Duronto Express
Duronto Express standing at Mumbai Central
Overview
Status	Active
First service	2009 (2009)
Successor	Vande Bharat (sleeper trainset)
Current operator(s)	Indian Railways
Website	http://indianrail.gov.in
Route
Line(s) used	24
On-board services
Class(es)	1st AC Class 2nd AC Class 3rd AC Class Sleeper Class
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	On-board catering
Observation facilities	Large Windows, Reading Light, Announcement speaker in all class
Entertainment facilities	Only for 1 AC and 2AC passengers
Baggage facilities	Underseat
Technical
Rolling stock	LHB coach
Track gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Electrification	In 20 trains
Operating speed	Avg:70 - 90  km/h Max: 140 - 145  km/h
Track owner(s)	Indian Railways

Duronto Express^[1] is a category of long-distance fast trains run by the Indian Railways. Initially these trains did not have any passenger stops between the origin and the destination, but since January 2016 it is possible to book tickets from those technical stops. These trains were introduced in 2009 and were named 'Duronto', meaning 'speedster' in Bengali, as it was the fastest train of that time, and now second fastest train series,just after Vande Bharat Express and Gatimaan Express.^[2]Today This series of trains regularly gets the second highest priority in the Indian Railways and is considered as its most premium train.Unlike Rajdhani Exprss,Duronto Express services connect the several metros to other metros one major state capitals of India to other and national capital to state capitals. The cost of a Duronto Express is around Rs. 60 crore.

History

The Government of India's Ministry of Railways has been trying to introduce high-speed rail in India. In 2007, the ministry chose the 500-kilometre stretch between Delhi and Amritsar for a pre-feasibility study.^[3] On 19 January 2009, Railway Minister, Mamata Banerjee, said that the ministry was in the process of appointing global consultants for introducing the high-speed trains on certain routes. Besides the Delhi–Amritsar route, Pune–Mumbai–Ahmedabad, Hyderabad–Dornakal–Vijaywada-Chennai, Chennai–Bangalore–Coimbatore–Ernakulam–Thiruvananthapuram and Howrah–Haldia.^[4] But, this high-speed rail service for India is expected to be completed on a long run.

Meanwhile, non-stop Duronto Express trains were introduced in 2009–10 as a first step towards high-speed rail travel in India.^[5] The first Duronto ran between Sealdah and New Delhi.

About

Duronto Express gets the second highest priority on the Indian railway network.They are fully air-conditioned. Passengers are served optional meals (food price included in the train fare) during the journey except sleeper class. Depending on the duration and timings of the journey, these could include morning tea, breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner. All Duronto Express trains offer three classes of accommodation: AC First Class (1A) with 2-berth and 4-berth coupès (with locking facility for privacy), AC 2-tier (2T) with open bays (4 berths/bay + 2 berths on the other side of the aisle of each bay), provided with curtains for privacy, and AC 3-tier (3T) with open bays (6 berths/bay + 2 berths on the other side of the aisle of each bay) including curtains and in few durontos, they also provide Sleeper Class (SL) with open bays (6 berths/bay + 2 berths on the other side of the aisle of each bay. Currently there are total 25 Duronto Express in Indian Railways.

List of Duronto Express trains

List of defunct Duronto Express trains

Gallery

• 
  22214 Patna-Kolkata Shalimar AC Duronto Express on Platform 1 of Shalimar Railway Station.
• 
  12273 Howrah-New Delhi Duronto Express on Platform 6 of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction.
• 
  New Delhi–Bhubaneswar Duronto Express
• 
  Secunderabad to Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express.
• 
  Yeswanthapur–Howrah Duronto Express leaving Yeswanthapur railway station.
• 
  12290 Nagpur Duronto Express at Mumbai CST station.
• 
  12273 Howrah-New Delhi Duronto Express standing on platform 4 of Asansol Junction.
• 
  12273 Howrah-New Delhi Duronto Express lead by WAP 5 standing on Platform 5 at New Delhi Railway Station.

Efficiency and speed

The Duronto Express is one of the fastest trains in India. Some of these trains run faster than Rajdhani Express^[7] trains which hold the record of the fastest long-distance trains in India. For example, the Sealdah–New Delhi Duronto Express takes 16 hours to cover the journey against 17 hours taken by Rajdhani Express. Similarly, the Chennai–Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express takes 28 hours to cover the journey while the Chennai Rajdhani Express takes 28 hours 35 minutes to do so. The trains will adhere to the speed limit of 140 km/h. New Delhi–Sealdah Duronto Express has a top speed of 130 km/h. The Mumbai, Sealdah, Yeshwantpur and Secundrabad Duronto runs at a speed of 145 km/h. The Howrah/Bhubaneshwar New Delhi, Secunderabad Hazrat Nizamuddin are now equipped with LHB rakes and now they also run at a speed of 140 km/h^[8] In March 2011, the cost of travel in the Duronto Express went up as the Minister of Railways announced a hike in railway fare. The decision to hike railway fares resulted in trouble across the Government and were rolled back,^[9] only to be raised again on 1 April.^[10] A feature exclusive to the Duronto is the LHB Sleeper coach. The sleeper class is the most common coach, and usually six

or more coaches can be attached. Dynamic pricing is applicable on all scheduled Duronto express journeys.

Incidents and accidents

• In January 2010, the passengers of the Duronto Express between Nagpur and Mumbai complained about passengers without confirmed tickets travelling inside the reserved coaches.^[11]
• In May 2010, at least 19 passengers on board the Ernakulam Duronto Express were admitted to the Government General Hospital after complaining of food poisoning.^[12]
• In June 2010, the Mumbai CST–Howrah Duronto Express faced interruption as its engine and generator car were detached from the rest of the train's coaches due to technical problems. The problem was fixed within less than an hour.^[13]
• In June 2013, the 12264 Hazrat Nizamuddin–Pune Duronto derailed near Monkey Hill due to a landslide. No injuries were reported & the train reached 5 hours late at Pune Junction .
• In September 2015, 12220 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Secunderabad AC Duronto Express derailed at Martur station between Shahbad and Gulbarga on Solapur Division in Karnataka at around 02:15. Two passengers were killed and more than 30 injured when eight of its coaches were derailed.^[14]
• On 29 August 2017 12290 Nagpur Duronto Express heading towards Mumbai derailed between Vasind and Asangaon stations at 06.30 as heavy rains had caused mud slides onto the tracks which caused the derailment. No casualties were reported in an official statement by the Railway department.^[15]
• On 17 January 2019 unidentified persons entered into Jammu-Delhi Duronto near Badli, Delhi and looted the passengers.
• On 10 May 2019 engine failure caused late departure of the train from Mumbai central by an hour.
• On 11 August 2019 Yeshvantapur–Delhi Sarai Rohilla AC Duronto Express was cancelled due to "unavoidable circumstances".
• On 24 April 2019 12274 Howrah–New Delhi Duronto Express led by Howrah WAP-7 30370 ran over cattle while at MPS near Jamtara, Jharkhand. The locomotive failed and was backed by ABB made GZB WAP-5 30009, but due to throttle issues it too needed help. A banker Locomotive, GMO WAG-9 31932 was attached. No passenger casualties/injuries were reported. This was a rare incident where all three types of locomotives equipped with 3-phase technology were seen hauling one train.
• On 16 October 2022 More than 20 armed robbers reportedly climbed onto a Delhi-Kolkata Duronto Express train early on Sunday. Several passengers were allegedly looted at gunpoint by the robbers who climbed onto at least six-seven bogies of the train.

See also

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Duronto Express trains.

• List of Duronto Trains on India Rail website