IRFCA Mailing List Archive
Messages 1241 - 1260
From: Jishnu Mukerji <jis@summit.email
Subject: Re: More Question
Date: 18 Aug 1994 19:43:00 -0500
Excerpts from personal.IRFCA: 18-Aug-94 More Question Pushkar
Apte@spdc.email (568*)
> 1. What are ATS, ATC, AWS and CTC? Signalling systems? If so, what
> are their distinguishing features (and full forms!)?
ATS - Automatic Train Stop - Automatically stop train if it passes
an adverse (red) signal, e.g. the Santa Fe Main Line between Kansas City and
Bakersfield CA (except Trinidad CO - Alebequerque NM is equipped with ATS. In
the US a line and locomotive must be equipped with ATS for speed greater than
79mph.
ATC - Automatic Train Control - ATS + Speed control i.e. if a train
passes a yellow signal above a certain speed it is stopped automatically. The
Amtrak NEC is equipped with ATC and Cab Signalling a requirement in the USA
for speeds above 100mph. The French TGV lines have ATC and Cab Signalling and
no trackside signals. The term ATC is also used to describe higher level of
control regimens all the way upto driverless trains too.
AWS - ???
CTC - Centralized Traffic Control - Control of a large area of
railroad from a single control point, e.g. All of Union Pacific railroad East
of Denver through Nebraska is controlled from the North Platte CTC.
CETC - Centralized Electrical and Traffic Control CTC plus control of
power delivery in electrified railroad, e.g. All of Amtrak NEC between
Washington DC and Morris Interlocking just south of Trenton NJ is controlled
out of the Philadelphia CETC.
Excerpts from personal.IRFCA: 18-Aug-94 More Question Pushkar
Apte@spdc.email (568*)
> 2. What is the correlation between axles, gear-ratio, and whether a
> loco hauls freight or passenger trains?
Lower gear ratio produces greater drawbar pull for the same torque (from
the motor), at the expense of lower maximum speed for the same Max RPM
of the motor. So everything else being equal, freight engines tend to
have lower gear ratios than high speed passenger engines.
Everything else being equal the number of axles determines the per axle
weight that the locomotive puts on the track (higher the number of axles
lower the per axle weight). High quality tracks laid with heavier rails
tend to be able to support higher axle weight. higher axle weight also
increase the friction between the wheel and the rail thus reducing
slippage.
Excerpts from personal.IRFCA: 18-Aug-94 More Question Pushkar
Apte@spdc.email (568*)
> 3. Are ABB locos equipped with AC/DC capability? This is relevant to
> Konkan rail, because it originates in Bombay, and Bombay is DC.
I don't know if they are, but technically it is not a big deal. Afterall
the power that is actually delivered to the AC motors is carefully
generated and wave shaped at the right frequency by the solid state
inverters in the engine. It is just a matter of feeding the the right
variety of juice to the inverter. It might add weight and length to the
locmotive though to fit in the extra equipment to convert a DC feed into
the form that the inverter will accept.
Jishnu.
From: Haripada Khatuya <hkhatuya@chem.email
Subject: Hazaar questions about trains and locos...Sorry
Date: 19 Aug 1994 13:32:00 -0500
Hi,
Sorry to be askin' a whole bunch of questions, but with such
abundant knowledge hereabouts in the the irfca, it seemed a
pity to keep wallowing in ignorance. Jishnu, Satish and others
have already patiently answered a lot, but have begged for more
to be asked:
1) what are "bo-bo-bo" and "co-co" type locos?
2) Re: the provision of 4-axled and 6-axled ABB locos for
passenger and goods hauling resp., does this mean that a
loco geared for high torque (ie, for goods rakes) is
heavier, thus requiring more axles to reduce per axle
weight? Or is this meant to increase rail traction?
3) What is regenerative braking? I think I've heard of the
term applied to cars too.
4) How do the various traffic control systems, ATC, CTC, ATS,
etc., work? How are the commands transmitted to the engines?
Radio? Or some other more exotic data link?
5) What percentage of IR trunk routes have continuously welded
rails? Concrete sleepers? ( I believe (?) that these are
superior for handling high speed traffic compared to the
wooden ones.)
And for some more speculative (and naive, I don't have an
engineering background) queries:
6) I believe that both the Swedish Tilting Body and the German
ICE trains have a different drive mechanism than the 3-
phase thyristors (which I think is also used on the TGV).
