Tamil Nadu Express
Encyclopedia
The Tamil Nadu Express or T.N. Express is a passenger train route of the Indian Railways
. The train was first started on 7 August 1976 by then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi
as a bi-weekly was the first State named train of the south. It runs between Chennai
(Chennai Central
) and New Delhi
(New Delhi railway station
) In 1976 it was a tri weekly train, then made four times a week just before the 1982 Asias and then converted to a daily train by Madhav Rao Scindia in June 1988 and who added Gwalior to the stoppages. Numbered 12621/12622 this train belongs to the superfast
category of Indian Railways.
The train numbered 121/122 when it was introduced. It started off with RED-CREAM livery (a la old style Rajdhanis), briefly switched to GREEN-YELLOW (like present day Garib Raths) before falling in line with the REGULATION BLUE.
When it was a non-daily train it shared time slots with AP Express and KK Express. Yes the KK express, when introduced a couple of months later, was the KERALA-KARNATAKA EXPRESS. The train from Delhi used to split at Katpadi or Jolarpettai and one portion used to go to Bangalore and the other to Trivandrum (now called Thiruvanthapuram). Similarly the 2 portions used to combine at one of these stations and run to New Delhi. Later on all of them were made dailies with separate time slots.
The First Superfast to connect the Southern Metro with the state capital the train beat the record of GT Express which held the superfast train status of the South that time and fastest to reach New Delhi. But the timings weren't suitable for Delhi travelers as it followed the timings similar to Rajdhani of today leaving Chennai Early morning to reach New Delhi the next afternoon-the 1st train to run Chennai-Vijayawada non-stop. Later the train became daily and timings altered to leave Chennai in evening.
13 coaches were initially there including luggage & guard van. 2 coaches of Chair Car were there. Rest were sleepers and had one Pantry Car. the Guard, TTE, attendants were all SR staff in the beginning. All staff used to come from there and travel back the next day.
The Chair Car got badly damaged near Kazipet loopline due to excess speed on that travel at night and thereafter CC were discontinued.
The real problem started when the coaches were increased to 18+ and with a single engine, it could not cover up the terrains near ET and was regularly getting late by 2– 3 hours while coming to New Delhi. during Mr George Fernandes as Railway Minister, the concept of twin engine started and they increased the time to 33 hours. Later on they changed the timings of the train to night timings.
All along GT has been chugging at 36 hours and had no change in its speed etc. it had also CC and a partial CC coach whereas TN had 2 full CC coaches. GT had more changes in timing, 11am, 4pm, 645pm etc.
Another tidbit is GT was never cancelled come rain or shine, but TN used to be cancelled.(may be due to shortage of rakes at that time).
When introduced this was the train with the maximum coaches in the Southern Territory. So much that Chennai Central could accommodate it only on PF-1. Also jokes were said to have appeared in magazines that it is necessary to walk till gummidipoondi to board this train(So much for the length of about 20 coaches)
The important feature that exists even today is the train that leaves Chennai and the counterpart that leaves New Delhi on same day meet at the mid-point of Nagpur. Nagpur lies exactly in the middle of NDLS & MAS at around 1090 km from both cities (16 hrs of travel for both). This has been said to have been existing ever since the shift from morning to evening of this train. GT lost this feature when the Chennai timings shifted to 4:30PM in evening from 11PM(Not sure) and later transferred to 7:30Pm departure
Though the name is Tamil Nadu Express, the train has only one stop at Tamil Nadu i.e., CHENNAI.
, Warangal
, Ballarshah, Nagpur
, Itarsi
, Bhopal, Jhansi
, Gwalior, Agra Cantt
and Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin to reach New Delhi
station.
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
. The train was first started on 7 August 1976 by then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
as a bi-weekly was the first State named train of the south. It runs between Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
(Chennai Central
Chennai Central
Chennai Central , erstwhile Madras Central, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai . It is the home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India. The other major railway hub stations in the city are Chennai Egmore and Tambaram...
) and New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
(New Delhi railway station
New Delhi Railway Station
The New Delhi Railway Station , station code NDLS, situated between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj is the main railway station in Delhi. New Delhi railway station is the second busiest and one of the largest in India. It handles over 300 trains each day with 16 platforms and about 360,000 passengers...
) In 1976 it was a tri weekly train, then made four times a week just before the 1982 Asias and then converted to a daily train by Madhav Rao Scindia in June 1988 and who added Gwalior to the stoppages. Numbered 12621/12622 this train belongs to the superfast
Superfast Mail/Express
Superfast Mail/Express trains are faster Express rail service of India with Superfast charge levied over Mail/Express charges. Superfast trains make small number of stops, unlike Mail/Express and hence cover the same distance in marginally lower time span, as compared to their counterparts...
category of Indian Railways.
The train numbered 121/122 when it was introduced. It started off with RED-CREAM livery (a la old style Rajdhanis), briefly switched to GREEN-YELLOW (like present day Garib Raths) before falling in line with the REGULATION BLUE.
When it was a non-daily train it shared time slots with AP Express and KK Express. Yes the KK express, when introduced a couple of months later, was the KERALA-KARNATAKA EXPRESS. The train from Delhi used to split at Katpadi or Jolarpettai and one portion used to go to Bangalore and the other to Trivandrum (now called Thiruvanthapuram). Similarly the 2 portions used to combine at one of these stations and run to New Delhi. Later on all of them were made dailies with separate time slots.
