Deccan Queen

Deccan Queen during its 80th anniversary celebrations on 1st June 2009.

The Deccan Queen डेक्कन क्वीन or Deccan Queen Express, (translated Dakhkhanchee Raanee दख्खनची राणी in Marathi), is an Indian passenger train that connects Mumbai with Pune. It is a daily means of transport for thousands of passengers travelling between the two cities. It is a prestigious train of the Indian Railways.

Schedule

The Deccan Queen departs daily from Pune at 07:15 IST and reaches Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Mumbai at 10:25 IST. It departs from Mumbai at 17:10 IST (5:10 PM IST) and reaches Pune at 20:25 IST (8:20 PM IST). Arrival times are generally delayed by a few minutes. The train number is 12124 (Up) while travelling from Pune to Mumbai, a distance of 192 km, and 12123 (Down) for the return journey.

Stops

Pune to Mumbai

After leaving Pune, the train stops only at Lonavala and Dadar stations before the Mumbai destination. The train also halts for a few minutes at a point named Monkey Hill (just after Lonavala) at the beginning of a steep descent in order to check its brakes. This is known as a "technical halt" and is not a scheduled halt at a station.

Stations	Arrives Time	Departs Time	Halt Time
Pune Junction - PUNE	-	07:15	-
Lonavala - LNL	08:08	08:10	2 min
Dadar - DR	10:03	10:05	2 min
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus - CSTM	10:25	-	-

Mumbai to Pune

During the journey from Mumbai, the train's first halt is at Karjat to attach banker locomotives at the rear to enable the train to climb the mountainous route. The train then halts at Lonavala after climbing to the top, and then halts at Shivajinagar station near Pune before finally terminating at the main Pune railway station.

Stations	Arrives Time	Departs Time	Halt Time
Chhataapati Shivaji Terminus - CSTM.	-	17:10	-
Karjat - KJT	18:33	18:35	2 min
Lonavala - LNL	19:18	19:20	2 min
Shivajinagar -SVJR	20:08	20:10	2 min
Pune Junction - PUNE	20:25	-	-

History

Deccan Queen was started on June 1, 1930^[1] as a weekend train for the Britishers during the British rule in India, to ferry race-fans from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Poona (now Pune). The first service of the train was conducted from Calyan (now Kalyan) and Pune. It was converted to a daily service soon after, starting from Bombay Victoria Terminus (renamed Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus CSTM). It is one of the longest running trains on the Indian Railways to have never run on steam power. From the beginning, the Deccan Queen has been run using electric locomotives. Occasionally, it was given diesel locomotives in case of original locomotive failure.

The color of its rake has seen a lot of changes, from red colour to yellow and then to blue^[1].

Deccan Queen is the second train in India having ISO 9000 certification and a dining car after the India's first ISO Certified train Shaan - E - Bhopal Express running between Bhopal Habibganj (Bhopal) - Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi) ^[1]. It has sixteen coaches including the engine.

The Deccan Queen is also one of the most favourite trains among railfans. Every year on 1st June, its regular pass-holders, railfans and railway authorities celebrate the train's birthday. Deccan Queen entered its 82nd year of service on 1st June 2011^[2].

Incidents

The train derailed in 1990 at Khandala Ghat, but there were no casualties.

On 30 November 2006, a mob of around 6000 protestors set fire to some coaches of the train near Ulhasnagar after forcing the passengers to get down^[3]. The arsonists were protesting against the vandalism of a statue of B. R. Ambedkar in far away Kanpur though the incident had nothing to do with the Deccan Queen or even Mumbai or Pune.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Deccan Queen turns 75". 2004-06-01. http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/01deccan.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-30. 
2. ^ "Deccan Queen enters 80th year of service". 2009-06-02. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/deccan-queen-still-on-track-enters-its-82nd-year/93965-3.html. 
3. ^ "Dalits go on a rampage". 2006-11-30. http://www.timesnow.tv/Sections/News/Dalits_go_on_a_rampage/articleshow/650600.cms. Retrieved 2006-11-30. 

External links

• Classic Trains of India: Deccan Queen by S. Shankar
• Deccan Queen at India Rail Info