Do they? If so, any comparisons?
7) Seeing locos from all parts of the world, why do Indian
locos still have to look like boxes? I think the locos
which haul the Shatabdis have a slightly tilted windscreen,
but that seems to be it. We talk of old Volvos having the
aerodynamics of a box, but, my God, at 100km/hr speeds,
the aerodynamic drag of those slab like fronts is mind-
boggling. Does having a raked front significantly upp
the design and production costs?
8) How about the unsightly grills on the windscreens? Isn't
there any other way to solve the underlying problems
(loose gravel, bird-strikes, stone throwing protesters,
the occasional pedestrian trying to walk thru, etc.)?
All the other connections, hooks, knobs, bells and
whistles protruding from the front. Can't they be
recessed flush with the body?
Whew!! I promise to belt up for a long time hereafter.
Thanks a lot.
Hari
From: Aravinda Pillalamarri, BBN Library, 873-2789 <ARAVINDA@ccr2.email
Subject: getting tickets for a train in India from U.S. how?
Date: 20 Aug 1994 14:21:00 -0500
Does anyone know how you can reserve a seat on a particular train in
India from U.S.?
I am in the Boston area.
thanks -- Aravinda
From: S Pai <Pai>>
Subject: Re: ...questions...
Date: 20 Aug 1994 15:32:00 -0500
Hari writes:
> 1) what are "bo-bo-bo" and "co-co" type locos?
"Bo" refers to a pair of axles (4 wheels) in one bogie, while "Co" refers
to a group of 3 axles in one bogie. Thus "Bo-Bo" refers to a loco with 2
groups of 2 axles, i.e., 8 wheels; "Co-Co" refers to one with 2 groups of
3 axles each, i.e., 12 wheels.
> 3) What is regenerative braking?
The idea is to recover some energy during braking by using the motors in a
reversed fashion -- i.e. as generators to convert the kinetic energy of the
train into electricity. Normal braking is also used in addition to this.
Regenerative braking supposedly recovers up to 20%-30% of the energy normally
lost as heat in braking. (Well, even in this case the recovered energy may be
simply dissipated as heat in resistor banks but there is less mechanical
wear-and-tear of the brakes anyway.)
> 4) How do the various traffic control systems, ATC, CTC, ATS,
> etc., work? How are the commands transmitted to the engines?
> Radio? Or some other more exotic data link?
In the US and other countries they often use the rails as conductors to carry
electrical signals that are picked up in the cab. E.g., a particular kind of
pulse-train might be equivalent to a certain signal indication; a different
pattern or frequency would indicate another, and so on. Different types of
signals can also be superimposed for different functions. I am sure radio
communications are also used in some cases. Trackside detectors that measure
the length and speed of the train (and check for hot points, etc.) can
transmit their data either by radio or over the tracks.
[Regarding the different systems -- recently there was an informative thread
on rec.railroad about signalling schemes on different US railroads, check
those articles out if they are still available at your news server.]
Sridhar mentioned "AWS" on the Delhi-Jhansi section -- this is probably the
"auxiliary warning system" used with some of the electric locos, I think the
WAP-3 class and its derivatives. What exactly this system is I don't know,
perhaps in-cab warnings to the driver? Does anyone know the details of this?
Regards,
-Satish
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <vbalasub@mail.email
Subject: Comments!!!!!
Date: 21 Aug 1994 16:18:00 -0500
Hi Folks,
Good to see my mbox flooded with articles. Some comments:-
Kumar writes:
> The section has probably been closed for conversion work just like
> the Miraj-Londa section on SC Rly.
So, what happens to the stations that fall on these stretches? How are they
serviced? By bus?
> BTW, does anyone have the schedule of the Madras-Mysore Shatabdi?
6 00 d Madras Central a 21 15
10 55 a Bangalore City d 16 05
11 05 d a 15 55
13 15 a Mysore d 14 00
The 2007/2008 Shatabdi Exp. is a blue-and-white train and is hauled by a WAP1
between Madras and Bangalore. Is 10 mts sufficient for a loco changeover?
It has eight AC Chair Cars with self-contained pantry services, and piped
music. The article did not mention its max. speed. My guess is, 110 kmph.
max.
Comparing it to the Lalbagh Exp. (which now halts at Jolarpettai):-
Shatabdi Exp. Lalbagh Exp.
