Gour Express
Gour Express is an express train of the Indian Railways connecting Kolkata with the district of Malda. The train covers a distance of 349.6 km (217 mi) up to Malda with the numbers 13153/54. Previously there was an additional link service of 109 km (68 mi) (from Malda to Balurghat) which used to run with the 55421/22 Malda Town–Balurghat passenger.[1]
 Gour Express over a railway bridge | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Express |
| Locale | West Bengal, Jharkhand |
| First service | 20 April 1980 |
| Current operator(s) | Eastern Railways |
| Route | |
| Termini | Sealdah (SDAH) Malda (MLDT) |
| Stops | 12 up to Malda Town |
| Distance travelled | 349.6 km (217 mi) |
| Average journey time | 7 hours 45 minutes in up direction, 7 hours 50 minutes in down direction. |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number(s) | 13153/13154 (to Malda Town) |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | First AC, Second AC, Third AC, Sleeper, Unreserved |
| Seating arrangements | Available |
| Sleeping arrangements | Available |
| Auto-rack arrangements | Available |
| Observation facilities | Large windows |
| Baggage facilities | Available |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | ICF coach |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Operating speed | 44 km/h (27 mph) average with halts |
Timeline
The Gour Express commenced operations as a triweekly express service between Sealdah and Malda from 20 April 1980. The train proved successful and the then railway minister A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury played a key role in increasing the frequency of the service. On 2 October 1982, he flagged off the first run of the train as a daily service.
Through coaches to Balurghat were added to the train after the completion of the broad-gauge rail link to Balurghat in 2004. Now electrification work is under construction to pull the whole train to balurghat with electric loco..[1]
Important stoppages
Gour Link Express stoppage[1]
Timings
- 13153 leaves Sealdah around 22:15 everyday and reaches Malda Town at 5:55 next day.
- 13154 departs Malda Town around 21:35 everyday and reaches Sealdah at 5:00 next day.
Coach composition
The train consists of 22 passenger coaches. The train runs with the following coach composition -
- 1 Composite 1st A/C – A/C 2 tier coach
- 3 A/C 2-tier coaches
- 2 A/C 3-tier coaches
- 12 Non-A/C sleeper coaches
- 2 Unreserved sleeper coaches (UR)
- 2 Luggage-cum-Guard coaches with unreserved seating (SLR)
Of these, one Luggage-cum-Guard, one unreserved sleeper, three reserved non-A/C sleeper, one A/C 3-tier and one A/C 2-tier coach were used for the through service between Sealdah and Balurghat (now closed).[1]
Traction
As the route from Sealdah to Malda is fully electrified, it is hauled by a Howrah/Sealdah-based WAP-4/WAP-7 throughout its entire journey.
