Celebrating the 160th anniversary of passenger train service in the country without much fanfare, officials from the South Western Railways (SWR), on Tuesday said that the double-decker AC train between Bangalore and Chennai, which was to add to its achievements, could not be commissioned before mid-May.
The train, pegged to be South India’s first double-decker AC train, was first brought to Bangalore on a trial run on February 24 and was supposed to be commissioned by the end of last month.
The commissioning of the train was announced in the 2012-13 Railway Budget. An SWR official said: “There has been no decision on when the commissioning is scheduled.”
Another official said that the commissioning has been postponed mainly due to the model code on conduct for the Assembly elections. It is likely to be done in mid-May.
“We have a series of functions marking the annual Railway week which is generally publicised, as it involves showcasing our achievements. But permission to do it has been denied this year and we are having a quiet celebration,” the official said.
Timetable announced
Gearing up for a May-end commissioning, the timings for the train (Chennai-Bangalore-Chennai) have already been announced.
The double-decker AC train (No 22625) will leave Chennai at 7:25 am and will Bangalore City at 1:20 pm. Train No 22626 will leave Bangalore at 2:40 pm to reach Chennai at 8:40 pm.
It will halt at Perambur, Arakkonam, Katpadi, Ambur, Jolarpettai, Bangarpet, Krishnarajapuram and Bangalore Cantonment. Once commissioned, the train will bring the much-needed respite to passengers scouting for buses to Chennai. The Indian Railways already operates seven exclusive trains between the two cities, but there has been a demand for more.
The train, with 11 air-conditioned chair car coaches, would be able to accommodate around 1,320 passengers at a time and the fares are likely to be the same as or slightly higher than that of the Brindavan Express.
Ticket price
An adult ticket for the Brindavan Express costs about Rs 440, while children can travel at Rs 250. For a senior male citizen, the fare is Rs 290, while it is Rs 250 for a senior female citizen.
Milestones
160 yrs of train journey
*The first commercial passenger train in the country chugged out of Bori Bunder in Bombay (now Mumbai) to Thane on April 16, 1853.
* A total of 14 railway carriages with around 400 guests aboard are said to have taken about an hour and 15 minutes to reach Thane, covering 34 km.
* The train was hauled by three locomotives, Sahib, Sindh and Sultan.