------------- ------------
Madras - Bangalore 4 hrs 55 mts. 5 hrs. 35 mts.
(run time of 5 hrs. 23 mts.)
Bangalore - Madras 5 hrs 10 mts 5 hrs. 20 mts.
(run time of 5 hrs. 8 mts.)
Both the trains have comparable run-times from Bangalore to Madras suggesting
that the Shatabdi Exp. might not even touch 110 kmph. (and be restricted to
100 kmph. max)
Incidently, the Bombay Shatabdi Exp. is numbered 2009/2010 even though it was
introduced a week earlier than the one from Madras. Wonder why?!
Sridhar writes
> Are any gif or jpeg pictures of IR available?
I wonder what happened to the photos that I had scanned in summer, and ftp-ed
them to your site. I do have them on tape but have been unable to load them
onto the system. They are in pict2 format, and I am not sure how to convert
them to gif or jpeg. Any suggestions?
Pushkar writes:
> 3. Are ABB locos equipped with AC/DC capability? This is relevant to
> Konkan rail, because it originates in Bombay, and Bombay is DC.
Yes, they do. They can switch over to DC traction, if needed. I recall
having asked a railway official about the development of high-speed AC/DC
locos. for the Bombay Rajdhani Exp. and was told that these 3-phase locos.
could be used.
Jishnu writes:
> ATS - Automatic Train Stop - Automatically stop train if it passes an
> adverse (red) signal, e.g. the Santa Fe Main Line between Kansas City
I believe that Bombay - Kalyan and Churchgate - Borivali are equipped with ATS.
Haripada writes:
> 7) Seeing locos from all parts of the world, why do Indian
> locos still have to look like boxes? I think the locos
> which haul the Shatabdis have a slightly tilted windscreen,
Besides the WAP1/3 locos., the WAG2 and the WAP2 also have a tilted
windscreen. Both of them are BoBo locos. The WAP2 is really a converted
WAM2/3 loco. -> BoBo type and with Hitachi motors.
Regards,
Vijay
From: Pushkar Apte <apte@spdc.email
Subject: Unfortunate ...
Date: 23 Aug 1994 08:25:00 -0500
Some unfortunate developments seem to have happened in and around
Bombay (at least) with respect to IR. This news is from conversations
home, stuff gleaned from some folks just back from India, and a host
of newspaper cuttings from Bombay newspapers.
1. Stoning of trains has suddenly gained popularity. This happens
from the slums (zopadpatti) surrounding the railway tracks. Certain
places like Badlapur and Karjat are the worst - and this stoning has
been routinely injuring people and even claiming lives. It claimed a
celebrity life in Dr. Shreeram Lagoo's 18-year-old son, Tanvir Lagoo -
who was struck by a stone near Karjat. He died the same evening in a
Pune hospital. His only fault was sitting at the window.
2. Suburban service in Bombay has deteriorated significantly. I read,
what I think is the most scathing editorial, that essentially said
that railway authorities have basically given up even a semblance of
trying to provide decent service. Locals are commonly late, and
interestingly enough, IR blames its own signalling system for this
problem. They also tacitly admit that they aren't smart enough to fix
it. Commuters were so upset, that recently rioting broke out, which
resulted in the trashing of some major Bombay stations, including
Ghatkopar, Borivali, Ambernath etc. Goonda-giri, looting, etc. also
have increased significantly.
3. Long-distance trains, especially on CR's Bombay-Bhusaval line, are
being subjected to increasing delays. The old average of 1-2 hrs has
gone up to 3-6 hrs, and in some cases to 10-11 hrs. And as per the
editorial, these are not exceptions, but the rule. On a side note, a
friend told me that the Trivandrum-Guwahati Exp. is often 24 hrs late,
and has touched a high of 72 hours late.
I thought I was cynical enough to digest anything that came out of
India, but this level of anarchy has caused me an unpleasant surprise,
since this strikes at the heart of the romance of IR. A rail journey
where one's primary goal is to reach unmolested, is not exactly a fun
journey. This also makes mockery of the all the new Rajdhani/Shatabdi
trains being started. I am the biggest proponent of fast and
superfast trains, but IR has a moral responsibility to first provide
basic service and security to passengers before embarking on fancy
projects.
Regards,
Pushkar
-------
From: venkatar <venkatar@egr.email
Subject: Re: Comments!!!!!