The First Superfast to connect the Southern Metro with the state capital the train beat the record of GT Express which held the superfast train status of the South that time and fastest to reach New Delhi. But the timings weren't suitable for Delhi travelers as it followed the timings similar to Rajdhani of today leaving Chennai Early morning to reach New Delhi the next afternoon-the 1st train to run Chennai-Vijayawada non-stop. Later the train became daily and timings altered to leave Chennai in evening.
13 coaches were initially there including luggage & guard van. 2 coaches of Chair Car were there. Rest were sleepers and had one Pantry Car. the Guard, TTE, attendants were all SR staff in the beginning. All staff used to come from there and travel back the next day.
The Chair Car got badly damaged near Kazipet loopline due to excess speed on that travel at night and thereafter CC were discontinued.
The real problem started when the coaches were increased to 18+ and with a single engine, it could not cover up the terrains near ET and was regularly getting late by 2– 3 hours while coming to New Delhi. during Mr George Fernandes as Railway Minister, the concept of twin engine started and they increased the time to 33 hours. Later on they changed the timings of the train to night timings.
All along GT has been chugging at 36 hours and had no change in its speed etc. it had also CC and a partial CC coach whereas TN had 2 full CC coaches. GT had more changes in timing, 11am, 4pm, 645pm etc.
Another tidbit is GT was never cancelled come rain or shine, but TN used to be cancelled.(may be due to shortage of rakes at that time).
When introduced this was the train with the maximum coaches in the Southern Territory. So much that Chennai Central could accommodate it only on PF-1. Also jokes were said to have appeared in magazines that it is necessary to walk till gummidipoondi to board this train(So much for the length of about 20 coaches)
The important feature that exists even today is the train that leaves Chennai and the counterpart that leaves New Delhi on same day meet at the mid-point of Nagpur. Nagpur lies exactly in the middle of NDLS & MAS at around 1090 km from both cities (16 hrs of travel for both). This has been said to have been existing ever since the shift from morning to evening of this train. GT lost this feature when the Chennai timings shifted to 4:30PM in evening from 11PM(Not sure) and later transferred to 7:30Pm departure
Though the name is Tamil Nadu Express, the train has only one stop at Tamil Nadu i.e., CHENNAI.
Timings
This train at present leaves New Delhi at 22:30 hrs to reach Chennai / MAS at 07:10 on the 2nd day morning.On return this train leaves Chennai every evening at 22:00 hrs to reach New Delhi at 07:00 on the 2nd day morning. It covers a distance of 2184 km in about 33 hours at an average of 67 kilometre per hour. When introduced in 1976, the running time of the train used to be 29 hrs and 50 minutes. It was introduced as a 14 coach train running with one WDM2 (ALCO derived) loco. In 1979 it was converted into a 21 coach train, headed by 2 WDM2 locos and then sometime after year 2000 converted to a 24 coach train - with 6AC coaches.| Station name | Station code | Arrives | Departs | Halts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | NDLS | Source | 22:30 | |
| Agra Cantt. | AGC | 01:07 | 01:10 | 3 min |
| Gwalior Junction | GWL | 02:36 | 02:39 | 3 min |
| Jhansi Junction | JHS | 04:00 | 04:12 | 12 min |
| Bhopal Junction | BPL | 07:55 | 08:05 | 10 min |
| Itarsi Junction | ET | 09:50 | 09:53 | 3 min |
| Nagpur Junction | NGP | 14:15 | 14:30 | 15 min |
| Balharshah Junction | BPQ | 17:25 | 17:35 | 10 min |
| Warangal | WL | 20:48 | 20:50 | 2 min |
| Vijaywada Junction | BZA | 00;15 | 00:25 | 10 min |
| Chennai Central | MAS | 07:10 | Destination |
Route
This train runs via VijayawadaVijayawada
Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...
, Warangal
Warangal
Warangal is a city and a municipal corporation in Warangal district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Warangal is located northeast of the state capital of Hyderabad and is the administrative headquarters of Warangal District. This district is a combination of three cities: Warangal,...
, Ballarshah, Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
, Itarsi
Itarsi
Itarsi is a city in Madhya Pradesh sn central India. Itarsi is located in Hoshangabad District, south of the city of Hoshangabad. Itarsi is a commercial hub for agricultural goods, and is also famous for its railway junction. The Bori Wildlife Sanctuary and Tawa Dam are nearby...
, Bhopal, Jhansi
Jhansi
Jhansi Hindi:झाँसी, , Marathi: झाशी, is a historical city of India. Jhansi is the administrative headquarters of Jhansi District and Jhansi Division. The original walled city grew up around its stone fort, which crowns a neighboring rock. This district is on the bank of river Betwa.The National...
, Gwalior, Agra Cantt
Agra Cantt
Agra Cantonment is the main railway station in the Indian city of Agra. It is located near the Sadar Bazaar towards the Southwest of the city. Agra Cantonment is directly managed by the North Central Railways.-See also:*Agra Fort Railway Station...
and Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin to reach New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
station.
Rake
This train is a very demanded train and gets about 24 coach rake generally comprising 6 AC coaches, 13 Sleeper class coaches, pantry car, two general unreserved second class coaches and two SLRs.See also
- Chennai CentralChennai CentralChennai Central , erstwhile Madras Central, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai . It is the home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India. The other major railway hub stations in the city are Chennai Egmore and Tambaram...
- Andhra Pradesh ExpressAndhra Pradesh ExpressThe Andhra Pradesh Express is a superfast South Central Railway train which connects the Andhra Pradesh state capital Hyderabad and the country's capital city New Delhi...
- Vijayawada JunctionVijayawada JunctionVijayawada Junction is a major railway station of Indian Railways serving the city of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The station falls in the Vijayawada railway division of the South Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways...
External links
- Tamil Nadu Express at India Rail Info