IRFCA Mailing List Archive


Messages 3241 - 3260

From: VIRAF P.. MULLA <>

Subject: Re: Dining Cars.

Date: 28 Jul 1998 18:59:51 -0500


>
> Also, I had another question -especially for our friends who are in
India right
> now - are there still Dining Cars on any trains? The CR time-table
indicates
> that several Delhi-South Rajdhanis and Superfasts have a Dining Car,
noted as
> "DC" - distinct from PC or Pantry Car. This surprised me, because I
thought
> that Dining Cars have been extinct for several years - maybe decades!
Can some
> one confirm?
>

On Western Railway The Flying Ranee carries a dining car. It is a
composite, part pantry part dining.

==========================
Viraf Mulla
C-20/14, Jeevan Bima Nagar,
Borivali (West)
Mumbai 400103
Tel: +91-22-8954510
E-mail: sncf@godrejnet.email
==========================

From: poras p.saklatwalla <>

Subject: Re: Dining Cars.

Date: 28 Jul 1998 20:36:11 -0500


On Wed, 29 Jul 1998, VIRAF P.. MULLA wrote:

> >
> > Also, I had another question -especially for our friends who are in
India right
> > now - are there still Dining Cars on any trains? The CR time-table
indicates
> > that several Delhi-South Rajdhanis and Superfasts have a Dining Car,
noted as
> > "DC" - distinct from PC or Pantry Car. This surprised me, because I
thought
> > that Dining Cars have been extinct for several years - maybe
decades! Can some
> > one confirm?
> >
>
> On Western Railway The Flying Ranee carries a dining car. It is a
> composite, part pantry part dining.
>
> ==========================
> Viraf Mulla
> C-20/14, Jeevan Bima Nagar,
> Borivali (West)
> Mumbai 400103
> Tel: +91-22-8954510
> E-mail: sncf@godrejnet.email
> ==========================
>

PORAS P.SAKLATWALLA
TEL :5773535/3636
EXT :4226/4232/4237

Hi Gang,
Also the Deccan Queen on the Bom/Poona route carries a part pantry and
part dining car. This is confirmed.

From: Shrinivas Bhatwadekar <>

Subject: Re: New route for Mangala Exp.!

Date: 28 Jul 1998 20:57:48 -0500


---Apurva Bahadur <iti@giaspn01.email wrote:
>
>
>
> Vijay Balasubramanian wrote:
>
> > Hi Folks,
> >
> > Here is the snippet from the Redfiff page about the re-routing
of the
> > Mangala Exp.
> >
> > *******************************************
> > Goa to Agra direct
> > Mangalore-Nizamuddin Mangala Express 2617 Dn/ 2618 Up will now run
on
> > the Konkan Railway via Goa and Agra to Ernakulam from August 1.
> >
> > The journey will be 14 hours shorter and the train will now run via
> > Alwaye, Trichur, Shoranur, Pattambi, Kuttipuram, Tirur,
Parpanangadi,
> > Feroke, Calicut, Quilandi, Badagara, Tellicherry, Cannanore,
Payangadi,
> > Payyanur, Nileshwar, Kanhangad, Kasargod, Kankanadi, Udupi, Karwar,
> > Madgaon (Goa), Thivim, Kudal, Ratnagiri, Panvel (near Bombay),
Kalyan,
> > Igatpuri, Nashik Road, Manmad, Bhusaval, Khandwa, Itarsi, Bhopal,
Bina,
> > Jhansi, Gwalior, Agra, Mathura, Faridabad (only in the down
direction)
>
> This is the first train coming from Bhusawal - Igatpuri - Kalyan
side to
> enter the Konkan rail at Diva. I wonder where the loco changing
point will
> be ?

It will depend upon the timings on Mangala Exp.
If the railways keep the same timings, then in Up direction, Mangala
Exp. should reach Kalyan by 4.30 / 5 O'clock in morning.( considering
its superfast status ) That should be ok for changing the loco.By the
way,the train need not be hauled by DC loco, but by WCAM2.
Frankly I do not recollect its timings in Down direction.