Date: 23 Aug 1994 12:32:00 -0500
> Hi Folks,
>
> Good to see my mbox flooded with articles. Some comments:-
> > BTW, does anyone have the schedule of the Madras-Mysore Shatabdi?
>
> 6 00 d Madras Central a 21 15
>
> 10 55 a Bangalore City d 16 05
> 11 05 d a 15 55
>
> 13 15 a Mysore d 14 00
>
> The 2007/2008 Shatabdi Exp. is a blue-and-white train and
> is hauled by a WAP1 between Madras and
> Bangalore. Is 10 mts sufficient for a loco changeover?
>
> Both the trains have comparable run-times from Bangalore to Madras suggesting
> that the Shatabdi Exp. might not even touch 110 kmph. (and be restricted to
> 100 kmph. max)
>
> Regards,
> Vijay
>
Hi,
Well five hours for 354 km might not be very impressive, but considering the
fact that the train does not exceed 100 kmph, I guess it is OK. Have they
increased the speed limit on the jolarpet-bangarpet section? There used to be
a sign with 80kmph immediatly after the sharp curve out of J'pet.
This reminds me of the Kovai Exp. of the 80's. It used to run 494km in
7 hrs, with 5 stops and rarely exceeding 90kmph. Not too bad for a regular
express.
Regards,
Sridhar Shankar
From: Jishnu Mukerji <jis@summit.email
Subject: Re: getting tickets for a train in India from U.S. how?
Date: 25 Aug 1994 11:52:00 -0500
Excerpts from personal.IRFCA: 20-Aug-94 getting tickets for a train..
Aravinda B. Library@ccr2 (135*)
> Does anyone know how you can reserve a seat on a particular train in
> India from U.S.?
> I am in the Boston area.
Call up Hari World Travels in New York at (212) 957 3000. They are the
GSA (General Sales Agent) for Indian Railways in the USA. they will be
able to handle all reservations and ticketing on Indian Railways. They
will even send you the ticket with confirmed reservation via FedEx for a
little extra charge. I have used them several times in the past and they
have always come through. The only pain is that you have to send them a
Cashier check for the ticket. For some reason (at least uptil when I
used them last year) they did not do credit cards.
Jishnu
Jishnu Mukerji
jis@summit.email
+1 908 522 5024
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <vbalasub@mail.email
Subject: Kovai exp., etc.
Date: 25 Aug 1994 16:36:00 -0500
Hi Folks,
Pushkar's recent news about stoning of trains and increasing delays
is highly disturbing. It's unfortunate that politics has titled the
balance heavily in favor of Delhi with the result
that more and more Rajdhanis and Shatabdis continue to be introduced
from our capital and train services from other cities remain grossly
neglected. The fact that trains in the Bombay - Bhusaval section are
being subjected to 4-6 hour delays despite the provision of make-up
times in excess of 30-40 mts., reveals a highly inefficient system with
no attempts being made to alleviate the situation. Maybe, large-scale
privatization is the only solution to end the politician's stranglehold
on our railway system.
Sridhar writes:
> This reminds me of the Kovai Exp. of the 80's. It used to run 494km in
> 7 hrs, with 5 stops and rarely exceeding 90kmph. Not too bad for a regular
> express.
Before the extension of the Madras Rajdhani to Trivandrum,
the Kovai Exp. used to be the fastest train between Madras and Coimbatore
with regard to its run-times. At present, it takes 5 hrs. 45 mts. from
Madras Central to Erode, which gives it a run-time of about 5 hrs. 28 mts.
The Rajdhani Exp. does a shade better -> 5 hrs. 15 mts. A similar situation
exists in the reverse direction:- Kovai Exp. -> 5 hrs. 38 mts. and
Rajdhani Exp. -> 5 hrs. 20 mts.
Regards,
Vijay
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <vbalasub@mail.email
Subject: Info. from the 1994 Central Rly. time-table
Date: 30 Aug 1994 13:55:00 -0500
Here's some interesting stuff from the Central Rly. time-table:
New Trains
----------
- Bombay - Parbhani Tapovan Exp. (initially introduced between Bombay V.T.
and Manmad, as a complementary train to the Panchavati Exp.)
6 10 d Bombay V.T. a 22 50
11 20 a Manmad d 17 20
11 40 d a 17 00
17 00 a Parbhani d 11 20
Halts:- Dadar, Kalyan, Igatpuri, Devlali, Niphad, Lasalgaon, Manmad,.....
