Howrah–Puducherry Express

The 12867 / 68 Howrah–Puducherry Superfast Express is a Superfast Express train belonging to Indian Railways South Eastern Railway zone that runs between Howrah Junction and Puducherry in India.

Howrah–Puducherry Superfast Express

Overview
Service type	Superfast Express
First service	8 April 2010; 15 years ago (2010-04-08)
Current operator	South Eastern Railway zone
Route
Termini	Howrah Junction Puducherry
Stops	14
Distance travelled	1,917 km (1,191 mi)
Average journey time	34 hours 05 mins
Service frequency	Weekly
Train number	12867 / 12868
On-board services
Classes	AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, sleeper class, general unreserved
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Yes
Technical
Rolling stock	Standard Indian Railways Coaches
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	57 km/h (35 mph)
Route map

It operates as train number 12867 from Howrah Junction to Puducherry and as train number 12868 in the reverse direction, serving the states of West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.^[1]

Coaches

The 12867 / 68 Howrah–Puducherry Express has one AC 2-tier, six AC 3-tier, 11 sleeper class, two general unreserved and two SLR (seating with luggage rake) coaches. It carries a pantry car.

As is customary with most train services in India, coach composition may be amended at the discretion of Indian Railways depending on demand.

Service

The 12867 Howrah Junction–Puducherry Express covers the distance of 1,917 km (1,191 mi) in 33 hours 20 mins (58 km/h) and in 34 hours 10 mins as the 12868 Puducherry–Howrah Junction Express (56 km/h).

As the average speed of the train is above 55 km/h (34 mph), as per railway rules, its fare includes a Superfast surcharge.

Routing

The 12867 / 68 Howrah–Puducherry Express runs from Howrah Junction via Kharagpur Junction, Khurda Road Junction, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada Junction, Tirupati, Katpadi Junction, Tiruvannamalai, Viluppuram Junction to Puducherry.^[2]

Traction

As the route is going to electrification, a Howrah-based WAP-4 electric loco pulls the train up to Visakhapatnam, then a Erode Junction or Lallaguda-based WAP-4 electric loco takes reverse direction and pulls the train to its destination.

Schedule

12867 leaves Howrah every Sunday at night 11:30 PM IST and reaches Puducherry (Pondicherry) Tuesday at morning 8:50 AM

12868 leaves Puducherry (Pondicherry) every Wednesday at afternoon 12:30 PM IST and reaches Howrah on Thursday at 10:22 PM IST

Reverse

The train is reversed at Visakhapatnam railway station.