Howrah–Rajendra Nagar–Arrah Express
Howrah - Rajendra Nagar is an Indian Railways Superfast train which daily runs between Howrah Junction in West Bengal and Rajendra Nagar terminal of Bihar. It covers the 580 km of distance in 9.33 hours. It is currently being operated with 12351/12352 train numbers on a daily basis.[1][2]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Superfast |
| Locale | West Bengal,Jharkhand & Bihar |
| First service | 1 April 1984 |
| Current operator(s) | East Central Railways |
| Route | |
| Termini | Howrah Junction (HWH) Ara Junction (ARA) |
| Stops | 12 |
| Distance travelled | 580 km (360 mi) |
| Average journey time | 9 hours 20 minutes |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number(s) | 12351/12352 |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | AC 1st Class,AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, Sleeper Class,Unreserved |
| Seating arrangements | Yes |
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes |
| Catering facilities | Yes |
| Observation facilities | Large windows |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | LHB coach |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Operating speed | 130 km/h (81 mph) top operating speed 56 km/h (35 mph) avg |
Service
The 12351/Howrah - Rajendra Nagar Express has an average speed of 56 km/h and covers 529 km in 9 hrs 25 mins. 12352/Arrah - Rajendra Nagar Patna - Howrah Express has an average speed of 57 km/h and 529 km in 9 hrs 15 mins.
Route and halts
The important halts of the train are:
- Howrah Junction
- Barddhaman Junction
- Durgapur
- Raniganj
- Asansol Junction
- Chittranjan
- Madhupur Junction
- Jasidih Junction
- Jhajha
- Jamui
- Mananpur
- Kiul Junction
- Lakhisarai
- Barhiya
- Hatidah
- Mokama
- Barh
- Bakhtiyarpur Junction
- Khusrupur
- Fatuha Junction
- Patna Sahib
- Rajendra Nagar Terminal
Development
On 14 October 2020, replacing the old ICF coaches, Howrah - Rajendra Nagar - Arrah Express got new German LHB rakes. Modern LHB coach are more comfortable and at the same time faster than the conventional ICF coaches. The new coaches, based on a German technology Linke Hoffman Busch, are made of stainless steel which do not turn turtle during accidents; the light-weight coaches will improve the train's speed. Bigger windows, lamps at all AC seats and sound insulation are the other facilities of this train.Howrah - Rajendra Nagar Express runs with 1 AC 1 tier coach, 2 AC 2 tier coaches,7 AC 3 tier coaches, 6 Sleeper coaches, 5 General coaches along with 2 EOG coaches. Thus, having a total of 22 LHB coach; the normal locomotive of Howrah - Rajendra Nagar Express is a WAP-7 locomotive of Gomoh/Samastipur shed. The locomotive in-charge for this train is WAP-7 Gomoh/Samastipur Shed. Before that it was hauled by WAP-7 Howrah Shed. Earlier was hauled by a WAP-4 Howrah Shed.
Coach composite
The train has standard LHB rakes with max speed of 130 km/h. The train consists of 22 coaches :
- 1 AC First-class
- 2 AC II Tier
- 7 AC III Tier
- 6 Sleeper Coaches
- 4 General
- 2 Second-class Luggage/parcel van
Traction
It is regularly hauled by a Samastipur Loco Shed-based WAP-7,Gomoh-based WAP-7 locomotive from end to end.
Coach composition
Coach composition are as follows(for 12352)-
| Loco | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SLR | GS | GS | GS | GS | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | B1 | B2 | B3 | B4 | B5 | B6 | B7 | A1 | A2 | H1 | EOG |
And for 12351 it is the reverse.