(same as the Panchavati Exp.)
Trains-At-A-Glance indicates that this train originates from Purna
instead of Parbhani.
- Bombay - Kacheguda Exp. (extended version of Bombay - Jalna Exp.)
So, Bombay gets a third daily connection to Secunderabad as a result of
BG conversion of Manmad - Parbhani - Pali Vaijnath
Dep. Bombay V.T. 22 30 -> Arr. Kacheguda 21 30
Arr. " 5 25 <- Dep. " 5 30
Halts :- Dadar, Thane, Kalyan, Kasara, Igatpuri, Devlali, Nasik Rd.,
Kasbe Sukene, Niphad, Lasalgaon, Manmad,......
Not the ideal train to commute between Bombay and S'bad, since there
exist two daily trains via Pune - Wadi, each with a run-time of about
15 hrs.
- Agra Cantt - Nizamuddin Exp.
Halts:- Raja-ki-Mandi, Mathura, Kosikalan, Palwal, Ballabgarh, Faridabad,
Leaves Agra in the morning and is back the same evening.
- Bombay - Thiruvananthapuram Exp., weekly, 2nd class only
Halts:- Dadar, Kalyan, Karjat, Lonavla, Pune, Daund, Kurduwadi, Solapur,
Gulbarga, Wadi,.......
Exactly the same halt pattern as the Bombay - Kanyakumari Exp.
Dep. Bombay V.T. 12 15 -> Arr. Wadi 1 25
Arr. " 21 30 <- Dep. " 9 10
Extensions
----------
- Konark Exp. to Bombay V.T.
Halts:- Dadar, Kalyan, Karjat, Lonavla, Pune, Daund (Up only),
Solapur, Gulbarga, Wadi,......
More later,
Vijay
From: R. Alluri <rralluri@acs.email
Subject: Konark Express
Date: 30 Aug 1994 12:50:00 -0500
Konark and Minar express are one and the same for all
practical purposes. Only the name of the train is changed at Sec'bad.
The same coaches run from BBS to BBVT and a passenger does not have to
change at Sec'bad. So what is new about the extension of Konark
to Bombay?
--
Alluri
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <vbalasub@mail.email
Subject: Re: Konark Exp.
Date: 30 Aug 1994 16:07:00 -0500
> Konark and Minar express are one and the same for all
> practical purposes. Only the name of the train is changed at Sec'bad.
> The same coaches run from BBS to BBVT and a passenger does not have to
> change at Sec'bad. So what is new about the extension of Konark
--
> Alluri
Not any more! The Minar Exp. has been renamed the Hussain Sagar Exp.
and now runs between Bombay V.T. and Hyderabad. The Konark Exp. has been
extended till Bombay V.T. As a result, there are two daily trains between
Bombay V.T. and Hyderabad/Secunderabad via Pune-Wadi.
Vijay
From: S. Kumar <kumar@quandsn.email
Subject: bombay-hyderabad and other routes
Date: 31 Aug 1994 17:42:00 -0500
BG route is as follows:
Manmad-Aurangabad-Jalna-Parbhani-Parli Vaijnath-Vikarabad-Secunderabad
This is atleast 100 km longer than:
Manmad-Aurangabad-Jalna-Parbhani-PURNA-NIZAMABAD-KACHEGUDA/S'BAD
This was the original MG route between Manmad and Secunderabad. I
suppose the Railways decided to route the BG line via Parli Vaijnath
because of the existing BG line between Parli Vaijnath and
Secunderabad.
On a different route, how do the timings of the Madras-Erode-Madurai-
Kanniyakumari BG express compare with Vaigai express between Madras
and Madurai? I believe that the BG route is only about 40 km or so
longer.
Also, does anyone know what has happened to the Madras-Tirunelveli
and the Madras-Tuticorin (Pearl City) expresses? Has the MG line
been lifted between Madurai and T'veli/Tuticorin?
Any updates on MG to BG conversion is welcome.
Thanks, Kumar
From: venkatar <venkatar@egr.email
Subject: Re: bombay-hyderabad and other routes
Date: 31 Aug 1994 22:06:00 -0500
> Also, does anyone know what has happened to the Madras-Tirunelveli
> and the Madras-Tuticorin (Pearl City) expresses? Has the MG line
> been lifted between Madurai and T'veli/Tuticorin?
>
> Any updates on MG to BG conversion is welcome.
