GRAND TRUNK EXPRESS-The GT started running in 1929, on completion of the Kazipet - Ballarshah line, which was the last missing link in the Delhi - Madras trunk route. When introduced, the train ran between Peshawar and Mangalore, almost the length of the country and beyond. If fact, the GT was probably one of the longest running trains in the country at that time. The Peshawar to Mangalore run took about 104 hrs in all.The end points were later changed to Lahore and Mettupalayam. Hence, the Mangalore - Peshawar Grand Trunk Express now became the Mettupalayam - Lahore Grand Trunk Express. The train probably provided the goraa sahibs (white gentlemen) an escape route into the Nilgiri Hills to the popular hill station of Ootacamund (Ooty), in order to escape the oppressive heat of Southern India. As you know, Mettupalayam was the hop off point for the m.g. Nilgiri Mountain Railway to...
more... Ooty.One year later however, in 1930, the route was heavily curtailed, and the GT began to run from New Delhi to Madras, which it does till this very day.
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please wait...Translate to EnglishThe Grand Trunk Express, also known as the GT Express, started chugging along back in 1929. This bad boy completed the Kazipet to Ballarshah line, finally connecting the missing link between Delhi and Madras. Initially, the GT ran from Peshawar to Mangalore, covering a crazy long distance across the country. It used to be one of the longest train rides at the time, taking a whopping 104 hours from start to finish. Later on, the route was changed, and the train started running between Lahore and Mettupalayam. So, the Mangalore to Peshawar run became the Mettupalayam to Lahore Grand Trunk Express. This train was like the getaway car for the white folks, helping them escape the scorching heat of Southern India and head to the cool Nilgiri Hills, specifically Ooty. Mettupalayam was the base for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway to Ooty. A year later in 1930, the route got a major revamp, and the GT started its journey from New Delhi to Madras, a route it still covers to this day.
please wait...Translate to HindiGrand Trunk Express - GT ne 1929 me chalna shuru kiya, jab Kazipet - Ballarshah line poori hui, jo Delhi - Madras trunk route me aakhri ki kami thi. Jab shuru hui, train Peshawar se Mangalore tak chalti thi, desh ke lambayi tak aur usse aage. GT shayad uss samay desh me sabse lambi chalne wali trains me se ek thi. Peshawar se Mangalore tak ka safar lagbhag 104 ghante me pura hota tha. Ant ke sthal baad me Lahore aur Mettupalayam me badal diye gaye. Isliye, Mangalore - Peshawar Grand Trunk Express ab Mettupalayam - Lahore Grand Trunk Express ban gayi. Shayad train goraa sahibs (white gentlemen) ko Nilgiri Pahadiyon me Ooty ke lokpriya pahaadon me bhage jaane ka rasta pradaan karti thi, Dakshin Bharat ki garmi se bachne ke liye. Jaise ki aapko pata hai, Mettupalayam m.g. Nilgiri Mountain Railway ka utarna-baithna sthal tha Ooty ke liye. Ek saal baad, fir 1930 me, route kaafi kam ho gaya, aur GT New Delhi se Madras tak chalne lagi, aaj tak.
