Hirakud Express

Hirakud Express
Overview
Service type Express train
Locale Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab
First service 1992
Current operator(s) East Coast Railway Zone
Route
Start Vishakhapatnam
Stops 45
End Amritsar
Distance travelled 2,579 km (1,603 mi)
Average journey time 48 hours 05 minutes
Service frequency tri-weekly
Train number(s) 18507 / 18508
On-board services
Class(es) AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper, General
Seating arrangements Yes
Sleeping arrangements Yes
Catering facilities Yes, Paid service
Observation facilities Small ICF Windows
Entertainment facilities None
Baggage facilities Under Seat
Technical
Track gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed 53 km/h (33 mph) average with halts
Route map

Hirakud Express is a tri-weekly express train which runs between Amritsar and Visakhapatnam. It passes through the cities of Delhi, Mathura, Jhansi, Katni, Bilaspur, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, Brahmapur and Vizaynagaram. It was initially introduced between Sambalpur and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station (Delhi) in 1992. Later in 2002 it was extended to Bhubaneswar on Sambalpur side and there after up to Visakhapatnam and up to Amritsar on the other side in the coming years.

Etymology

Hira means diamond and Kud means Island in Sambalpuri language spoken in Western Odisha. Sambalpur was famous as an ancient diamond mine and reference about it can be find in the works Claudius Ptolemy, Edward Gibbon, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. Hirakud Express literary means the Diamond Island Express, is named after the famous Hirakud Dam in Sambalpur, Odisha which is one of the longest dams of India.

See also

References

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