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Chennai Egmore–Kollam Junction Express

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Kollam Express
Chennai Egmore–Kollam Junction Express at Kollam Junction
Overview
Service typeExpress
StatusOperating
LocaleKerala & Tamil Nadu
First service26 November 1904; 119 years ago (1904-11-26)
Re-introduced on 4 March 2019; 5 years ago (2019-03-04)
Current operator(s)Indian Railways
Route
TerminiChennai Egmore (MS)
Kollam Junction (QLN)
Stops21
Distance travelled761 km (473 mi)
Average journey time15 hours 45 minutes (Up & Down)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)16101/16102
On-board services
Class(es)AC 3 tier, Sleeper 3 tier, General Unreserved
Seating arrangementsYes
Sleeping arrangementsCouchette cars
Catering facilitiesNo
Observation facilitiesLarge windows
Technical
Rolling stockIndian AC Electric locomotive WAP-4 in QLM⇋MS section
Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)
Indian broad gauge
Route map
Kollam Jn.-Chennai Egmore (Quilon Mail) Route map

The Chennai Egmore–Kollam Junction Express (16101/16102, earlier known as the Quilon Mail) is a daily train that runs between Chennai Egmore and Kollam Junction in India. It is the successor of 115-year-old Quilon Mail, which ran once upon a time in metre-gauge lines between Madras and Quilon.[1]

History

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Opened on 1 June 1904, the Quilon–Madras rail line was the first line in Travancore. Its official gauge conversion started in 1998 and completed in 2018. On 31 March 2018, the entire Kollam–Sengottai line was opened for passenger train service.[2][3] The first passenger train was the Tambaram–Kollam–Tambaram special train (06027) that earned Rs 3.15 lakh by carrying 879 passengers against a capacity of 712.[4] The line provides a shorter route to Thiruvananthapuram via Kollam. Other routes include: Coimbatore and Pollachi to Palakkad, from Madurai via Kanyakumari.[5]

On 4 March 2019, railway started daily service between Kollam Junction and Chennai Egmore by extending Tambaram–Kollam tri-weekly special train to Chennai Egmore and increased the frequency as a daily service. The service was speeded-up by 35 minutes and the number of intermediate stops were reduced to 21 from 25 (Tiruttangal, Pamba Kovil Shandy, Bhagavathipuram, Auvaneeswaram are the four removed from the stoppage list). The daily express train service between Chennai Egmore and Kollam Junction via Madurai Junction, Rajapalayam and Tenkasi Junction was one of the oldest routes in South India. The service was first flagged off by Travancore Maharajah Mulam Thirunal Rama Varma in 1904 as Quilon–Madras Mail. The service was diverted through Virudhunagar and Manamadurai in 1996 due to gauge conversion works in Virudhunagar–Madurai stretch. Later, the service discontinued in 2000 for gauge conversion works.[6]

Route

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It runs along the British-made historic Quilon–Madras rail route and other chord lines including Kollam–Sengottai which is the shortest existing rail route from Chennai to Kollam via Chengalpattu, Dindigul, Trichy, Madurai, Srivilliputtur, Tenkasi and Punalur.

Chennai Egmore→Tambaram →Chengalpattu Junction →Viluppuram Junction →Vriddhachalam Junction →Tiruchchirappalli Junction →Dindigul Junction →Madurai Junction →Virudhunagar Junction →Srivilliputtur →Rajapalayam →Sankarankovil →Kadayanallur →Tenkasi Junction →Sengottai →Punalur →Avaneeswaram →Kottarakara →Kundara →Kollam Junction[7]

Traction

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As the route is fully electrified, an Arakkonam / Royapuram / Erode WAP-4 locomotive hauls the train from Kollam to Chennai Egmore and back.

The first electric run of Quilon-Chennai mail in the recently electrified Kollam -Sengottai railway line was on 28th July 2024.[8]

The train boasts its legacy to run with coal powered steam engine locomotive, later with diesel locomotive ( first meter gauge then broad gauge ), and finally with electric locomotives.

Coach composition

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The train has 17 bogies comprising one A/C two-tier, two A/C three-tier, ten sleeper class, two unreserved general coaches and 2 luggage rakes.[a]The number of coaches got increased from 14 to 17 from April 9th 2024, subject to positive inspection report submitted by RDSO to Southern Railway for running 22 LHB/24 ICF coaches in the Ghats section. The number of coaches will be further increased in the next phase after the extension of platforms in stations along Kollam-Sengottai section to accommodate 24 coaches. [9]

Loco 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
SLR GEN S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 B1 B2 A1 GEN SLR

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The coach composition is subject to change.

References

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  1. ^ "Royal Mail back on track as new line connects Chennai to Kollam". India Today. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Sengottai–Kollam railway line reopens after eight years". The New Indian Express. 1 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Special trains announced between Tambaram and Kollam". The Times of India. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  4. ^ "First train from Chennai on Punalur line has commuters ready to roll". The Times of India. 1 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  5. ^ "BioTesting Europe officially announced by EBF". Biometric Technology Today. 15 (6): 5. June 2007. doi:10.1016/s0969-4765(08)70031-6. ISSN 0969-4765.
  6. ^ "After 19 years, Chennai–Kollam regular train service to resume from Monday". The New Indian Express. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  7. ^ "After 19 years, Chennai–Kollam regular train service to resume from Monday". The New Indian Express. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  8. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (27 July 2024). "Trains in Sengottai-Punalur section start to run with electric traction". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 August 2024. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ "Trains passing via Sengottai-Punalur route to get 18 coaches". The Times of India. 6 April 2024.

Sources

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