>
> Thanks, Kumar
I read on SCT that as of Aug 01 suburban traffic between Madras and Tambaram
is BG. Can any one confirm that?
Sridhar Shankar
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <vbalasub@mail.email
Subject: Project Unigauge: An Update (From April 1994 issue of IR)
Date: 02 Sep 1994 13:55:00 -0500
Kumar writes:
> On a different route, how do the timings of the Madras-Erode-Madurai-
> Kanniyakumari BG express compare with Vaigai express between Madras
> and Madurai? I believe that the BG route is only about 40 km or so
> longer.
Madras - Madurai via Vriddhachalam (MG) is about 492 km.
via Erode (BG) is about 596 km.
The Vaigai Exp. takes around 7 hrs. 40 mts. (64 kmph.)
The Madras - Kanyakumari Exp. consumes about 11 hrs. (54.18 kmph)
A direct comparison of run-times between Dindigul and Madurai reveals
that the Vaigai Exp. outsmarts the Kanyakumari Exp. by a decent 25 mts.
Wonder why? Why is the BG performance below par? Is this line still
under test?
The train does better when compared to its peers via Ernakulam,
since Erode - Kanyakumari via Madurai is nearly 240 kms. shorter.
than the route via Ernakulam . e.g. the Himsagar Exp. takes about
19 hrs. between Katpadi and Kanyakumari whereas the new train
finishes it off in 14 hrs.
Can we expect a few of the Trivandrum/K'kumari
bound trains to start using the new route? What surprises me is that
the longer route continues to be in the limelight, with plans to double
Ernakulam - Trivandrum (and subsequently electrify it).
> Also, does anyone know what has happened to the Madras-Tirunelveli
> and the Madras-Tuticorin (Pearl City) expresses? Has the MG line
> been lifted between Madurai and T'veli/Tuticorin?
The Madras - Tirunelveli Nellai Exp. has been re-routed via Tiruchi -
Karaikkudi - Manamadurai - Virudunagar. The Pearl City exp. is missing
from the time-table, and I presume that it has ceased to exist.
> Any updates on MG to BG conversion is welcome.
Here's some info. from the April 1994 issue of Indian Railways.
Project Unigauge
----------------
IR's plan to convert 6000 km. of MG into BG during the VIII plan. 2997 kms.
were converted in the first two years. Target of 1600 kms. has been set
for the year 1994-95.
New BG routes / by-pass which have become available:-
Sitapur - Burhwal
Allahabad City- Varanasi [not quite, b'coz Allahabad City - Jhusi is open only
to goods traffic]
Lucknow - Kanpur
Bikaner - Jodhpur [there are 2-3 passenger trains in this section]
Sawai Madhopur - Jaipur - Phulera - Merta Rd. - Jodhpur
Bangalore City - Mysore
Guwahati - Lumding
Bellary - Rayadurga - Chitradurga - Chickjajur - Arsikere - Bangalore
Dindigul - Madurai - Tuticorin
Manmad - Aurangabad - Parbhani - Parli Vaijnath
Following BG routes would become available during 1994-95:-
Bhatinda - Hissar - Rewari - Alwar - Mathura
Miraj - Hubli - Bangalore
Hospet - Hubli - Londa
Delhi - Rewari - Jaipur - Ajmer [we can expect a Delhi - Jaipur Shatabdi Exp.]
Jodhpur - Jaisalmer
Muzzafarpur - Raxaul
Substantial progress would have been achieved during 1994-95 towards completing
the conversions of the following routes, which are scheduled for commissining
during 1995-96 and 1996-97:-
Delhi - Ahmedabad
Secunderabad - Mehboobnagar - Guntakal [might have a BG Venkatadri Exp.]
Adilabad - Mudkhed - Purna - Parbhani
[Adilabad should be linked with Majri (a station in the Wardha - Balharshah
section) in the near future, which means that we would have an alternate
route between Manmad and Wardha]
Guntur - Nandyal - Guntakal
Gondia - Chandra Fort
Madras - Trichy - Dindigul [the pair of MG lines between Madras Egmore and
Tambaram would probably be retained]
Lumding - Dibrugarh
Jodhpur - Marwar
Viramgam - Mahesana
The ones that interest me the most are
Miraj - Bangalore and
Delhi - Ahmedabad
Hopefully, we'll have a decent Bombay - Bangalore
superfast Exp. with no interference :-) from Delhi. I did have
a BG/MG fantasy service from Bombay V.T. to Bangalore City:-
Konkan Exp.