Bye,

-- shrinivas

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From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Rail Budget from Rediff

Date: 29 Jul 1998 08:24:38 -0500


>> Guntur-Secunderabad Express.
>Is it going to go via Nadikudi-Bibinagar, or via Vijayawada-Kazipet?
>

I had the same thought. Although the former seems shorter, the latter
has more important stations such as Vijayawada, Khammam, Warangal, and
Kazipet. Does the Krishna Exp. still go through Vijayawada-Kazipet? If

so, then we already have a Guntur-Secunderabad connection via
Vijayawada-Kazipet.

>
>> Kurla-Howrah super deluxe AC Express (weekly).
>> Kurla-Nagpur super deluxe AC Express (weekly).
>I assume these two trains will share the same schedule upto Nagpur.
Are they going to be faster than
>Gitanjali?

That should be the case. Poras mentioned in an earlier mail that the
Kurla-Howrah train would take around 29 hrs. which is about 4 hrs.
faster than the Gitanjali. Now, if the deluxe train is going to run at
110 kmph. max., I see no reason why the Gitanjali should not be speeded
up by atleast 2 hrs. since it can run at 110 kmph. as well.

>
>> The 4863/4864 Marudhar Express frequency to increase from four days a

>> week to daily. On the additional three days, the train to be routed
via
>> Faizabad.
>Looks like Marudhar has been downgraded to a non-superfast train.

That happened a couple of years back when it got extended from Lucknow
to Varanasi.


Vijay

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From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Query-supported time-table page

Date: 29 Jul 1998 09:38:08 -0500


Hi Folks,

Check this page out:

<A HREF="http://businesstourism.com/train.html">http://businesstourism.com/train.html</A>

Search results are displayed through queries on the source,
destination, train name and no. I wonder how large and current their
database is. I was particularly interested in their summer specials
since some of these may be converted to regular trains. For example,
the following is their description of the Kurla-Varanasi special:

**************************************************
From
Mumbai Kurla - Bombay


Kurla Varanasi Special •
Train No.
141

Destination Varanasi
Thane, Kalyan, Igatpuri, Nasik, Manmad, Bhusaval, Itarsi, Jabalpur,
Satna, Allahabad, Janghal, Bhadohi, Varanasi
Departure Time
0030

Via
Nasik Road

Departure Days
1,2,3,4,5,6,7



9 Sleeper, 1 Reserved II, 5 General II,2 General II Ladies

************************************************

The halt pattern is rather skewed. Too many halts in the
Mumbai-Bhusaval and Allahabad-Varanasi stretches and a decent run
between Bhusaval and Allahabad (ignores Khandwa and Katni among others).

Vijay

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From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Re: Query-supported time-table page

Date: 29 Jul 1998 10:59:44 -0500




Vijay Balasubramanian wrote:

> Hi Folks,
>
> Check this page out:
>
> <A HREF="http://businesstourism.com/train.html">http://businesstourism.com/train.html</A>
>
> Search results are displayed through queries on the source,
> destination, train name and no. I wonder how large and current their
> database is.

Not very broad, my perverted mind could strike out their computer 80 %
of
the time with my knowledgeable requests. The trains I was hoping to see
as
an answer exists, only they have no knowledge of it. Great effort though

Apurva

> I was particularly interested in their summer specials
> since some of these may be converted to regular trains. For example,
> the following is their description of the Kurla-Varanasi special:
>
> **************************************************
> >From
> Mumbai Kurla - Bombay
>
>
> Kurla Varanasi Special •
> Train No.
> 141
>
> Destination Varanasi
> Thane, Kalyan, Igatpuri, Nasik, Manmad, Bhusaval, Itarsi, Jabalpur,
> Satna, Allahabad, Janghal, Bhadohi, Varanasi
> Departure Time
> 0030
>
> Via
> Nasik Road
>
> Departure Days
> 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
>
>
> 9 Sleeper, 1 Reserved II, 5 General II,2 General II Ladies
>
> ************************************************
>
> The halt pattern is rather skewed. Too many halts in the
> Mumbai-Bhusaval and Allahabad-Varanasi stretches and a decent run
> between Bhusaval and Allahabad (ignores Khandwa and Katni among
others).
>
> Vijay
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Query-supported time-table page

Date: 29 Jul 1998 11:41:24 -0500



>Not very broad, my perverted mind could strike out their computer 80 %
of
>the time with my knowledgeable requests. The trains I was hoping to see

a=
>s
>an answer exists, only they have no knowledge of it. Great effort
though


Couple of observations:
The halts are not very accurate and have been omitted at random. As
an example, the Trivandrum Raj. does not include Kota and Ratlam in its
halt list.
A query returns only trains that start from the source station. For
example, Mumbai-Vadodara returns 23 trains whereas Vadodara-Mumbai
returns two - Vadodara Exp. and Sayaji Nagri Exp.

