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An extension

The Central Railway has extended the 1013/1014 Kurla-Bangalore-Kurla Express upto Coimbatore.

But there will be no change in arrival or departure timings between Kurla and Bangalore in both directions.

The timings and halts between Bangalore and Coimbatore are:

  • Departure from Kurla Terminus at 2205 hours.
  • It arrives in Bangalore at 2300 hours (there is no change in departure and arrival times and halts between Kurla and Bangalore).
  • Arrives in Hosur at 0015 hours.
  • Arrives in Dharamapuri at 0832 hours.
  • Arrives in Salem Junction at 0355 hours.
  • Arrives in Erode at 0510 hours.
  • Arrives in Tirupur at 0600 hours.
  • Arrives in Coimbatore at 0720 hours.

The timings and halts between Coimbatore and Bangalore are:

  • Departure from Coimbatore at 0430 hours.
  • Arrives in Tirupur at 0515 hours.
  • Arrives in Erode at 0605 hours.
  • Arrives in Salem Junction at 0710 hours.
  • Arrives in Dharamapuri at 0830 hours.
  • Arrives in Hosur at 1000 hours.
  • Arrives in Bangalore at 1112 hours.
  • Arrives in Kurla at 1235 hours (there is no change in departure and arrival times and halts between Bangalore and Kurla).

Reservations for this train are available at all reservation centres connected to the Bombay passenger reservation system.

More cool seats

Central Railways has attached one more AC chair car to 1401/1402 Bombay-Manmad Panchavati Express, increasing the AC capacity by 70 seats.

Reservations for this train are available at all reservation centres connected to the Bombay passenger reservation system.

Train to Malda

The Northeast Frontier Railways has introduced a new pair of weekly express trains that will run from Dadar (Bombay) to Guwahati via Bhagalpur in Bihar and Malda Town in West Bengal.

Goa to Agra direct

Mangalore-Nizamuddin Mangala Express 2617 Dn/ 2618 Up now runs on the Konkan Railway via Goa and Agra to Ernakulam.

The journey will be 14 hours shorter and the train will now run via Alwaye, Trichur, Shoranur, Pattambi, Kuttipuram, Tirur, Parpanangadi, Feroke, Calicut, Quilandi, Badagara, Tellicherry, Cannanore, Payangadi, Payyanur, Nileshwar, Kanhangad, Kasargod, Kankanadi, Udupi, Karwar, Madgaon (Goa), Thivim, Kudal, Ratnagiri, Panvel (near Bombay), Kalyan, Igatpuri, Nashik Road, Manmad, Bhusaval, Khandwa, Itarsi, Bhopal, Bina, Jhansi, Gwalior, Agra, Mathura, Faridabad (only in the down direction)

The train will have 17 coaches -- 10 sleeper, one first class, one A C two tier, four general second class and a brake van.

This train will conveniently connect Goa and Kerala as well as Agra and Goa. Tourists can board the express at 1235 hours at Agra and reach Goa at 2105 hours the following day or in the opposite direction board at 0443 hours at Goa and reach Agra at 1215 hours the following day. Or alternately they can board at 2125 hours at Goa and reach Ernakulam at 1230 hours the following day or in the opposite direction board at 1215 hours at Ernakulam and reach Goa at 0433 hours the following day.

To Cooch Behar from Calcutta twice a week

A new train, the Uttar Banga Express, has been introduced between Sealdah, Calcutta and Cooch Behar in North Bengal, twice a week.

The train will leave Sealdah on Mondays and Fridays at 2200 hours and arrive in New Cooch Bihar at 1515 hours the next day.

The train will depart from New Cooch Behar at 1515 hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays and arrive in Sealdah at 0635 hours, on the following day.

Reach Mangalore in 16 hours

Central Railways has introduced a superfast express from Kurla terminus in Bombay to Mangalore which runs thrice a week.

This superfast train reaches Mangalore in 16 hours.

The train departs from Kurla terminus on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The train departs from Mangalore on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Bookings for the train are possible at all computerised centres linked to the Bombay Passenger Rail Service system.

