Golden Temple Mail

Overview

Service type

Superfast

First service

1 September 1928

Current operator(s)

Western Railways

Route

Start

Mumbai Central

Stops

34 as 12903 Golden Temple Mail, 35 as 12904 Golden Temple Mail

End

Amritsar

Distance travelled

1,891 km (1,175 mi)

Average journey time

32 hours 15 minutes as 12903 Golden Temple Mail, 31 hours 55 minutes as 12904 Golden Temple Mail

Service frequency

daily

Train number(s)

12903 / 12904

On-board services

Class(es)

AC 1st Class, AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved

Seating arrangements

Yes

Sleeping arrangements

Yes

Catering facilities

Available, Pantry Car attached

Observation facilities

No rake sharing but maintains 4 separate rakes for service

Technical

Rolling stock

Standard Indian Railway coaches

Track gauge

1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

Operating speed

110 km/h (68 mph) maximum
58.94 km/h (37 mph), including halts

Route map

The 12903/12904 Golden Temple Mail is a Superfast express train belonging to Indian Railways that runs between Mumbai Central and Amritsar in Punjab. It is a daily service.

It operates as train number 12903 from Mumbai Central to Amritsar Junction and as train number 12904 in the reverse direction.

Coaches

The 12903/04 Golden Temple Mail has 1 AC 1st Class cum AC 2 tier, 2 AC 2 tier, 4 AC 3 tier, 9 Sleeper Class, 3 General unreserved coaches, 2 General cum baggage coaches. It also has 1 Railway Mail coach & 1 Pantry Car.

As with most train services in India, Coach composition may be amended at the discretion of Indian Railways depending on demand.

Service

The Golden Temple Mail runs between Mumbai Central & Amritsar Junction. It is a daily service covering the distance of 1891 km in 32 hours 15 mins as 12903 Golden Temple Mail averaging 58.64 km/hr & 31 hours 55 mins as 12904 Golden Temple Mail averaging 59.25 km/hr.

Traction

Earlier Dual traction WCAM 2/2P locos would haul the train between Mumbai Central & Vadodara after which a Vadodara based WAP 4 would take over until Hazrat Nizamuddin following which a WDM 3A from Tughlakabad takes over until Amritsar Junction.

Since Western Railways completed DC Electric Conversion to AC on 5 February 2012, it is now regularly hauled by a Vadodara based WAP 4 until Hazrat Nizamuddin after which a WDM 3A from Tughlakabad takes over until Amritsar Junction.

Routeing

The 12903 / 04 Mumbai Central Amritsar Golden Temple Mail runs from Mumbai Central via Surat, Vadodara Junction, Ratlam Junction, Kota Junction, Gangapur city, Mathura Junction, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Jagadhri, Ambala Cantonment Junction, Ludhiana Junction to Amritsar Junction

Train History

The Golden Temple Mail was until September 1996 known as Frontier Mail.
Prior the Partition of India, it would run up to Peshawar on British India's frontier with Afghanistan from which it derived its name.
During the autumn months between September and December, the train used to depart from the Ballard Pier Mole station. This was for the convenience of the British who arrived in India by steamer.
The Frontier Mail also finds a place in romanticized biographies of film actor Prithviraj Kapoor who is believed to have travelled to Bombay from his hometown of Peshawar by the Frontier Mail in 1928 to act in films.
Hunterwali, probably India's first action heroine, has acted in the film Miss Frontier Mail.
The Frontier Mail was the first air conditioned train in the Indian Peninsula, when it got an air-conditioned compartment in 1934.
The radio facility was provided for the first time in the Golden Temple Mail.

Time Table

12903 Golden Temple Mail leaves Mumbai Central every day at 21:30 hrs IST and reaches the Amritsar Junction at 05:45 hrs IST the third day.

On return, the 12904 Golden Temple Mail leaves Amritsar Junction every day at 21:25 hrs IST and reaches Mumbai Central at 05:20 hrs IST the third day.

Gallery

12903 Golden Temple Mail - Coach HA1
12903 Golden Temple Mail
Golden Temple Mail - AC 3 tier coach
The Mail coach of Golden Temple Mail

External links

Railways in Northern India

National network/ trunk lines	Howrah-Delhi main line Delhi–Chennai line Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line Delhi–Jaipur line Jaipur–Ahmedabad line

