New Intercity Express, with locomotives on either side, will cut time spent in engine attachment at Karjat, apart from the ghats and around Lonavla
The Intercity Express is preferred by many frequent commuters
Commuters' dream of a faster commute between Mumbai and Pune is set to become a reality with the Central Railway's successful trial of the Mumbai-Pune Intercity Express on Friday. It will reduce the travel time between the two cities to two hours and 35 minutes thanks to locomotives attached on either end of the train. With road travel on the stretch taking nearly three hours, the Intercity train journey will become the fastest mode of transport between the two cities.
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The Mumbai CSMT Pune Intercity Express is a superfast train operated by the Central Railway and currently takes three hours and 17 minutes from Mumbai CSMT to Pune and three hours 10 minutes from Pune to Mumbai CSMT. With the revised time-saving timetable, the Intercity will start from Mumbai CSMT at 6.45 am (instead of 6.40 am) and reach Pune at 9.20 am (instead of 9.57 am). It will begin its return journey from Pune at 6.30 pm (instead of 5.55 pm) and reach Mumbai at 9.05 pm.
"The trial was hugely successful and we are proposing it to soon have regular public runs. The major saving time will be at Karjat where the train had to be detained to attach banker engines in the rear. The railways are deploying the "push-pull" technique where instead of one, the train will have two locomotives — at the front and rear. Provision of control cabling along with connectors will enable the train for the pull-push mode. As of today, the train is detained to attach additional engines while climbing the steep ghat sections of Khandala. The technique has been successfully used on the Rajdhani Express," a senior official confirmed.
No upgrade for Deccan Queen
The prestigious Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen train will miss the much-anticipated upgrade on its 90th anniversary this June 1 after the new coaches meant for the train have been delayed by the manufacturers. The Central Railway was keen on the upgrade of the Deccan Queen and had taken a commuters' poll before sending its requirements to the railway board in Delhi, seeking the upgrade.
3 hrs 17 mins
Current travel time from Mumbai to Pune
3 hrs 10 mins
Current travel time from Pune to Mumbai
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