Ajanta Express

Ajanta Express

Ajanta Express near Cavalry Barracks
Overview
Service type	Express
Current operator(s)	South Central Railway zone
Route
Start	Secunderabad railway station
Stops	21
End	Manmad railway station
Distance travelled	621 km (386 mi)
Service frequency	Daily
On-board services
Class(es)	AC Chair Car, Second Class seating, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Yes
Technical
Rolling stock	Standard Indian Railway coaches
Operating speed	52 km/h (32 mph) avg
Route map Ajantha Express Route map

Ajanta Express is an Express train in India that runs with a daily frequency on Secunderabad – Manmad line between Secunderabad Railway Station in Hyderabad of Telangana, and Manmad Junction, a town in Nasik District of Maharashtra.

History

Ajanta Express runs through eastern Maharashtra (Marathwada region) and north-western region of Telangana. It was known as Kacheguda Express very often by the people travelling on Kacheguda-Nizamabad-Nanded-Aurangabad route on former Hyderabad-Godavari Valley Railways.

The train was introduced in around the 1960s as a metre gauge train between Kacheguda railway station and Manmad, via Nizamabad, Nanded and Aurangabad. The train became popular in a short time as Manmad Junction on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge was the point to take broad gauge trains to other destinations.

After the track from Manmad to Parbhani was converted to broad gauge in 1992–95 under Project Unigauge and the track from Parbhani to Mudkhed and Nizamabad was still not converted, the train was re-routed between Kacheguda and Manmad via Bidar and Parbhani in 1995–1996 because the metre gauge had been converted between Vikarabad and Parbhani by then.

In 2007, the train reverted to its original metre gauge route via Nizamabad, Mudkhed and Purna which had been converted into broad gauge in 2002–2003.

Ajanta Express (Kacheguda-Manmad) was the fastest metre gauge train in India with an average speed of 42.5 kilometres per hour (26.4 mph) in 1967.^[1]

Origin of name

The train is named after the Ajanta caves near Aurangabad.^[2]

Coach Position

L1-L2-SLR-GEN-GEN-HA1-A2-A1-B2-B1-S14-S13-S12-S11-S10-S9-S8-S7-S6-S5-S4-S3-S2-S1-GEN-SLR

Locomotives

The track is not electrified. The train at present runs on diesel traction and uses Twin WDM3A Diesel Locomotives of Moula Ali Shed of South Central Railway.

Ellora Express

The Ellora Express that used to run between Nizamabad and Manmad on metre gauge was named after the Ellora Caves near Aurangabad. The train was cancelled when the track was converted to broad gauge and not restarted after the conversion of the track to broad gauge. At present The Secunderabad-Manmad Express (train numbers 17001 and 17002) is often unofficially called Ellora Express.

Gallery

Ajanta Express at Dayanandnagar Railway Station  Ajanta Express  Ajanta Express at Manmad yard

See also

• Nizamabad - Kacheguda Demu
• Devagiri Express
• Bhopal Shatabdi
• Rajkot Secunderabad Express

References

External links

• Ajanta Express Time Table

South Central Railway zone
Administration	Indian Railways Ministry of Railways Railway Board
History	Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway Hyderabad–Godavari Valley Railways History of rail transport in India Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
Divisions	Guntur Nanded Vijayawada Hyderabad Secunderabad Guntakal
Sections / Branch lines	Duvvada–Vijayawada section Bhimavaram–Narasapuram branch line Gudivada–Machilipatnam branch line Gudur–Renigunta section Krishna Canal–Guntur section Nallapadu–Nandyal section Samalkot–Kakinada Port branch line Tenali–Repalle branch line Vijayawada–Gudur section Vijayawada–Nidadavolu loop line Nandyal-Yerranguntla section
Major stations	Eluru Guntakal Junction Guntur Junction Hyderabad Deccan Kacheguda Kazipet Junction Hazur Sahib Nanded Nellore Rajahmundry Samalkot Secunderabad Junction Vijayawada Junction Tirupati
Named trains	Andhra Pradesh Express Andhra Pradesh Sampark Kranti Express Ajanta Express Charminar Express Dakshin Express Devagiri Express Falaknuma Express Godavari Express Golconda Express Goutami Express Hussainsagar Express Krishna Express Manikarnika Express Narayanadri Express Pinakini Express Ratnachal Express Sabari Express Sachkhand Express Satavahana Express Secunderabad Rajdhani Express Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad Garib Rath Express Tirumala Express Venkatadri Express Machilipatnam Express
Indian rail subsidiaries	Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Rail Land Development Authority Central Organisation for Railway Electrification
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See also	Rail transport in India

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