Branch lines/ sections	Agra-Bhopal section Ambala–Attari line Amritsar–Pathankot line Bathinda–Rewari line Bilaspur–Mandi–Leh railway Chandigarh–Sahnewal line Delhi–Fazilka line Delhi-Kalka line Delhi–Meerut–Saharanpur line Delhi–Moradabad line Delhi–Shamli–Saharanpur line Jalandhar–Firozpur line Jalandhar–Jammu line Jammu–Poonch railway line Jodhpur–Bathinda line Kanpur–Delhi section Kashmir Railway Lucknow–Moradabad line Ludhiana–Fazilka line Ludhiana–Jakhal line Marwar Junction–Munabao line Moradabad–Ambala line Mughalsarai–Kanpur section Rewari-Rohtak line Srinagar-Kargil-Leh railway Varanasi–Lucknow main line Varanasi–Rae Bareli–Lucknow line

Urban and Suburban rail transport	Delhi Suburban Railway Blue Line (Delhi Metro) Green Line (Delhi Metro) Red Line (Delhi Metro) Violet Line (Delhi Metro) Yellow Line (Delhi Metro) Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon Lucknow-Kanpur Suburban Railway Barabanki-Lucknow Suburban Railway Delhi Panipat RRTS Delhi Meerut RRTS Delhi Alwar RRTS

Narrow gauge railways	Kalka-Shimla Railway Kangra Valley Railway

Abanoned lines	Jammu–Sialkot Line

Monorails	Patiala State Monorail Trainways (abandoned)

Named trains	Ajmer Jammu Express Ajmer – Jabalpur Superfast Express Akal Takht Express Amritsar Mail Ananya Express Andaman Express Andhra Pradesh Express Anand Vihar Muzaffarpur Garib Rath Express Assam Mail Bagh Express Bhopal – Lucknow Garibrath Express Bhopal–Jaipur Express Bhopal–Jodhpur Bhopal–Lucknow Express Bhopal–Lucknow–Pratapgarh Express Brahmaputra Mail Chambal Express Chennai Duronto Chhattisgarh Express Chitrakoot Express Damoh–Kota Passenger Dayodaya Express Doon Express Durgavati Express Faizabad Delhi Express Faizabad Superfast Express Ganga Kaveri Express Goa Express Godaan Express Golden Temple Mail Gondwana Express The Grand Trunk Express Gyan Ganga Express Himalayan Queen Himsa Express Himsagar Express Hirakud Express Howrah – New Delhi Duronto Express Howrah–Delhi Yuva Express Indore Express Indore – Chandigarh Express Indore – Dehradun Express Indore – Hazrat Nizamuddin Express Indore – Patna Express Indore – Rajendra Nagar Via. Faizabad Express Indore–Ajmer Express Indore–Ajmer Link Express Indore–Amritsar Express Indore–Jaipur Express Indore–Jaipur Express via Ajmer Indore–Kota Intercity Express Indore–Udaipur City Express Jabalpur–Jammu Tawi Express Jabalpur–New Delhi Express Jaipur Superfast Express Jammu Tawi – Indore Express Jhelum Express Kaifiyat Express Kalinga Utkal Express Kalka Mail Kanpur Allahabad Intercity Kanpur Varanasi InterCity Kashi Vishwanath Express Kerala Express Kongu Express Kushinagar Express Lashkar Express Lucknow Mail Magadh Express Mahabodhi express Mahakoshal Express Mahanagari Express Mahananda Express Malwa Express Mandor Express Mangala Lakshadweep Express Manikarnika Express Marusagar Express Meenakshi Express Mewar Express Mithila Express Muzaffarpur Anand Vihar Garib Rath Express Navyug Express Neelachal Express New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi New Jalpaiguri - New Delhi SF Express North East Express Patalkot Express Patna – Kota Express Poorva Express Pratham Swatrantata Sangrm Express Prayagraj Express Punjab Mail Purushottam Express Pushpak Express Rajendra Nagar Bihar – Indore Express Rajendranagar Express Ranthambore Express Raptisagar Express Sabarmati Express Sachkhand Express Saket Express Samata Express Samjhauta Express Sampoorna Kranti Express Sanghamithra Express Sapt Kranti Express Sealdah Rajdhani Express Sealdah – New Delhi Duronto Express Shaan-e-Bhopal Express Shalimar Express Shipra Express Shiv Ganga Express Shram Shakti Express Shramjeevi Express Taj Express Tamil Nadu Express Thar Express Thirukural Express Tirhut Express Udhna Varanasi Express Ujjaini Express Utsarg Express Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Vaishali Express Vikramshila Express West Bengal Sampark Kranti

Manufacturing units and workshops	Diesel Locomotive Works Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala Rail Coach Factory, Raebareli

Railway companies	Northern Railway North Eastern Railway North Central Railway North Western Railway East Indian Railway Company Rajputana-Malwa Railway Oudh and Tirhut Railway Indian Branch Railway Company Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Delhi Metro Rail Corporation National Capital Region Transport Corporation

See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) 1974 railway strike in India

Historical train routes in India

Frontier Mail Imperial Indian Mail Kalka Mail Punjab Mail Deccan Queen Assam Mail