Vijay

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From: Auroprem Kandaswami <>

Subject: Narayanadri Express (SCR) derails

Date: 29 Jul 1998 13:27:03 -0500



VEERAPALLY (Prakasam Dt, AP)
July 29.

Passengers of Tirupati-bound Narayanadri Express had a miraculous
escape when 10 coaches and the engine of the train derailed near
here, about 50 km from Ongole, in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Twenty passengers received minor bruises when the coaches jumped
the rails and leaned beside the track. All the passengers,
including these who received minor bruises, were sent to their
destination in a special train after giving first-aid to the
injured passengers.

According to railway officials, No.7424 Secunderabad- Tirupati
Narayanadri Express derailed near Veerapally microwave tower
belonging to the South Central Railway at about 4.10 am.

The Divisional Railway Manager (Vijayawada), Mr.S.C.Bansal, who
was supervising the restoration operation at the accident site,
told The Hindu that the mishap had occurred due to removal of
fish plates. ``It is a clear case of sabotage'', he said, and
stated that but for the alertness of the driver it would have
been disastrous.

Mr. Bansal said that 10 coaches, including an AC First Class
coach, derailed and the driver of the engine applied brakes
immediately. The DRM stated that all the slightly injured
passengers were treated on the spot.

Railway officials from Chennai, Vijayawada and Secunderabad
reached the accident spot to oversee restoration work.
The Prakasam district Collector, Mr.Sunil Sharma, and the
Superintendent of Police, Mr.K.R.N.Kishore Kumar, also visited
the site.

The SP stated that the Prakasam district police would extend all
cooperation to the railway police in the investigation of the
case. He did not rule out the possibility of sabotage as the
fish plates were removed and the roadmetal was cleared from
under the rails.

A medical team was rushed to Ongole from Vijayawada. According
to the Station Superintendent of Ongole, Mr.K.Lingaiah, only a
passenger train to be started from Ongole was cancelled due to
the mishap. Traffic is run on the other track of the double
line.

Trains cancelled

The South Central Railway cancelled a few train services in the
Vijayawada-Gudur section following the derailment.

The cancelled services are train no. 2711/2712
Vijayawada-Chennai-Vijayawada Pinakini express, train no. 477
Gudur-Chirala passenger and train no. 478 Chirala-Bitragunta
passenger, an official press release said here.

The partially cancelled trains included train no. 473 Tirupati-
Kakinada Port passenger between Bitragunta and Kakinada Port,
train no. 439/440 Ongole-Tirupati-Ongole passenger between
Ongole and Gudur, train no.423/424 Vijayawada-Gudur passenger
service between Ongole and Gudur, train no. 72
Bitragunta-Chennai passenger between Bitragunta and Gudur and
train no. 474 Kakinada-Tirupati-Kakinada passenger between
Vijayawada and Tirupati.

***

From: S. Kumar <>

Subject: Re: Train service extended (Kurla-Coimbatore Express)

Date: 30 Jul 1998 04:38:45 -0500


Regarding Apurva's query, there is a shorter route between B'lore and
Coimbatore
than the one via Jolarpettai. It is
Bangalore-Hosur-Dharmapuri-Salem-Erode-
Coimbatore. This section (B'lore-Salem) was converted many months ago
to BG
from MG. Technically the train can bypass B'lore since the changeover
from the
the Guntakal-B'lore line to the B'lore-Salem line occurs around
Krishnarajapuram.
However, there is a BG (used to be MG) line from Yelahanka (north of
K'puram) to
B'lore City via Yeshwanthapur and Malleswaram skipping East and Cantt.
stations.
The train could use this route to reach City and then proceed via Cantt.
and East to
Salem. This avoids doubling back on the
Baiyappanahalli-East-Cantt.-City section.
It would still require a reversal at City station, though.

