Kerala Express

Kerala Express
Overview
Current operator(s)	Indian Railway
Route
Start	New Delhi
Stops	38
End	Trivandrum Central
Distance travelled	3,036 km (1,886 mi)
Average journey time	50 hours 45 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	12625 / 12626
On-board services
Class(es)	2 Two Tier AC, 3 Tier AC, SL, General
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Yes
Observation facilities	Large windows
Technical
Rolling stock	7
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	59.86 km/h (37.20 mph) average with halts
Route map

The Kerala Express is a super fast express train of the Indian Railways that runs between New Delhi and Trivandrum Central. It is also called King of Overtakes because it overtakes almost every train in its route except for Rajdhanis and Shatabdhis. It is a daily train that covers a distance of 3,036 kilometers when it runs from New Delhi to Trivandrum with 40 stops at an average speed of 59 km/h.^[1] It is the longest running daily Superfast train in India and also holds the record for the longest electric engine hauled train between New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram Central.^[2]

The train had been assigned the number 12626 for the route New Delhi to Trivandrum while it is 12625 for the route Trivandrum to New Delhi. It is a 24 coach train comprising 7 AC coaches (2 Two Tier AC, 5 Three Tier AC), 12 SL coaches, 4 General Coaches and a Pantry Car. This train is usually hauled by WAP 4 of Erode shed and also has a top speed of 113kmph.

History

It was introduced in the year 1976 as Kerala-Karnataka Express (KK Express) starting from New Delhi to Trivandrum and Bangalore, with bifurcation at Jolarpettai Jn. In 1980, it was split into two trains, Kerala Express and Karnataka Express with Kerala Express again split at Palghat Jn and one of the portions diverted to Mangalore. It overlapped with the Jayanti Janata which bifurcated at Shoranur with one part of the train going to Cochin Harbour and the other to Mangalore. Later, these two trains were merged to form the Kerala Mangala Exp. In 1990, after a separate train to Mangalore was introduced, it began to run along its present route. It was a non daily train initially and had shared the same time slot with the Tamil Nadu Express, Andhra Pradesh Express and the Karnataka Express. However, after its conversion into a daily train it received its own time slot.^[3]

It originally was numbered 125/126 but was later changed to 2625/2626 in 1989 after the Indian Railways adopted the four-digit numbering system.^[4] In December 2010, the Indian Railways adopted the five-digit numbering system by which the Kerala Express is currently numbered 12625 for upward journey and 12626 for downward journey.^[5][6][7]

Schedule of Kerala Express

The train starts daily at 11:30 hrs IST from New Delhi Station and reaches the Trivandrum Central at 14:35 hrs IST on the third day. It covers a distance of 3036 km in 51 hrs 5 min travelling with an average speed of 59.46 kmph.^[5] While on the return journey it starts at 11:15 hrs IST from Trivandrum Central Station and reaches New Delhi at 13:40 hrs IST covering the same distance of 3036 km in 50 hrs 25 min with an average speed of 60.26 kmph. Kerala Express has been given stoppage in Ottappalam from June 15, 2012.^[6]

See also

• Trivandrum Central

References