Neelachal Express

The 12875 / 12876 Neelachal Express is a tri-weekly train which runs between Puri in Odisha and Anand Vihar Terminal railway station. It is one of the oldest train that connects Puri to Anand Vihar Terminal. The main towns along the route are Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack,Bhadrak,Balasore, Hijili, Tatanagar, Bokaro Steel City, Muri, Gaya, Dehri, Sasaram Mughalsarai, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Rae Bareli, Lucknow, Unnao, Kanpur, Etawah, Firozabad, Hathras and Aligarh. It operates three times per week and covers a distance of 1,912 kilometres (1,188 mi) from Puri to Anand Vihar Terminal. Neelachal Express consist of 1 Second AC coach, 4 Third AC coaches, 12 Sleeper Class coaches, 2 General (Un-Reserved) coaches, 1 Pantry Car and 2 EOG.[2]

Neelachal Express
Name board of Neelachal Express.
Overview
Service typeSuperfast
LocaleOdisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar Uttar Pradesh & Delhi
First service31 March 1980 (1980-03-31) (initial service between Puri and New Delhi)[1]
Current operator(s)East Coast Railways
Route
StartPuri (PURI)
Stops37
EndAnand Vihar Terminal (ANVT)
Distance travelled1,914 km (1,189 mi)
Average journey time34h 50m
Service frequencyTri-weekly
Train number(s)12875 / 12876
On-board services
Class(es)AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangementsYes
Sleeping arrangementsYes
Catering facilitiesAvailable
Observation facilitiesRake Sharing with 12815/12816 Nandan Kanan Express
Technical
Rolling stockLHB Coaches
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad Gauge
Operating speed55 km/h (34 mph) average including halts
Route map

Coaches

The 12875/ 12876 Puri - Anand Vihar Terminal Neelachal Express presently has 1 AC 2 tier, 4 AC 3 tier, 12 Sleeper Class, 2 Second Class seating & 2 EOG coaches. Also, it does have a Pantry car coach.

As with most train services in India, Coach Composition may be amended at the discretion of Indian Railways depending on demand.

According to East Coast Railways Officials, It will Run with LHB Rakes from 18 August 2019 from Puri & From 20 August 2019 from Anand Vihar Terminal.

Service

12875 Puri - Anand Vihar Terminal Neelachal Express covers the distance of 1914 kilometers in 24 hours 50 mins (57.20 km/hr) & in 24 hours 25 mins as 12876 Anand Vihar Terminal - Puri Neelachal Express (59.48 km/hr). Its fare includes a Superfast surcharge.

It takes around 34 hours and 50 minutes to cover 1,914 kilometres (1,189 mi) at an average speed of 54 kilometres per hour (34 mph) with 39 halts.

Schedule
Train NumberStation CodeDeparture StationDeparture TimeDeparture DayArrival StationArrival TimeArrival Day
12875PURIPuri10:55 AMSUN TUE FRIAnand Vihar Terminal9:35 PMMON WED SAT
12876ANVTAnand Vihar Terminal6:30 AMSUN TUE FRIPuri4:50 PMMON WED SAT

Background

This train is given name on The abode of Hindu deity Jagannath at Puri is known as the Nilachal or Niladri, [Nila (Blue) + Achal (Mountain)] meaning, The Blue Mountain. The Nilachal is a place of high religious significance in Hinduism and is one of the four Char Dhams. Religious teachers like Shri Ramanuja Acharya, Swami Vishnuswami visited Nilachal in the Twelfth century and established a mathas. Shri Nimbarka Acharya also visited Puri, as also Guru Nanak Dev and many other Acharyas. Shri Chaitanya spent 18 years at Nilachal dhama.

Coach Composition

The train has Mordern LHB Rakes with max speed of 110 kmph.

  • 1 AC II Tier
  • 4 AC III Tier
  • 12 Sleeper Coaches
  • 3 General
  • 2 EOG
Loco 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
EOGGENA1B1B2B3B4PCS1S2S3S4S5S6S7S8S9S10S11S12GENEOG

Route & Halts

The train runs from Puri via Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Hijli, Tatanagar, Bokaro Steel City, Gomoh, Gaya Junction, Mughalsarai Junction, Varanasi, Pratapgarh Junction, Rae Bareli Junction, Lucknow Charbagh, Kanpur Central to Anand Vihar Terminal.

Traction

As the route is fully electrified, a Mughalsarai based WAP 4 or Gomoh based WAP 7 locomotive powers the train from Puri to Anand Vihar Terminal.

References
  1. "Railway Budget speech 1980-81 (Final)" (PDF). www.indianrailways.gov.in. Government of India, Ministry of Railways. 16 June 1980.
  2. "Neelanchal SF Express/12875 SuperFast Puri/PURI to New Delhi/NDLS - India Rail Info - A Busy Junction for Travellers & Rail Enthusiasts". India Rail Info. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
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