-115 kmph on the Konkan railway. The train gets slowed down when it enters Kerala where the mps is just 80 kmph on the MAJN-SRR route. The train initially had 21 stoppages but the halts at Thane,Kasargod, Tirur, and Tiruvalla were added later due to public demand. The train is very famous for its dirty exteriors and is one of the dirtiest train. Also the seating comfort is pathetic in the AC chair car and it is recommended only for short journey of about 3-4 hrs. The train is stationed at KCVL for the full day of Wednesday but still SR is unable to maintain it well. The train does not get an electric loco unlike its slower sibling the Netravati exp which gets a WAP 4 loco in the SRR-TVC route.
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LOCO LINK:
The train was hauled by ALCOs from Golden Rock Shed during the inaugural days. Soon the link changed to WDGs from Erode and finally the link is a ERS baldie WDM3a. The baldie is continously alloted to this train from the past 3-4 years. Kalyan WDG3a and GOC WDG4s are the usual offlinks.
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RSA: There does not exist any Rake sharing arrangement for this train.
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VERDICT:
The train is a value for money alternative and a faster train from Mumbai to Kerala. The train is extremely dirty and unclean and this proves to be huge negative factor. speed is good and fares are very cheap. But as the saying goes " GOOD THINGS DONT COME CHEAP ".similarly the train is not that a great one to travel.
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RATINGS:
Speed: Excellent 9/10
Comfort: pathetic 2/10
Cleanliness: pathetic 1/10
Food: poor and lack of pantry 3/10
Punctuality : Good but unreliable during monsoon 8/10
Total score: 23/50