Gitanjali Express

The 12859 / 12860 Gitanjali Express is a daily train running between two metro cities, Kolkata, (Howrah Junction) in West Bengal and Mumbai, (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) in Maharashtra connecting the East with the West. Numbered 12859/60 this train belongs to the Superfast category. This train takes 30½ hrs to cover the distance of 1968 km between Mumbai and Howrah while the return takes 31.5 hrs. This is first train which depart behind pure AC Loco from Mumbai CST after conversion of Mumbai CST to Thane from DC to AC. It has the top most priority in Howrah Mumbai route.

Sleeper Class coach of 12859 Gitanjali Express

Gitanjali Express

Overview
Service type	Superfast
Locale	West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh & Maharashtra
First service	4 November 1977
Last service	Booking Suspended until further notice from 01 July 2020
Current operator(s)	South Eastern Railways
Route
Start	Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)
Stops	26 as 12860 27 as 12859
End	Howrah Junction (HWH)
Distance travelled	1,968 kilometres (1,223 mi)
Average journey time	30 hrs 30 mins as 12859 & 31 hrs 40 mins as 12860
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	12859 / 12860
On-board services
Class(es)	AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, Sleeper Class, Unreserved/General
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Available
Technical
Rolling stock	LHB Coaches
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	110 km/h (68 mph) maximum, 63.34 km/h (39 mph) average including halts
Route map Gitanjali Express Route map

Relevance

Rabindranath Tagore a famous poet of India wrote the book Gitanjali.[1] Since this train, too, starts from Bengal this train has the same name. People love the train as much the book. This is the first Classless train in India introduced by Ex Railway Minister Prof. Madhu Dandvate on 26 December 1977.[2]

Route & Halts

The 12859/12860 Gitanjali Express runs from Howrah Junction via Kharagpur Junction, Tatanagar Junction, Rourkela Junction, Bilaspur Junction, Raipur Junction, Durg, Nagpur, Wardha Junction, Badnera Junction, Akola Junction, Bhusaval Junction, Jalgaon Junction, Nasik Road, Igatpuri to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and vice versa.

Arrival & Departure

Train No.12859 Leaves source point, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) at 6:00 am and reach its destination station Howrah Junction at 12:30 noon the next day.[3] Train No.12860 leaves Howrah Junction at 1:40 pm and reach its destination, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 9:20 pm next day.[4]

Traction

Prior to 8 June 2015, a Santragachi based WAP 4 or Howrah based WAP 7 would haul the train from Howrah Junction up to Igatpuri handing over to a Kalyan based WCAM 3 which powered the train up to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Since the changeover to AC traction, a Santragachi or Howrah based WAP 4 / WAP 7 locomotive powers the train for its entire journey.

Coach composition

Loco	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
	EOG	GEN	S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	S6	S7	S8	S9	S10	S11	S12	S13	PC	B1	B2	A1	A2	GEN	EOG

References

1. "Rabindranath Tagore wrote the book Geetanjali". sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
2. Dandavate, Madhu (2005). Dialogue with Life by Madhu Dandvate. ISBN 9788177648560. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
3. "Gitanjali Express 12859 Schedule". cleartrip.com. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
4. "Gitanjali Express/12859 Live Train Running Status".

[1] [2]

Dedicated Intercity trains of India

1. "Gitanjali Express".
2. "Gitanjal Express".