Study of Howrah Kalka Mail/12311
Kalka Mail is the name of a train in India connecting Howrah near Calcutta in the eastern state of West Bengal to Kalka, the railhead for Simla, the hill station and one-time summer capital of India.
Details
Kalka Mail at present is among the longest trains running in the country, it has a total of 24 coaches (12...
more... Sleeper, 2 SLR, 4 General, 1 First A/C, 2 3Tier A/C, 3 2Tier A/C). One A/C 3 tier gets attached in Mugalsarai fro train from Howrah and its detached at Mugalsarai on the return Journey. This train is categorised as super-fast and runs on a maximum speed of 110 km/hrs. The engine attached to this train is the modern 6350 HP, WAP-7 based in Ghaziabad. In between Howrah and Kalka the train stops at 37 Stations. Passengers boarding the Train have to abide by Distance restriction: The minimum travel distance is 160 km in all AC classes and 480 km in Sleeper and 2S. But will carry passenger on Delhi- Kalka section for all classes.
History
Kalka Mail (numbered 1 Up / 2 Dn) began operation in 1866 between Calcutta and Delhi and then further extended from Delhi to Kalka in 1891. The train was the principal mechanism for British civil servants to move from the capital, Calcutta, to the summer capital in Shimla. As the capital used to be shifted twice every year, the entire government machinery used to travel on Kalka Mail. Both the stations had internal carriageway for the cars of Viceroy and other high-ranking officers to reach next to their Rail Coach, The carriageway at Howrah is still used and runs between Platforms 8 and 9, but the carriageway at Kalka has been converted into platform.[1]
Run by the East Indian Railway Company, the train was originally known as the "East Indian Railway Mail". The train is now numbered 12311 from Howrah and 12312 towards Howrah.
In popular culture
Kalka Mail is featured in a short story by Satyajit Ray, the Indian film director and writer. In the story, The Mystery of the Kalka Mail, the three main characters travel from Calcutta to Delhi and on to Kalka on the train. The plot involves a stolen diamond and an unpublished manuscript.[2] The story was also made into a radio play.
Accidents and Incidents
13 coaches of Kalka Mail derailed on Kanpur-Fatehpur line near Fatehpur Malwa Station on 10 July 2011 afternoon. The cause is unknown though poor maintenance of the locomotive is suspected to be the cause as the engine had started swaying sideways just before the accident.
More than 69 persons died and 200 were injured. The injured were taken to hospitals of Kanpur, Lucknow and Allahabad.
