Akal Takht Express
The 12317 / 12318 Akal Takht Express is an Indian Railways Express train connecting eastern Indian city of Kolkata with northern Indian city of Amritsar.
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Superfast | ||||
| First service | 14 April 2000 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Eastern Railways | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Kolkata (KOAA) Amritsar Junction (ASR) | ||||
| Stops | 21 | ||||
| Distance travelled | 1,899 km (1,180 mi) | ||||
| Average journey time | 33 hours 40 minutes for 12317, 32 hours 50 minutes as 12318 | ||||
| Service frequency | Bi-Weekly | ||||
| Train number(s) | 12317/12318 | ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Class(es) | AC 1 tier, AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, Sleeper class, General Unreserved | ||||
| Seating arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Catering facilities | On board catering, E-catering (available at KOAA, ASN, MDP, JSME, JAJ, KIUL, PNBE, DDU, BSB, SLN, LKO, MB, SRE, UMB, SIR, LDH, JUC, ASR) | ||||
| Observation facilities | Rake sharing with 12315/12316 (Ananya superfast Express) | ||||
| Baggage facilities | Below the seats | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | LHB coach | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
| Electrification | 25 kV AC, 50hz | ||||
| Operating speed | 56 km/h (35 mph) average with halts
130 km/h (81 mph) Top Operating Speed | ||||
| |||||
Background
Originally starting from Sealdah, its terminus got changed to Kolkata in 2014. It is a Express-class train travelling 1,900 kilometres (1,200 mi) at an average speed of 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph). It has sleeper, third AC, second AC, first AC, and unreserved types of coaches along with 2 EOG for power. This train has modern LHB coach, however, pantry car facility is not available with this train but on-board catering and e-catering is available.[1][2]
Route & halts
| Station Code | Station Name | Arrival | Departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOAA | Kolkata | --- | 07:40 |
| ASN | Asansol Junction | 10:32 | 10:37 |
| MDP | Madhupur Junction | 11:41 | 11:43 |
| JSME | Jasidh Junction | 12:08 | 12:10 |
| JAJ | Jhajha | 13:12 | 13:17 |
| KIUL | Kiul Junction | 13:57 | 13:59 |
| MKA | Mokama | 14:28 | 14:30 |
| PNC | Patna Saheb | 15:17 | 15:22 |
| PNBE | Patna Junction | 15:55 | 16:05 |
| DDU | Pt DD Upadhyaya Junction | 19:35 | 19:45 |
| BSB | Varanasi Junction | 20:30 | 20:40 |
| SLN | Sultanpur Junction | 22:46 | 22:48 |
| LKO | Lucknow Charbagh NR | 02:43 | 02:53 |
| BE | Bareilly Junction | 06:13 | 06:15 |
| MB | Moradabad Junction | 07:50 | 07:58 |
| NBD | Najibabad Junction | 09:23 | 09:25 |
| SRE | Saharanpur Junction | 11:30 | 11:40 |
| UMB | Ambala Cantt Junction | 12:45 | 12:50 |
| SIR | Sirhind Junction | 13:31 | 13:33 |
| LDH | Ludhiana Junction | 14:28 | 14:38 |
| JUC | Jalandhar City Junction | 15:35 | 15:40 |
| BEAS | Beas Junction | 16:12 | 16:14 |
| ASR | Amritsar Junction | 17:20 | --- |
Coach composition
The train has standard LHB rakes with max speed of 130 km/h. The train consists of 22 coaches:
- 1 AC I cum AC II Tier
- 1 AC II Tier
- 6 AC III Tier
- 10 Sleeper coaches
- 2 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 |  | EOG | GEN | GEN | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 | S9 | S10 | S11 | B1 | B2 | B3 | B4 | B5 | A1 | HA1 | EOG |
|---|
Traction
As the route is fully electrified, train is hauled by an Howrah / Sealdah-based WAP-7 electric locomotive from Kolkata to Amritsar, and vice versa.
Rake sharing
The train sharing its rake with 12315/12316 Ananya Express.
References
- "Akal Takht Express/12317 SuperFast Kolkata Sealdah/SDAH to Ambala Cantt./UMB". India Rail Info. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- "Akal Takht Express/12318 SuperFast Amritsar/ASR to Kolkata Sealdah/SDAH". India Rail Info. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.