New train to Rajasthan

The Western Railways has introduced a bi-weekly train between Bombay and Bikaner.

Also on the anvil are plans to increase the frequency of the weekly Rajdhani express between Ahmedabad and New Delhi to thrice a week.

To Goa and Calicut by Rajdhani!

The Rajdhani operates twice a week a superfast express service between New Delhi and Trivandrum via Vasai Road (outside Bombay) and Goa . The routing of the Rajdhani via the Konkan Railway will decrease the length of the journey by two hours.

The Rajdhani will depart from Delhi Nizamuddin at 1100 hours on Thursdays and Fridays and stop at Kota, Ratlam Vadodara, Vasai Road-Bombay (0415 hours), Panvel, Ratnagiri, Margao-Goa (1310 hours) , Kankandi, Calicut and Ernakulam before reaching Trivandrum central 42 hours later at 0530 hours.

The Rajdhani will depart from Trivandrum Central at 1930 hours on Thursdays and Fridays and stop at Ernakulum, Calicut, Kankandi, Margao-Goa (1220 hours), Ratnagiri, Panvel, Vasai Road-Bombay (2120 hours), Vadodara, Ratlam and Kota before reaching Delhi Nizamuddin 42 hours later at 1310 hours.

After April 29 the schedule has been changed to the Rajdhani leaving New Delhi at 1100 hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays and from Trivandrum on Fridaysand Saturdays.

The fares (approximate):

New train to Goa

The Netravati Express -- which once linked Bombay and Cochin via Gulbarga, Guntakal, Erode, Coimbatore -- will now run on the Konkan Railway. And the journey to Kerala will now be reduced by more than 500 km and 10 hours.

The train will run via Thane, Panvel, Ratnagiri, Chiplun, Old Goa, Madgaon, Cancona, Karwar, Kumta, Murdeshwar, Bhatkal, Kundapura, Udipi, Surathkal, Kankanadi (Mangalore), Kasargode, Kangakad, Cheruvathu, Payyanur, Kannapuram, Cannanore, Tellicheri, Badagar, Calicut, Parapungadi, Thirur, Kuttipuram, Shornur, Trichur, Alwaye.

6636 Dn will departs from Kurla, Bombay at 2020 hours and reaches Ernakulum 26 hours later at 14.45. And 6636 Up will depart from Ernakulum at 0445 hours and reaches Kurla at 0535 hours.

The one way fare to Kerala is Rs 312 by sleeper class, Rs 832 by three tier air conditioned class and Rs 1,530 by second air conditioned class. The one way fare to Madgaon, Goa is Rs 208 by sleeper class, Rs 518 by three tier air conditioned and Rs 954 by second air conditioned class.

Tour India on a luxury train

The Indian Railways and Sterling Holiday Resorts Ltd plan to introduce two luxury trains in 1999.

One of these luxury trains will travel to scenic spots across northern India. It will start out from New Delhi and stop at Jaipur, Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi (for Khajuraho), Varanasi and Lucknow.

The other train will tour the southern parts of the country. The second luxury train will start from Bangalore and stop at Mysore, Madras, Kodaikanal Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, Cochin and Mettupalayam (for Ooty).

The Bombay-Ahmedabad Janata Express between Bombay and Ahmedabad has been extended up to Jaipur.

9707 Dn will leave Bombay Central daily at 1935 hours and reach Jaipur the next day at 1930 hours.

9708 Up will leave Jaipur daily at 0650 hours and reach Bombay Central the next day at 0625.

Berths will be available in:

The express train will be equipped with a pantry car.

9707 Dn /9708 Up will stop at Valsad, Surat, Baroda, Ahmedabad, Mahesana, Unjha, Sidhpur, Palanpur, Abu Road, Falna, Marwar, Sojat Road, Beawar, Ajmer, Kishangarh, Naraina, Phulera, Asalpur-Jobner.

Konkan Railways now runs all the way from Bombay to Mangalore.

The train from Pernem to Karwar, KAP 1 Dn departs from Pernem at 1725 hours and arrives in Karwar at 2040 hours, daily.