Kumar

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: WDM2 triple header

Date: 30 Jul 1998 04:42:16 -0500


Hello dear friends,

I too saw a WDM 2 triple header today like the one Jayant mentioned a
few days ago. This was one Pune loco (long hood leading) and two Kalyan
locos with short hood on either side. All locos were live and were
hauling a 41 wagon ( 41 X 56 tonnes = 2296 tonnes) BCN / BCNA cement air
braked special. No brake van at the end as is the norm with the short
haul freighters. The train lacked even a LV sign at the rear, which I
feel is the legal minimum for any train. Even light locomotives
traveling by themselves between stations have a 'LV' board at their
rear buffer.

The strange observation about today's triple headed rake was that the
two Kalyan locos at the rear were MUed while the leading Pune loco was
by itself. I was standing at the Dapodi end of the Mula river bridge and
the Pune loco brought the train slowly over the bridge. I know this
fact, because the Pune loco was the only loco with a black cloud at its
exhaust. Once the locos crossed the bridge the leading driver put up a
hand signal and the three locos opened up simultaneously. This was an
MUing akin to the days of the steam loco. What a sight !
The WDG 2 loco pair can regularly seen between Dapodi - Khadki or
Shivaji Nagar between 1300 and 1500 hours facing Pune with another 40
coach air braked freighter.

Apurva Bahadur

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Train service extended

Date: 30 Jul 1998 10:41:07 -0500


Hola Amigos,

As per a press release a few days back, the 1013 Dn / 1014 Up Express
from Kurla (Mumbai) has been extended to/from Coimbatore. Previously the
train terminated at Bangalore. Which leads me to think of the route
taken by train. Once the train descends South from Gooty, it reaches
Bangalore Jn. by Yelahanka, Channasandra, Bangalore East and finally
Bangalore city. Now to continue to Coimbatore, the loco must face the
other way and depart via Krishnarajapuram, Whitefield, Bangarapet and
Jolarpettai to join the trunk towards Salem, Erode and eventually
Coimabtore via Irugur. Is there any other route ? Thus the train must
reverse at Bangalore, is that correct ? How much of electrification has
been done after Erode towards Coimbatore? Only a person who has seen
this area can give these answers. I feel this train is extended to to
compensate for the rerouting of the 6635/6636 Netravati Exp via Konkan
Railways. Not that the Netravati earlier went via Coimbatore, it just
bypassed Coimbatore via Irugur & Podanur, but it did serve the other
important towns on the way. The Pune & Mumbai newspapers are full of
lament of the travelers who miss the train service to Jolarpettai,
Salem, Erode, Coimbatore and Palghat which are bypassed because of the
Konkan Railway.

Apurva Bahadur

From: Karthik Raju <>

Subject: Re: Train service extended

Date: 30 Jul 1998 11:28:01 -0500



>reverse at Bangalore, is that correct ? How much of electrification has
>been done after Erode towards Coimbatore? Only a person who has seen

i think erode-coimbatore is now electrified.

>important towns on the way. The Pune & Mumbai newspapers are full of
>lament of the travelers who miss the train service to Jolarpettai,
>Salem, Erode, Coimbatore and Palghat which are bypassed because of the
>Konkan Railway.

similarly travelers to cities on the delhi route,
from palghat, coimbatore, erode, salem, jolarpettai,
katpadi are going to miss the mangla express
once it starts to take the konkan route. these cities
have very less or no quota on kerala express.

-karthik.

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From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Train service extended

Date: 30 Jul 1998 11:52:56 -0500


>As per a press release a few days back, the 1013 Dn / 1014 Up Express
>from Kurla (Mumbai) has been extended to/from Coimbatore. Previously
the
>train terminated at Bangalore. Which leads me to think of the route
>taken by train. Once the train descends South from Gooty, it reaches
>Bangalore Jn. by Yelahanka, Channasandra, Bangalore East and finally
>Bangalore city. Now to continue to Coimbatore, the loco must face the
>other way and depart via Krishnarajapuram, Whitefield, Bangarapet and
>Jolarpettai to join the trunk towards Salem, Erode and eventually
>Coimabtore via Irugur. Is there any other route ? Thus the train must
>reverse at Bangalore, is that correct ? How much of electrification

There is a shorter route via the newly converted Hosur-Dharmapuri-Salem
section. IMHO, the train does not need to reverse at Bangalore City.
In addition, this would be the first direct service between
Hosur/Dharmapuri and stations on the Bangalore-Guntakal-Mumbai line.

