The 12663 / 12664 Tiruchirappalli – Howrah Superfast Express is an inter-city Express service connecting Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu with Howrah (Kolkata), West Bengal in India. The train is the first long-distance train operated by Tiruchirappalli railway division from Tiruchirappalli Junction, running beyond Tamil Nadu border.[1]
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Express | ||||
| Locale | Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal | ||||
| First service | 1998 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Southern Railway | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Tiruchirappalli Junction (TPJ) Howrah (HWH) | ||||
| Stops | 21 | ||||
| Distance travelled | 2,025 km (1,258 mi) | ||||
| Average journey time | 35 hours, 20 minutes | ||||
| Service frequency | Bi-weekly | ||||
| Train number(s) | 12663 / 12664 | ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Class(es) | AC First Class, AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved | ||||
| Seating arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Catering facilities | Available | ||||
| Observation facilities | Large windows | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | LHB coach | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
| Operating speed | 57 km/h (35 mph) average including halts | ||||
| |||||
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Overview
editThis express train was introduced during the 1998–1999 Railway Budget to run between Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu and Howrah/Kolkata in West Bengal tri-weekly, leaving Tiruchi on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.[2] Numbered as 6803/6804, the service was reduced to bi-weekly, leaving Tiruchi on Tuesdays and Fridays only, in July 2000. On Saturdays the service was extended till Kanyakumari as a new service numbered 6355/6356.[3]
This train was converted to Superfast type and re-numbered to 2663/2664 from 24 January 2006 (Tiruchi) and 26 January 2006 (Howrah).[4] The train number was changed to 12663/12664 from December 2010 as a part of train management system over the entire Indian Railways network.[5][6] The train runs with LHB rakes from August 2022. [7]
Rakes
editThe train has 24 coaches comprising 1 AC First Class Cum AC Two Tier, 1 AC Two Tier, 5 AC Three Tier, 12 Sleeper class, 2 General Unreserved,2 Luggage Cum Disabled Coaches and 1 Pantry Car.[a]
| Loco | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
SLR | UR | S12 | S11 | S10 | S9 | S8 | S7 | S6 | S5 | PC | S4 | S3 | S2 | S1 | B5 | B4 | B3 | B2 | B1 | A1 | HA1 | UR | SLR |
Schedule
editThis bi-weekly service leaves Tiruchirappalli Junction as 12664,[8] arrives Visakhapatnam, reverses the loco and finally reaches the destination at Howrah.[9] On the return journey, the train leaves Howrah as 12663,[10] arrives Visakhapatnam the next day, reverses the loco and finally reaches the destination at Tiruchirappalli Junction Some of the prominent stoppages includes Vriddhachalam Junction, Viluppuram Junction, Chengalpattu Junction, Vijayawada Junction, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram Junction, Khurda Road Junction, Cuttack Junction and Kharagpur Junction.[11][b]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ The coach composition is subject to change.
- ^ The timings are in Indian Standard Time.
References
edit- ^ R. Rajaram (17 January 2011). "On board cleaning proposed in Tiruchi–Howrah Express". The Hindu. Tiruchi. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Railway Budget, 1998–99". Press Information Bureau. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Over a dozen new trains to begin". Press Information Bureau. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Tiruchi-Howrah Express made superfast". The Hindu. Chennai. 25 January 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Railways to Switch to 'Five' – Digit System for Numbering all its Passenger Carrying Trains from December 2010". Press Information Bureau. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Railways migrate to 5-digit number scheme to monitor trains". The Times of India. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "12663/Howrah - Tiruchchirappalli SF Express (PT) - Howrah to Tiruchchirappalli SR/Southern Zone - Railway Enquiry".
- ^ "Train Time Table for TPJ–HWH (Via. Chord Line)" (PDF). Indian Railways. p. 1. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Train Time Table for TPJ–HWH (Via. HWH–MAS main line)" (PDF). Indian Railways. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Train Time Table for HWH–TPJ (Via. HWH–MAS main line)" (PDF). Indian Railways. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Train Time Table for HWH–TPJ (Via. Chord Line)" (PDF). Indian Railways. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2014.