BG Exp.:- Bombay V.T., Dadar (Up. only), Lonavla (Dn. only), Pune, Satara,
Miraj
MG Exp.:- Miraj, Belgaum, Dharwad, Hubli, Harihar, Birur, Tumkur,
Bangalore City
Conversion of Delhi - Ahmedabad should result in a few good trains from
Bombay Central to Delhi and beyond. As Pushkar has pointed out, the
Sarvodaya/ Rajkot - Jammu Tawi / Hapa - Jammu Tawi Exps. might get delinked
from the Swaraj Exp. and use this route.
It is too much to expect a Bombay - Delhi Rajdhani exp. via Ahmedabad - Jaipur?
After all, Jaipur and Ahmedabad are the only major state capitals not to have
Rajdhani-type connections with Delhi.
My fantasy Rajdhani would be a bi-weekly service with the following halts:-
Bombay Central - Vadodara - Ahmedabad - Abu Road - Jaipur - Delhi
That's all for now,
Have a nice Labor Day weekend,
Vijay
From: S Pai <Pai>>
Subject: train accident
Date: 02 Sep 1994 20:58:00 -0500
This is a couple of days' old news:
Two people were killed and 70 others injured when the Bombay-bound
Gorakhpur--Bombay Avadh Express collided with a derailed goods train between
Sanjan and Bhilad stations in Gujarat state. The news report said six coaches
of the passenger train jumped the tracks after the collision and four turned
over, trapping people inside.
The crash is said to have caused "widespread" diversions and cancellations
of other services in the region.
-Satish
From: S Pai <Pai>>
Subject: gauge conversion
Date: 02 Sep 1994 21:35:00 -0500
1. Gauge conversion of Arsikere--Hassan--Mangalore and Yelahanka--Bangarapet
sections has been approved and will begin in two weeks' time.
2. From an editorial in The Observer of Bombay:
"The Indian Railways' decision to divert all its resources towards gauge
conversion has resulted in the total neglect of track renewal programmes
on the Bombay--Delhi trunk route and jeopardised the running of superfast
trains like the Rajdhani Express."
3. Here is some information from the July 1994 South-Central Railway timetable.
Some of this overlaps with what Vijay already posted.
Conversions completed:
Parbhani--Parli Vaijnath
Guntur--Narasaraopet
Aurangabad--Jalna
Bellary--Rayadurga
Bolarum--Secunderabad--Falaknuma
Mahbubnagar--Falaknuma
(all the above done last year)
Narasaraopet--Donakonda (February)
Jalna--Parbhani (April)
Parbhani--Purna (June)
Conversions to be completed soon:
Donakonda--Giddalur
Miraj--Londa
(both by November '94)
Londa--Hubli--Hospet (by March '95)
Future planned conversions:
Solapur/Hotgi--Gadag
Hospet--Gunda Rd.--Kotturu and Swamihalli
Guntakal Jn.--Dronachellam--Nandiyal
Purna--Adilabad
Vasco da Gama--Londa & Alnavar--Dandeli
Mahbubnagar-Dronachellam
There's a schematic map of all the conversion projects of SC Railway there,
perhaps some day if I can manage to run it through a scanner I can post it.
(There may be some inaccuracies in the stuff above, as I wasn't able to
figure out all the legends on the map properly.)
Hmm... I just saw a railway ad towards the end of the timetable, which is
kind of amusing:
Do not invite death...
Roof-Top Travel
Foot-Board Travel
is not a courageous act
but a dangerous act.
Please do not risk your life by
Travelling on Foot-Board or Roof-Top
for your Near and Dear await
your return to home after your
Work or Studies.
:-)
-Satish
From: S Pai <Pai>>
Subject: Bombay VT -- Hyderabad
Date: 04 Sep 1994 00:07:00 -0500
Vijay wrote:
> Not any more! The Minar Exp. has been renamed the Hussain Sagar Exp.
> and now runs between Bombay V.T. and Hyderabad. The Konark Exp. has been
> extended till Bombay V.T. As a result, there are two daily trains between
> Bombay V.T. and Hyderabad/Secunderabad via Pune-Wadi.
There is one more, I believe, a Bombay Hyderabad Exp. (7031/7032) that runs
daily too, making the run in about 18 hours and stopping at some places that
are skipped by the Hussainsagar Exp. (which takes 15-1/2 hours). Since it
reaches Hyderabad in the morning it might actually be more convenient for
some than the other two trains.
