Netravati Express

Netravati Express
	Netravathi Express standing at Thiruvananthapuram Central station.
Overview
Service type	Express
Locale	Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka & Kerala
First service	1 March 1998; 26 years ago (Inaugural), ; ; 10 February 2001; 23 years ago (Extended upto Thiruvananthapuram Central).;
Current operator(s)	Southern Railway
Route
Termini	Mumbai LTT (LTT); Thiruvananthapuram Central (TVC)
Stops	47
Distance travelled	1,498 km (931 mi)
Average journey time	31 hours 55 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	16345 / 16346
On-board services
Class(es)	AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, AC 3 Tier Economy, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Available
Observation facilities	Large windows
Baggage facilities	Available
Other facilities	Below the seats
Technical
Rolling stock	LHB coach
Operating speed	47 km/h (29 mph) average including Halts.
Route map
Route map

The 16345 / 16346 Netravati Express is a daily Express train connecting capital cities of Kerala and Maharashtra. It operates between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus. The train runs on the Konkan Railway. It is the one and only daily train in Kerala which connects Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram and vice versa on a daily basis. .

History

Initially the train the Bombay Kurla (LTT)–Mangalore/Cochin Netravati (Cochin–Kurla) Express was plied between Bombay to Mangalore/Kochi as link via the inland Poona, Gulbarga, Guntakal, Renigunta, Krishnarajapuram, Palakkad route parting at Shornur Junction. Trains on the old route used to take 48 hours to reach Mangalore from Bombay. After the Konkan Railway line was operational in 1998, the route has been changed via the Konkan Railway and the Mangalore–Bombay running time was reduced drastically to 16 hours. On March 1, 1998, the Bombay Kurla (LTT)–Mangalore/Cochin Netravati (Cochin–Kurla) Express started running via the Konkan, making it the first scheduled service that ran the length of the Konkan Railway. The link express was made a single train till Kochi^[1] and further extended till Thiruvananthapuram (which is the capital city of Kerala) from 10 February 2001.^[2]

Background

Mangalore city is situated at the banks of the Netravati River. Since this trains terminating point was Mangalore back then, the name of the train was set as Netravati Express.

Traction

As the route is completely electrified since 30 March 2022, a Royapuram or an Erode-based WAP-7 hauls the train throughout its entire journey.

Routing

The 16345/46 Netravati Express runs from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Thane, Panvel, Roha (Technical Halt) crew Change,Khed, Chiplun, Sangameshwar,^[3] Ratnagiri, Kudal, Thivim, Karmali, Madgaon Junction, Canacona, Karwar, Kumta, Murdeshwar,Bhatkal,Byndoor Mookambika Road, Kundapur,Udupi, Surathkal, Mangalore Junction, Kasaragod, Kanhangad, Charvattur, Payyanur, Kannapuram, Kannur, Thalassery, Vadakara, Kozhikode, Parappanangadi, Tirur, Kuttippuram, Shoranur Junction, Thrissur,Aluva, Ernakulam Junction, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Ambalappuzha, Haripad, Kayamkulam Junction, Karunagappalli, Kollam Junction, Varkala Sivagiri, Thiruvananthapuram Central.

Coach composition

The train was upgraded to modern LHB rake on September 26, 2019, with an MPS of 130 kmph. The train consists of 24 coaches:

2 AC II Tier coach
6 AC III Tier coaches
1 AC III Tier Economy coaches
8 Sleeper coaches
1 Pantry car
2 General coaches
2 Generator cars

Loco	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
	EOG	UR	A1	A2	B6	B5	B4	B3	B2	B1	M1	PC	S8	S7	S6	S5	S4	S3	S2	S1	UR	EOG

No rake sharing. Four dedicated LHB rakes.

References

^ "Budget speech of Sri.Ram Vilas Paswan 1997-98" (PDF). Indian Railways. 26 February 1997. p. 12.
^ "Netravati and Raptisagar Express trains extended to capital". The Hindu. 18 January 2001.^{[dead link‍]}
^ "Mumbai LTT Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) Netravati Express 16345/16346: Time Table, Ticket Price, Route, Halt Stations and Seat Availability". India Rail Guide. Retrieved 23 December 2023.

External links

Konkan Railway
Netravati Express train route
[1] Times of India
[2] The Hindu
[3] Revised Coach Position

[budget97-1] "Budget speech of Sri.Ram Vilas Paswan 1997-98" (PDF). Indian Railways. 26 February 1997. p. 12.

[TVC-2] "Netravati and Raptisagar Express trains extended to capital". The Hindu. 18 January 2001.^{[dead link‍]}

[3] "Mumbai LTT Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) Netravati Express 16345/16346: Time Table, Ticket Price, Route, Halt Stations and Seat Availability". India Rail Guide. Retrieved 23 December 2023.

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