    The Konkan Railways has also introduced the Margao-Mangalore Express.There are two trains which will operate from Margao to Mangalore.
  • KR 0021, will depart from Margao from 0820 hours and arrives in Mangalore at 1410 hours.
  • KR 1 Dn, will depart from Margao at 1410 hours and arrives in Mangalore at 2100 hours.
  • To cope with increasing Goa-bound rail traffic, the Konkan Railway Corporation has attached an extra sleeper on its KR 0112UP as well as its 0111DN that connects Kurla Terminus, Bombay, with Sawantwadi station. Thus now 432 berths, instead of 360 berths, in the sleeper class will be available for Sawantwadi-bound travellers.
  • The KR 0112 departs from Sawantwadi at 1855 hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
  • While KR 0111 leaves Kurla Terminus, Bombay, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
  • Sawantwadi, Maharashtra is hardly 90 minutes away from Mapusa, Goa by road and there are up and running bus services between Sawantwadi and Panaji by Kadamba Transport Services and the State Road Transport Corporation.
  • Fares: Rs 178 for a second class sleeper ticket and Rs 779 for a sleeper in an air-conditioned coach (not available on all days).

The Guwahati Rajdhani Express has been extended till Dibrugarh .

The train runs as a weekly service between New Delhi and Guwahati. At present train number 2424 will depart from New Delhi every Saturday at 1330 hours and arrives in Guwahati at 1630 hours the next day.

And the train stops at Kanpur, Mughalsarai, Patna, Barauni, Katihar, New Jalpaiguri, New Bangaigaon and Guwahati.

There are also plans to similarly extend the Kamrup Express to Dibrugarh too.

Calcutta's Metro Rail has expanded by 12 kilometres. This will help increase the subway's frequency.

The Metro will now operate 137 coaches, up from 125, and will achieve a frequency of a train every 15 minutes during rush hours. The service will now start from 0700 hours IST instead of 0720 hours IST.

The railways ministry has extended the advance reservation period from 30 days to 60 days.

There will be no change in certain daytime express trains like the Taj Express or Gomti Express. Also the time limit for foreign passport holders will remain 360 days advance booking. This increase in advance reservation time is intended to give people more time to plan their holidays with ease, it will also prevent booking in bulk.

A new express train now runs from Hatia in Bihar to New Delhi.
The Hatia-New Delhi Jharkhand Swarna Jayanti Express will stop at stations Ramgarh and Barkakana.

Northern Railways has introduced several new trains.

Southern Railways has introduced seven new trains and extended the frequency of several others in its new timetable.

Trains to be introduced:

Western Railways has introduced several trains in its new timetable.

In addition, Western Railways has extended the Churu-Sikar passenger train up to Jaipur and the Veraval-Khijadaya passenger train up to Dhola.

A new weekly express train runs between Indore and Jaipur. Train number 9307 Dn will depart from Indore and 9308 Up will depart from Jaipur.

The Shivalik Deluxe Express is a special train run by the Northern Railways that operates on the scenic route, between Kalka and Shimla via Barog.

Shivalik Deluxe Express, 241 Up departs from Kalka in Himachal Pradesh at 0530 hours and arrives in Barog at 0733 hours. It departs from Barog at 0741 hours and arrives in Shimla at 1025 hours.

Shivalik Deluxe Express, 242 Dn departs from Shimla at 1745 hours and arrives in Barog at 2023 hours. It departs from Barog at 2031 hours and arrives in Kalka at 2240 hours.

This special deluxe train offers individual posh cabins for couples, provisions for booking luggage in a separate compartments to avoid congestion in the coaches. It also offers free catering at Barog and snacks at the start of the journey. There is a music system in each coach and a microphone and alarm bell for communication with the guard and driver.

Northern Railways has started a new express train from Amritsar to Kalka.

  • Train 4536 leaves Amritsar at 2355 hours and arrives in Kalka at 0800 hours.

  • Train 4535 leaves Kalka at 1710 hours and arrives in Amritsar at 2325 hours.

  • The train stops are at Chandigarh, Ambala Cantt, Beas and Jalandhar.


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