Madurai–Dehradun Express
The 12687 / 88 Madurai Dehradun Express is a Superfast express train of Indian Railways - Southern Railway zone that runs between Madurai Junction and Dehradun in India.
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| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Superfast | ||||
| First service | 13 May 2013 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Southern Railways | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Start | Madurai Junction (MDU) | ||||
| Stops | 31 as 12687, 32 as 12688 | ||||
| End | Dehradun (DDN) | ||||
| Distance travelled | 3,095 km (1,923 mi) | ||||
| Service frequency | Biweekly | ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Class(es) | AC First,AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved | ||||
| Seating arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Catering facilities | Pantry Car Coach attached | ||||
| Observation facilities | Carries Slip coaches of Madurai Chandigarh Express. | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | Standard ICF coaches | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
| Operating speed | 110 km/h (68 mph) maximum ,62 km/h (39 mph) average including halts | ||||
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It operates as train number 12687 from Madurai Junction to Dehradun and as train number 12688 in the reverse direction serving the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand.
It previously ran only up to Chennai Central being recently extended to Madurai Junction.
Coaches
The 12687 / 88 Madurai Dehradun Express presently has 1 AC first, 1 AC 2 Tier, 3 AC 3 Tier, 8 Sleeper Class, 4 General Unreserved & 2 SLR (Seating cum Luggage Rake) coaches. In addition it carries a Pantry car coach & up to 4 High Capacity Parcel Vans.
As is customary with most train services in India, Coach Composition may be amended at the discretion of Indian Railways depending on demand.
Service
The 12687 Madurai Dehradun Express covers the distance of 3095 kilometres in 53 hours 25 mins (57.94 km/hr) & 3087 kilometres in 54 hours 00 mins as 12688 Dehradun Madurai Express (57.17 km/hr).
As the average speed of the train is above 55 km/h (34 mph), as per Indian Railway rules, its fare includes a Superfast surcharge.
Routeing
The 12687 / 88 Madurai Dehradun Express runs from Madurai Junction via Erode Junction, Salem Junction, Chennai Central, Vijayawada Junction, Nagpur, Bhopal Junction, Gwalior, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Meerut City Jn. Saharanpur Junction to Dehradun.
The slip coaches of the Madurai Chandigarh Express are detached / attached at Saharanpur Junction.
Direction Reversal
It reverses direction of travel thrice during its run at Erode Junction, Chennai Central & Saharanpur Junction.
Traction
4 locomotives are assigned to haul this train during its journey. As the route is partly electrified, it is hauled by an Erode based WDM 3A between Madurai Junction & Erode Junction handing over to a Royapuram based WAP 4 until Chennai Central following which a Ghaziabad based WAP 4 hauls the train until Hazrat Nizamuddin after which a Tughlakabad based WDM 3A powers the train for the remainder of the journey until Dehradun.
It is currently hauled by an Erode electric loco shed based WAP 4 locomotive from MDU to SRE and handing over to a Tughlakabad diesel loco shed based WDP 4B or WDP-4D locomotive from SRE to DDN & vice versa.
References
- "Northern Railways / Indian Railways Portal". nr.indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- "Madurai-Dehradun Express to run from May 15 - The Times of India". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- "RAIL NEWS CENTER: EXTENSION OF DEHRADUN / CHANDIGARH – CHENNAI CENTRAL WEEKLY EXPRESS TO MADURAI". railnewscenter.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- "SR to increase frequency of Madurai-Dehradun/Chandigarh express". news.webindia123.com. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- "Live Chennai: Madurai—Chandigarh Express rescheduled". livechennai.com. Retrieved 30 May 2014.