Wikipedia

Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express

The 12431 / 12432 Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express is a Rajdhani Express train service in India, connecting Hazrat Nizamuddin in the country capital New Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram Central, the capital of Kerala state.[1] It is the longest-running Rajdhani Express train in India, which covers about 2845 km in about 42 hours.[2]

Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express
Train board of the Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express
Overview
Service typeRajdhani Express
LocaleKerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi
First service3 July 1993; 31 years ago (1993-07-03)
Current operator(s)Northern Railways
Route
TerminiThiruvananthapuram Central (TVC)
Hazrat Nizamuddin (NZM)
Stops21
Distance travelled2,845 km (1,768 mi)
Average journey time41hrs 25mnts
Service frequencyTri-weekly
Train number(s)12431 / 12432
On-board services
Class(es)
  • AC 1st Class
  • AC 2 Tier
  • AC 3 Tier
Seating arrangementsYes
Sleeping arrangementsYes
Catering facilitiesPantry car
On-board catering
E-catering
Observation facilitiesLarge windows
Technical
Rolling stockLHB coach
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed74 km/h (46 mph) average including halts
Rake sharing
Route map
Legend
 Thiruvananthapuram Central
Kollam - Kasaragod
Alappuzha
Ernakulam Junction
Thrissur
Shoranur Junction
Kozhikode
Kannur
Kasaragod
Kerala
Karnataka
border
 Mangaluru Junction
Udupi - Karwar
Karwar
Karnataka
Goa
border
 Madgaon Junction
Ratnagiri - Surat
Ratnagiri
Panvel Junction
Vasai Road
Maharashtra
Gujarat
border
 Surat
Vadodara Junction
Ratlam - Kota
Ratlam Junction
Madhya Pradesh
Rajasthan
border
 Kota Junction
Rajasthan
New Delhi
border
 Hazrat Nizamuddin
12431 - Trivandrum → Hazrat Nizamuddin
12432 - Hazrat Nizamuddin → Trivandrum

The train number is 12431/12432 which runs only on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday from Thiruvananthapuram Central to Hazrat Nizamuddin also it reverse runs in Sunday, Tuesday & Wednesday from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Thiruvananthapuram Central. It connects the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan & New Delhi.[3]

History

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At the time of its introduction it was travelling from Kerala to New Delhi via Erode, Chennai, Nagpur. On 1 April 1998, following opening of Konkan Railway it got re-routed via Mangalore.

 
Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express standing at Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station.

In initial days the train had very few stops. Until 1999 it was the non-stop Rajdhani between Panvel and Hazrat Nizamuddin. Thereafter stops were introduced in this section. Despite this the train runs non-stop between Kota Junction and Vadodara Junction section (528 km), which is the longest non-stop run in the country. But from 2022 it was provided stoppage at Ratlam Junction, this making it to loose the name longest non-stop train.[4]

 
Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani in its ICF avatar
 
Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express in its iconic Kerala Tourism vinyl wrappings.

It has a record for the highest section speed, reaching 104 km/h (65 mph) between Ratnagiri and Sawantwadi Road (225 km or 140 mi in 2 h 10 min). It also gets a top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) between Nagda and Hazrat Nizamuddin (267 km). It moves at an average speed of 76.36 km/h (47.45 mph) between Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram.

Till 1998, there were only three Rajdhani Express from Delhi to South India. Trivandrum Rajdhani Express was a weekly train back then having rake sharing agreement with Bangalore Rajdhani Express.

Till the introduction of Madgaon Rajdhani Express in 2015, this was the sole Rajdhani Express that traversed through Konkan Railway.

Coach composition

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The Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani generally has one AC 1st Class, 5 AC 2 tier, 11 AC 3 tier coaches, 1 pantry car, and 2 luggage cum generator coaches making a total of 21 LHB coach. Back in 1995, the train had 11 coaches only.

It shares its rakes with Chennai Rajdhani Express, Secunderabad Rajdhani Express and Madgaon Rajdhani Express. Earlier, it also shared its rake with the Bangalore Rajdhani Express.

Route

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Route and halts

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Kerala

  1. Thiruvananthapuram Central
  2. Kollam Junction
  3. Alappuzha
  4. Ernakulam Junction
  5. Thrissur
  6. Shoranur Junction
  7. Kozhikode
  8. Kannur
  9. Kasaragod

Karnataka

  1. Mangaluru Junction
  2. Udupi
  3. Karwar

Goa

  1. Madgaon Junction

Maharashtra

  1. Ratnagiri
  2. Panvel Junction
  3. Vasai Road

Gujarat

  1. Surat
  2. Vadodara Junction

Madhya Pradesh

  1. Ratlam Junction

Rajasthan

  1. Kota Junction

Delhi

  1. Hazrat Nizamuddin

Traction

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Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express, hauled by the iconic WDP-3A (Toaster) locomotive, prior to the route electrification

It is hauled by a Vadodara Loco Shed based WAP-7 (HOG equipped) electric locomotive from end to end.

Incidents

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On 18 October 2018, two coaches of TVC Rajdhani derailed at a staffed level crossing at Thandla Road railway station near Ratlam when a truck rammed into the train. There were no injuries to train passengers but the truck driver was killed due to the collision. The train continued its journey after a delay of 7 hours towards New Delhi.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "12431 Rajdhani Exp - Trivandrum Cntl to H Nizamuddin : Train Number, Running Status, Time Table". NDTV. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  2. ^ Information
  3. ^ Runs & States
  4. ^ "10 facts we bet you didn't know about Indian Railways - Know your railways". The Economic Times. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Truck rams Rajdhani, two coaches derailed | Indore News". The Times of India. TNN. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
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