Vijay

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From: Pushkar Apte <>

Subject: The new order: post Konkan Rail

Date: 30 Jul 1998 14:06:18 -0500


I think there is going to be increasing protests of passengers from the
older routes that have been short-circuited by Konkan Rail on old routes
from Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmadabad heading to Kerala. I would expect some
trains to start up that run upto Coimbatore/Palghat/Madurai on these old
routes via Pune/Sholapur/Guntakal/Nagpur etc. from
Mumbai/Delhi/Ahmadabad.
We are already seeing that beginning to happen with this extension of
the
Kurla-Bangalore Exp to Coimbatore.

It is interesting that as yet there is no talk of diverting the Kerala
Exp
or the Mumbai-Trivandrum/Nagercoil/Kanyakumari Expresses. In my
opinion,
these trains no longer satisfy any logic, and should be replaced by:

1. New Superfast Trains from Delhi and Mumbai to Trivandrum via Konkan
Rail

2. "Patch" trains of two kinds on the old non-Konkan rail routes:
a. Originating from Sholapur/Nagpur to Trivandrum
b. Originating from Palghat/Madurai to Mumbai/Delhi/Ahmadabad
(mentioned earlier).

Regards,
Pushkar

Vijay Balasubramanian wrote:

> >As per a press release a few days back, the 1013 Dn / 1014 Up
Express
> >from Kurla (Mumbai) has been extended to/from Coimbatore. Previously
> the
> >train terminated at Bangalore. Which leads me to think of the route
> >taken by train. Once the train descends South from Gooty, it reaches
> >Bangalore Jn. by Yelahanka, Channasandra, Bangalore East and finally
> >Bangalore city. Now to continue to Coimbatore, the loco must face the
> >other way and depart via Krishnarajapuram, Whitefield, Bangarapet and
> >Jolarpettai to join the trunk towards Salem, Erode and eventually
> >Coimabtore via Irugur. Is there any other route ? Thus the train must
> >reverse at Bangalore, is that correct ? How much of electrification
>
> There is a shorter route via the newly converted
Hosur-Dharmapuri-Salem
> section. IMHO, the train does not need to reverse at Bangalore City.
> In addition, this would be the first direct service between
> Hosur/Dharmapuri and stations on the Bangalore-Guntakal-Mumbai line.
>
> Vijay
>
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--

Regards,
Pushkar
-------

From: Shrinivas Bhatwadekar <>

Subject: Re: Train service extended

Date: 30 Jul 1998 21:08:41 -0500


> similarly travelers to cities on the delhi route,
> from palghat, coimbatore, erode, salem, jolarpettai,
> katpadi are going to miss the mangla express
> once it starts to take the konkan route. these cities
> have very less or no quota on kerala express.
>
> -karthik.

That's unfortunate for passengers from Coimbatore etc. to Delhi.This
is the second train to Delhi after Trivendrum-N.Delhi Rajdhani Exp.
they will miss because of opeining of Konkan Railway.What about
Himasagar/Navayug Exp. trains ?

-- Shrinivas

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From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Re: Train service extended (Kurla-Coimbatore Express)

Date: 31 Jul 1998 00:40:09 -0500


Thanks,

The correct route of the 1013/1014 is in the papers today, it indeed
uses the Hosur -
Dharamapuri converted tracks to get to the trunk at Salem.

Apurva

S. Kumar wrote:

> Regarding Apurva's query, there is a shorter route between B'lore and
Coimbatore
> than the one via Jolarpettai. It is
Bangalore-Hosur-Dharmapuri-Salem-Erode-
> Coimbatore. This section (B'lore-Salem) was converted many months ago
to BG
> from MG. Technically the train can bypass B'lore since the changeover
from the
> the Guntakal-B'lore line to the B'lore-Salem line occurs around
Krishnarajapuram.
> However, there is a BG (used to be MG) line from Yelahanka (north of
K'puram) to
> B'lore City via Yeshwanthapur and Malleswaram skipping East and Cantt.
stations.
> The train could use this route to reach City and then proceed via
Cantt. and East to
> Salem. This avoids doubling back on the
Baiyappanahalli-East-Cantt.-City section.
> It would still require a reversal at City station, though.
>
> Kumar

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: More trains diverted via the Konkan Rail

