Imperial Indian Mail
| Mumbai Mail | |
|---|---|
|
Mumbai Mail passes through Barddhaman Junction | |
| Overview | |
| Service type | Superfast |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal |
| Predecessor | Imperial Mail |
| Current operator(s) | Indian Railways |
| Route | |
| Start | Howrah |
| Stops | 48 |
| End | Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus |
| Distance travelled | 2176km |
| Average journey time | 39 hours |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number(s) | 12321/12322 |
| Line used | Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | First AC, Second AC, Third AC, Sleeper & General |
| Seating arrangements | Available |
| Sleeping arrangements | Available |
| Catering facilities | Available |
| Observation facilities | Large Windows |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | Loco: WAP-4, WDP-4, WCAM-3 |
| Track gauge | Broad Gauge |
| Electrification | Yes |
| Operating speed |
Average - 56 km/hr Maximum - 110 km/hr |
The Imperial Indian Mail was a train from Bombay to Calcutta during the British Raj.[1] The train was a part of a maritime rail system that carried mail and passengers from London to Calcutta (and on to Rangoon) by a mix of ships and trains. Passengers traveled by train from London to Brindisi in Italy. Then by boat from Brindisi to Bombay's Ballard Pier where they could directly board the Imperial India Mail for a 40 hour journey to Howrah. Passengers heading to Rangoon could transfer to a steamer after a short boat ride from the rail station at Howrah to the pier at Outram Ghat. The train now runs in India as the Howrah Mumbai Mail and follows the original route from Mumbai to Kolkata via Allahabad despite the existence of a much shorter direct route across the Central Indian plains.
The train was featured in a 1939 film of the same title starring Noor Jehan and Gulzar.[2] In E. M. Forster's novel, A Passage to India, the train that Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested took to get to Chandrapore was, most likely, the Imperial Indian Mail.[3]
References
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