The mighty veteran Purulia Express serving for decades, daily commuters' lifeline and witness to a Rising Bengal! - Soumyadip Mahato

Ruthless Howrah Rajdhani thrashes Upper India Express and hurdles past Belmuri
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After the 30 minutes late running 13134 Varanasi (BSB)- Sealdah (SDAH) UPPER INDIA Express with BWN WDM- 2 in charge was halted at Belmuri outer due to an EMU running ahead, the 1 hour late running 30294 WAP- 7 hauled 12302 New Delhi (NDLS)- Howrah (HWH) RAJDHANI Express comes screaming...
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through the reversible line as if there is no tomorrow, and tears past the stationary UPPER INDIA Express and Belmuri station at a good speed. Belmuri is situated on ER's HB Chord enroute.
UPPER INDIA uses a lenghty route, i.e. Varanasi- Mughal Sarai- Dildarnagar- Ara- Danapur- Patna- Mokama- Kiul- Jamalpur- Bhagalpur- Sahibganj- Barharwa- Rampurhat- Bolpur Shantiniketan- Burdwan- Sealdah route..
The train was one of the first trains to travel between Calcutta and Delhi (13 UP, 14 DOWN). But after Asansol- Patna- Mughal Sarai MAIN Line and Asanol- Dhanbad- Mughal Sarai GRAND CHORD Lines were introduced, and more and more trains were introduced on those routes, this train lost its sheen, and was made to run till Mughal Sarai. At that time, the train had two sleeper coaches.. Later it again got extended till Varanasi, but lost one sleeper coach.. Now the train is a lilliput 9 coacher, and have just a solitary reserved coach.
As per budget 2013-14, this train would again run upto Old Delhi Jn. twice a week.
The train uses the Howrah- Burdwan- Asansol- Dhanbad- Gaya- Mughal Sarai- Allahabad- Kanpur Central- New Delhi route to cover 1451 kms in 17 hours with 6 halts enroute. Does Howrah- Dhanbad 259 kms non-stop run by skipping Asansol, thus making it the only non- Duronto train to achieve this feat. Sealdah Rajdhani halts at Durgapur and Asansol in between.