Ajanta Express

Ajanta Express

Ajanta Express near Cavalry Barracks
Overview
Service type Express
Current operator(s) South Central Railway zone
Route
Start Secunderabad railway station
Stops 21
End Manmad railway station
Distance travelled 621 km (386 mi)
Service frequency Daily
On-board services
Class(es) AC Chair Car, Second Class seating, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangements Yes
Sleeping arrangements Yes
Catering facilities Yes
Technical
Rolling stock Standard Indian Railway coaches
Operating speed 52 km/h (32 mph) avg
Route map
Ajantha Express Route map

Ajanta Express is an Express train in India that runs with a daily frequency on Secunderabad – Manmad line between Secunderabad Railway Station in Hyderabad of Telangana, and Manmad Junction, a town in Nasik District of Maharashtra.

History

Ajanta Express runs through eastern Maharashtra (Marathwada region) and north-western region of Telangana. It was known as Kacheguda Express very often by the people travelling on Kacheguda-Nizamabad-Nanded-Aurangabad route on former Hyderabad-Godavari Valley Railways.

The train was introduced in around the 1960s as a metre gauge train between Kacheguda railway station and Manmad, via Nizamabad, Nanded and Aurangabad. The train became popular in a short time as Manmad Junction on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge was the point to take broad gauge trains to other destinations.

After the track from Manmad to Parbhani was converted to broad gauge in 1992–95 and the track from Parbhani to Mudkhed and Nizamabad was still not converted, the train was re-routed between Kacheguda and Manmad via Bidar and Parbhani in 1995–1996 because the metre gauge had been converted between Vikarabad and Parbhani by then. In 2007, the train reverted to its original metre gauge route via Nizamabad, Mudkhed and Purna which had been converted into broad gauge in 2002–2003.

Ajanta Express (Kacheguda-Manmad) was the fastest metre gauge train in India with an average speed of 42.5 kilometres per hour (26.4 mph) in 1967.[1]

Origin of name

The train is named after the Ajanta caves near Aurangabad.[2]

Coach Position

L1-L2-SLR-GEN-GEN-HA1-A2-A1-B2-B1-S14-S13-S12-S11-S10-S9-S8-S7-S6-S5-S4-S3-S2-S1-GEN-SLR

Locomotives

The track is not electrified. The train at present runs on diesel traction and uses Twin WDM3A Diesel Locomotives of Moula Ali Shed of South Central Railway.

Ellora Express

The Ellora Express that used to run between Nizamabad and Manmad on metre gauge was named after the Ellora Caves near Aurangabad. The train was cancelled when the track was converted to broad gauge and not restarted after the conversion of the track to broad gauge. At present The Secunderabad-Manmad Express (train numbers 17064 and 17063) is often unofficially called Ellora Express.

Ajanta Express at Dayanandnagar Railway Station 
Ajanta Express 
Ajanta Express at Manmad yard 

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Chronology of railways in India, Part 4 (1947–1970)". IRFCA Indian Railways Fan Club. 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  2. ↑ http://indiarailinfo.com/
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