Date: 31 Jul 1998 01:43:27 -0500


Today's Times of India lists three more trains to run through the KR.
These are weekly trains previously coming to Vasai Rd, the to Dombivali
(via the BSR link), to Kalyan, Pune, Wadi, Guntakal etc. Now they will
jump the CR main line to get to KR at Diva in the process saving 10 -12
hours per run. But what about the passengers who used these trains to go
to intermediate stations ?
The once a week trains are:

6333/6334 Rajkot Trivandrum
6335/6336 Gandhi dham - Nagercoil
6337/6338 Rajkot - Cochin

The CR advert in the TOI shows a line drawing of an Australian loco or a
FP unit of the Amtrack. I have to request them to stop doing that and
get more authentic.

Apurva Bahadur

From: Jayant S <>

Subject: Re: Amtrak Line Drawing

Date: 31 Jul 1998 02:51:18 -0500


> The CR advert in the TOI shows a line drawing of an Australian loco or
a
> FP unit of the Amtrack. I have to request them to stop doing that and
> get more authentic.

Looks like an Amtrak EMD FP45 to me. They must have picked it up
from some clipart collection somewhere.......

--
Jayant S
--

From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: The new order: post Konkan Rail

Date: 31 Jul 1998 07:25:53 -0500


>It is interesting that as yet there is no talk of diverting the Kerala
Exp
>or the Mumbai-Trivandrum/Nagercoil/Kanyakumari Expresses. In my
opinion,
>these trains no longer satisfy any logic, and should be replaced by:

IMHO, the Kerala Exp. will not be diverted since it is one of only two
trains to connect stations in the Trivandrum-Ernakulam section to
stations in the Delhi-Vijayawada section, the other being the Himsagar
Exp. which is the likelier candidate for diversion (so that
Jammu-Kanyakumari travel time can be drastically reduced). There are
few other trains from the Delhi-Madras trunk line that go towards Kerala

such as the Rapti Sagar Exp., Varanasi - Cochin Exp.,
Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Exp., but none of them provide service to stations
beyond Ernakulam :- Kottayam, Chengannur, Quilon, Trivandrum, etc.

I am pretty sure that both the Navyug and Himsagar Exps. will get
diverted via Western + Konkan Rlys. and we'll have a Jammu/Delhi -
Tiruchi/Madurai Exp. to replace them. In fact, Navyug and Himsagar may
be merged into one train that runs till Kanyakumari via Kankanadi.
On a second day, a Jammu-Tiruchi/Madurai Exp. may exist.

How about diversion of trains from UP/Bihar to Kerala via KR such as
the Rapti Sagar / Varanasi - Cochin Exps.? Will this reduce their
run-times? If not, then we can expect atleast a couple of new trains
from UP and Bihar (Gorakhpur/Lucknow/Varanasi/Patna/Barauni) that get to

KR via Bhusaval-Kalyan. They would also serve to connect Goa with these

cities.

>2. "Patch" trains of two kinds on the old non-Konkan rail routes:
> a. Originating from Sholapur/Nagpur to Trivandrum
> b. Originating from Palghat/Madurai to Mumbai/Delhi/Ahmadabad
>(mentioned earlier).

Note that Mumbai-Kanyakumari Exp. could be thought of as a combination
of these two patch trains. So, it may continue to exist and be used
more by folks from intermediate stations rather than between Mumbai and
Ernakulam/Trivandrum/Kanyakumari.

Vijay

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From: John Hinson <>

Subject: Re: WDM2 triple header

Date: 31 Jul 1998 07:35:58 -0500


Not being very knowledgeable on Indian railway operations, but keen to
learn, could I ask whether "LV" stands for Last Vehicle, and what form
these plates take?

Also, in the UK trains may run without brake van if the automatic brake
is
operable on all wagons (in fact all trains are now thus) perhaps the
arrangements in India are similar? That doesn't excuse the lack of LV
plate
though . . .

John Hinson

<A HREF="http://trainweb.com/signalbox/">http://trainweb.com/signalbox/</A>

At 12:42 30.7.98 , you wrote:
<snip>
No brake van at the end as is the norm with the short
>haul freighters. The train lacked even a LV sign at the rear, which I
>feel is the legal minimum for any train. Even light locomotives
>traveling by themselves between stations have a 'LV' board at their
>rear buffer.
<snip>
>Apurva Bahadur
>