The 12859 / 12860 Gitanjali Express is a daily train running between two metro cities, Kolkata, (Howrah Junction) in West Bengal and Mumbai, (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) in Maharashtra connecting the East with the West. Numbered 12859/60 this train belongs to the Superfast category. This train takes 30½ hrs to cover the distance of 1968 km between Mumbai and Howrah while the return takes 31 hrs 15 mins. This is first train which depart behind pure AC Loco from Mumbai CSMT after conversion of Mumbai CSMT to Thane from DC to AC. It has the top most priority in Howrah Mumbai route.
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| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Superfast | ||||
| Locale | West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh & Maharashtra | ||||
| First service | 4 November 1977 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | South Eastern Railways | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Howrah Junction (HWH) | ||||
| Stops | 24 as 12860 26 as 12859 | ||||
| Distance travelled | 1,963 kilometres (1,220 mi) | ||||
| Average journey time | 30 hrs 30 mins as 12859 & 31 hrs 15 mins as 12860 | ||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||
| Train number(s) | 12859 / 12860 | ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Class(es) | AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, AC 3 Tier Economy, Sleeper class, Unreserved/General | ||||
| Seating arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Catering facilities | Available | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | LHB coach | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
| Operating speed | 130 km/h (81 mph) maximum, 64 km/h (40 mph) average including halts | ||||
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Relevance
Rabindranath Tagore, a famous poet of India, wrote the book Gitanjali.[1] Since this train, too, starts from Bengal this train has the same name. This is the first Classless train in India, introduced by Ex Railway Minister Prof. Madhu Dandvate on 26 December 1977.[2]
Train schedule
From Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Howrah — 12859. The train starts from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus everyday.[3]
| Station code | Station name | Arrival | Departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSMT | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus | --- | 06:00 |
| DR | Dadar Central | 06:12 | 06:15 |
| KYN | Kalyan Junction | 06:52 | 06:55 |
| KSRA | Kasara | 08:00 | 08:03 |
| IGP | Igatpuri | 08:30 | 08:32 |
| NK | Nashik Road | 09:25 | 09:30 |
| JL | Jalgaon | 11:58 | 12:00 |
| BSL | Bhusaval Junction | 12:40 | 12:45 |
| MKU | Malkapur | 13:29 | 13:30 |
| SEG | Shegaon | 14:14 | 14:15 |
| AK | Akola | 14:45 | 14:50 |
| BD | Badnera | 16:12 | 16:15 |
| WR | Wardha Junction | 17:18 | 17:20 |
| NGP | Nagpur Junction | 18:55 | 19:00 |
| BRD | Bhandara Road | 19:51 | 19:53 |
| G | Gondia | 20:48 | 20:50 |
| RJN | Raj Nandgaon | 22:07 | 22:09 |
| DURG | Durg Junction | 22:50 | 22:55 |
| R | Raipur Junction | 23:30 | 23:35 |
| BSP | Bilaspur Junction | 01:20 | 01:35 |
| RIG | Raigarh | 03:11 | 03:13 |
| JSG | Jharsuguda | 04:28 | 04:30 |
| ROU | Rourkela Junction | 05:44 | 05:52 |
| CKP | Chakradhapur | 07:13 | 07:15 |
| TATA | Tatanagar Junction | 08:15 | 08:25 |
| KGP | Kharagpur | 10:23 | 10:28 |
| SRC | Santragachi Junction | 11:47 | 11:48 |
| HWH | Howrah | 12:30 | --- |
Note : Train stops at Kasara & Igatpuri Railway Station only for Bankers Loco attachment & removal at the back of the Train. There is no Commercial halt at these Stations.
From Howrah to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus — 12860. The train starts from Howrah everyday.[4]
| Station code | Station name | Arrival | Departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| HWH | Howrah | --- | 14:05 |
| KGP | Kharagpur | 15:40 | 15:45 |
| TATA | Tatanagar Junction | 17:41 | 17:48 |
| CKP | Chakradharpur | 18:45 | 18:47 |
| ROU | Rourkela Junction | 20:12 | 20:20 |
| JSG | Jharsuguda | 21:53 | 21:55 |
| RIG | Raigarh | 22:58 | 23:00 |
| BSP | Bilaspur Junction | 01:00 | 01:15 |
| R | Raipur Junction | 02:45 | 02:50 |
| DURG | Durg Junction | 03:45 | 03:50 |
| RJN | Raj Nandgaon | 04:12 | 04:14 |
| G | Gondia | 05:40 | 05:42 |
| BRD | Bhandara Road | 06:29 | 06:31 |
| NGP | Nagpur Junction | 07:40 | 07:45 |
| WR | Wardha Junction | 08:48 | 08:50 |
| BD | Badnera | 10:32 | 10:35 |
| AK | Akola | 11:30 | 11:35 |
| SEG | Shegaon | 12:03 | 12:05 |
| MKU | Malkapur | 12:43 | 12:45 |
| BSL | Bhusaval Junction | 13:45 | 13:50 |
| JL | Jalgaon | 14:18 | 14:20 |
| NK | Nashik Road | 17:05 | 17:10 |
| IGP | Igatpuri | 17:57 | 18:00 |
| KYN | Kalyan Junction | 20:02 | 20:05 |
| DR | Dadar Central | 20:47 | 20:50 |
| CSMT | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus | 21:20 | --- |
Arrival and departure
Train No.12859 leaves source point, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 6:00 am and reaches its destination station Howrah Junction at 12:30 noon the next day.[5]Train No.12860 leaves Howrah Junction at 2:05 pm and reach its destination, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 9:20 pm next day.[6]
Traction
It is hauled by a Santragachi based WAP-7 Locomotive (End to End). Top speed permissible is 130 km/h.
Coach composition
| Loco | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SLR | GEN | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | PC | M1 | M2 | M3 | B1 | B2 | B3 | B4 | B5 | A1 | A2 | GEN | EOG |