Kalka Mail is the name of a train in India connecting Howrah

Howrah station

Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...

 near Calcutta in the eastern state of West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

 to Kalka

Kalka

Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. The name of the town is derived from the goddess Kali. The town is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. It is on the National Highway 22 between Chandigarh and Shimla,...

, the railhead for Simla

Shimla

Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...

, the hill station and one-time summer capital of India.

Speed

This train is also the superfast as compared to the Howrah to Channai Central Coromandel Express. This train runs at the speed of 108km/hrs. Coromandel Express runs at the speed of 110km/hrs.

History

Kalka Mail (numbered 1 Up / 2 Dn) began operation in 1866 between Calcutta

Howrah station

Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...

 and Delhi and then further extended from Delhi to Kalka in 1891. The train was the principal mechanism for British civil servants to move from the capital, Calcutta, to the summer capital in Simla.

Run by the East Indian Railway Company

East Indian Railway Company

The East Indian Railway Company, later known as the East Indian Railway , introduced railways to eastern and northern India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, South Indian Railway, Central India Railway and the North-Western Railway operated in other parts of India...

, the train was originally known as the "East Indian Railway Mail". The train is now numbered 12311 from Howrah and 12312 towards Howrah.

In popular culture

Kalka Mail is featured in a short story by Satyajit Ray

Satyajit Ray

Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...

, the Indian film director and writer. In the story, The Mystery of the Kalka Mail, the three main characters travel from Calcutta to Delhi and on to Kalka on the train. The plot involves a stolen diamond and an unpublished manuscript. The story was also made into a radio play.

Accidents and Incidents

• 13 coaches of Kalka Mail derailed on Kanpur-Fatehpur line near Fatehpur Malwa Station on 10 July 2011 afternoon. The cause is unknown though poor maintenance of the locomotive is suspected to be the cause as the engine had started swaying sideways just before the accident.

More then 69 persons died and 200 were injured. The injured were taken to hospitals of Kanpur, Lucknow and Allahabd.