-Satish
From: Vijay Balasubramanian <vbalasub@mail.email
Subject: Need info. from Sc time-table!
Date: 04 Sep 1994 09:22:00 -0500
>There is one more, I believe, a Bombay Hyderabad Exp. (7031/7032) that runs
>daily too, making the run in about 18 hours and stopping at some places that
>are skipped by the Hussainsagar Exp. (which takes 15-1/2 hours). Since it
>reaches Hyderabad in the morning it might actually be more convenient for
>some than the other two trains.
>-Satish
You're right, Satish! I completely forgot about the first train between
Bombay and Hyderabad. A careless mistake, no doubt! In olden times, the
Hyderabad Exp. (as it was popularly known) had a higher degree of prestige in
the Bombay Wadi section, as it was vestibuled, distinctively colored (blue and
white) and had fewer halts.
Satish, could you provide some more info. from the 1994 South Central Rly. time-table?
I am especially interested in the new trains. Could you list the halts for the
following trains:-
Bombay - Purna Tapovan Exp. between Manmad and Purna
Bombay - Kacheguda Exp. between Manmad and Kacheguda
Bombay - Thiruvantarapuram Exp. between Wadi and Renigunta
Konark Exp. " Wadi and Secunderabad
Okha - Puri Exp. " Balharshah and Visakhapatnam
Howrah - Secunderabad Falaknuma Exp. " Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad
Nizamuddin - Mangalore Mangala Exp. " Balharshah and Renigunta
Also, from the map, could you find out the extent of doubling between Wadi
and Renigunta?
Thanks,
Vijay
From: S Pai <Pai>>
Subject: Re: Need info. from Sc time-table!
Date: 04 Sep 1994 18:31:00 -0500
Vijay wrote:
> Satish, could you provide some more info. from the 1994 South Central Rly.
> time-table? I am especially interested in the new trains. Could you list
> the halts for the following trains:-
> Bombay - Purna Tapovan Exp. between Manmad and Purna
Manmad Jn. -- Aurangabad -- Jalna -- Parbhani Jn. -- Purna.
> Bombay - Kacheguda Exp. between Manmad and Kacheguda
("Devagiri Express")
Manmad Jn. -- Rotegaon -- Parsoda -- Lasur -- Potul -- Daulatabad --
Aurangabad -- Jalna -- Partur -- Selu -- Manwat Rd. -- Parbhani Jn. --
Parli Vaijnath -- Udgir -- Bhalki -- Bidar -- Zahirabad -- Vikarabad Jn. --
Begumpet -- Secunderabad Jn. -- Kacheguda.
> Bombay - Thiruvantarapuram Exp. between Wadi and Renigunta
Wadi Jn. -- Yadgir -- Raichur -- Adoni -- Guntakal Jn. -- Gooty Jn. --
Anantapur -- Dharmavaram Jn.
> Konark Exp. " Wadi and Secunderabad
Wadi Jn. -- Tandur -- Begumpet -- Secunderabad Jn.
> Okha - Puri Exp. " Balharshah and Visakhapatnam
Balharshah -- Sirpur Kaghaznagar -- Manchiryal -- Ramgundam -- Warangal --
Vijayawada Jn. -- Rajahmundry -- Samalkot Jn. -- Anakapalle --
Visakhapatnam Jn.
> Howrah - Secunderabad Falaknuma Exp. " Visakhapatnam and Secunderabad
Visakhapatnam Jn. -- Rajahmnudry -- Vijayawada Jn. -- Guntur Jn. --
Secunderabad Jn.
(A note in the time-table that this train is now running three times a week
on a trial basis.)
> Nizamuddin - Mangalore Mangala Exp. " Balharshah and Renigunta
Balharshah -- Ramagundam -- Warangal -- Vijayawada Jn. -- Gudur Jn. --
Renigunta.
> Also, from the map, could you find out the extent of doubling between
> Wadi and Renigunta?
It seems the following parts on this section are doubled:
Wadi Jn. -- Krishna
Yeramaras -- Matmari
Kosgi -- Kupgal
Nancherla -- Rayalcheruvu
Tadipatri -- Muddanaru
Cudapah -- Bhakarapeta
Balapalle -- Renigunta Jn.
Regards,
-Satish