The Pandian Express is a Superfast overnight express train of the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways which runs daily between Madurai Junction and Chennai Egmore[2] via Villupuram, Vridhachalam and Tiruchirappalli. The inaugural run of this express train is during Oct 01, 1969 on Wednesday.
| Pandian Superfast Express | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Service type | Superfast |
| Status | Active |
| Locale | Tamil Nadu |
| First service | 1 October 1969[1] |
| Current operator(s) | Southern Railway zone |
| Ridership | Superfast Express |
| Route | |
| Termini | Chennai Egmore (MS) Madurai Junction (MDU) |
| Stops | 08 |
| Distance travelled | 493 km (306 mi) |
| Average journey time | 07hrs 45min |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number(s) | 12637 / 12638 |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | 1A , 2A , 3A , SL , II & EOG |
| Disabled access |  |
| Seating arrangements | Yes (Un-Reserved Compartments) |
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes (Berth) |
| Catering facilities | No |
| Observation facilities | Windows in all carriages |
| Other facilities | CCTV Camera in all coaches |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | WAP-7 locomotive from Electric Loco Shed, Royapuram |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | 25 kV AC 50 Hz |
| Operating speed | 71 km/h (44 mph) (Maximum Permissible Speed 130 km/h) |
| Rake maintenance | Madurai |
| Rake sharing | |
Introduction edit
The name of the train commemorates the 6th century BC to 17th century AD Pandyan Dynasty or Pandian Kingdom of Tamil Nadu. It is a standard train consisting of 23 coaches. The main stops on the way are Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Vriddhachalam, Tiruchirappalli and Dindigul. The train operates daily and covers a distance of 493 km (306 mi). The train runs at a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph). It is a Prestigious train with Southern Railway Zone. It is now running with LHB rakes (Linke Hoffman Busch) from 15 August 2016 and is maintained at Madurai.
50th Anniversary of Pandian Express was celebrated by Railfans and Rail users on 1/10/2019 at Madurai Junction with a cake cut.[3]
This train had the livery changed twice - first it had the "Olive-Green livery", separated by 2 yellow-lines between the upper & lower part of the windows & later on it was changed to "Maroon colour" on the MG.
This train was numbered as 6717/6718 when it was run on MG. It is now hauled by WAP-7 loco from Royapuram Loco Shed from Madurai to Chennai Egmore and via the same route.
Locomotive edit
This train was numbered as 6717/6718 when it was run on MG. It is now hauled by 6350HP Fitted WAP-7 loco from Royapuram Loco Shed from Madurai to Chennai Egmore and via the same route.
Rake edit
Pandian Superfast Express running Brand New LHB Coaches. CCTV Cameras are fitted all Compartments
Coach composition edit
In total 22 coaches are there. It includes One AC First Class (1A), AC 2 Tier (2A), AC 3 Tier (3A), Sleeper Class (SL), Unreserved general sitting coach (UR) and End on Generators (EOG).[4] RSA with Rockfort Superfast Express/Cholan Express.
| 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 | GS | S7 | S6 | S5 | S4 | S3 | S2 | S1 | B6 | B5 | B4 | B3 | B2 | B1 | A3 | A2 | A1 | H1 | EOG |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Railway Budget speech 1970-71" (PDF). www.indianrailways.gov.in. Government of India, Ministry of Railways. 23 February 1970.
- ^ "Mixed response to Pandian Express with brand new LHB rake". Times of India. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ "All aboard the Pandian". The Hindu. 4 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ "Pandian Express to get spacious LHB coaches from Aug 15". Times of India. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
External links edit
