AC Express (Indian Railways)

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Air Conditioned Express or AC Express is a series of superfast air conditioned trains of Indian Railways that links major cities of India. These trains have the second highest priority within the Indian Railway network, after the premium trains of Indian Railways. As of date, there are 25 such AC Express operating in Indian Railways.

AC Express
Lucknow - New Delhi Air Conditioned SF Express
Overview
StatusActive
PredecessorDeluxe Express
First service1 July 2008 as Nanda Devi AC Express
Current operator(s)Indian Railways
On-board services
Class(es)AC First Class, AC Two Tier, AC Three Tier, AC 3 Tier Economy
Seating arrangementsAvailable
Sleeping arrangementsAvailable
Catering facilitiesPantry Car Available, no complementary food
Baggage facilitiesAvailable
Technical
Rolling stockLHB Coaches
Operating speed110 - 130 km / hr

History

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Santragachi - Chennai AC Express

The history of AC Express trains dates back to the Deluxe Express, which were the first air-conditioned trains of Indian Railways, connecting important cities across India. These trains were fully air-conditioned, had minimal stops, and operated at maximum speeds. The Howrah-bound Poorva Express and the Mumbai-bound Paschim Express were the first AC Express trains, originally known as the Deluxe AC Express. However, after the introduction of Rajdhani Express in 1969 and its subsequent fleet expansion, these trains lost their status as full air-conditioned trains.[1]

 
Bandra Terminus Bhuj AC Superfast Express in ICF coaches

The second type of AC Express was introduced in 1991. After the Mumbai Rajdhani was launched in 1972, there was a high demand for another pair of Rajdhani Express trains between Delhi and Mumbai. To meet this demand, on 1 July 1991, Indian Railways inaugurated the Bombay Central – New Delhi AC Express. This train ran the same route as the Bombay Rajdhani, had similar timings, and an extra 45 minutes of travel time to accommodate more passengers. On 1 January 1992, this train was formalized as the Bombay Central – H.Nizamuddin August Kranti Rajdhani Express.[2][3]

 
Yesvantapur - Kamakhya AC Express standing at Balasore Railway Station

The third and current type of AC Express was launched in 2008. The first such AC Express was the Nanda Devi AC Superfast Express, which was inaugurated on 1 July 2008 initially between Dehradun and New Delhi Railway Station.[citation needed]

Services

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Unlike its predecessors which offered premium services like complimentary meals and butler services, the newer AC Express trains were designed to cater to the middle and upper-middle class segments of society. These trains have limited stops and operate at speeds comparable to premium trains like the Rajdhani and Duronto. However, unlike premium trains, the food and meals are not complimentary on these AC Express trains. Instead, pantry car services are available, similar to those on other general express and mail trains of Indian Railways.[citation needed]

Prior to the rapid conversion of the Indian Railway coaching stocks from ICF to LHB coaches, these trains used to operate using the old ICF coaches of Rajdhani Express.[citation needed]

Currently,[when?] the following AC Express trains are operating in India.

Sr no. Train no. Name
1 12551/12552 Kamakhya–SMVT Bengaluru AC Superfast Express
2 14805/14806 Yesvantpur–Barmer AC Express
3 22677/22678 Yesvantpur–Kochuveli AC Express
4 12171/12172 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Haridwar AC Superfast Express
5 12401/12402 Nanda Devi AC Express
6 12519/12520 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Agartala AC Express
7 12773/12774 Shalimar–Secunderabad AC Superfast Express
8 12775/12776 Cocanada AC Express
9 12783/12784 Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad AC Superfast Express
10 22115/22116 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Karmali AC Superfast Express
11 22117/22118 Pune–Amravati AC Superfast Express
12 22121/22122 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Lucknow AC Superfast Express
13 22123/22124 Pune–Ajni AC Superfast Express
14 22125/22126 Nagpur–Amritsar AC Superfast Express
15 22207/22208 Chennai–Thiruvananthapuram AC Superfast Express
16 22401/22402 Delhi Sarai Rohilla–MCTM Udhampur AC Superfast Express
17 22411/22412 Arunachal AC Superfast Express
18 22461/22462 Shri Shakti AC Express
19 22631/22632 Anuvrat AC Superfast Express
20 22475/22476 Hisar–Coimbatore AC Superfast Express
21 22807/22808 Santragachi–Chennai Central AC Express
22 22837/22838 Dharti Aaba AC Superfast Express
23 22863/22864 Howrah–SMVT Bengaluru AC Superfast Express
24 22903/22904 Bandra Terminus–Bhuj AC Superfast Express
25 12429/12430 Lucknow–New Delhi AC Superfast Express

Defunct Services

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Howrah - New Jalpaiguri AC Express

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "[IRFCA] Indian Steam Railway Society Article". irfca.org. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  2. ^ Notable among the new trains introduced are the New Delhi-Bombay Central bi-weekly Rajdhani Express with effect from 17 May 1972
  3. ^ I refer to the introduction of the tri-weekly New Delhi-Bombay Central A.C. Express which follows the Rajdhani Express at an interval of 45 minutes from both ends and takes about the same time to cover the journey