The 12505 / 12506 North East Superfast Express is a Daily Superfast Express train of Indian Railways that runs between Kamakhya Junction in Guwahati, Assam and Anand Vihar Terminal near New Delhi, connecting northeastern India to New Delhi. The train belongs to the Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways, while the coaches belong to the Kamakhya coaching depot of the Lumding railway division.

North East Superfast Express
Overview
Service typeSuperfast Express
StatusRunning
LocaleAssam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh & Delhi
First service1 April 1986; 38 years ago (1986-04-01)
Current operator(s)Northeast Frontier Railway
Route
TerminiKamakhya Junction (KYQ)
Anand Vihar Terminal (ANVT)
Stops28
Distance travelled1,856 km (1,153 mi)
Average journey time33 hours 18 minutes
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)12505 / 12506
On-board services
Class(es)AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, Sleeper class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangementsYes
Sleeping arrangementsYes
Catering facilitiesAvailable
Observation facilitiesLarge windows
Baggage facilitiesNo
Other facilitiesBelow the seats
Technical
Rolling stockLHB coach
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationFully Electrified
Operating speed59 km/h (37 mph) average including halts.
Route map

The North East Express succeeded the Assam Mail in 1986.[1] The train runs along the Barauni–Guwahati line, Mokama–Barauni section, and the Howrah–Delhi main line.

Service

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The train is numbered as 12505/12506. Originally, the North East Express was not a Superfast Express (broad gauge trains with an average speed of at least 55 km/h) and used service numbers 921 and 922 when introduced in 1986. In 1988, the train was reassigned with 2521 and 2522, later replaced with 5621 and 5622. It used to run between Guwahati and New Delhi. In the railway budget of 2005–2006, it was sped up to the broad gauge Superfast category without the removal of any stops. The new numbers assigned in the Superfast category were 2505 from Guwahati and 2506 from New Delhi.[2] With the new five-digit numbering scheme introduced during the tenure of Mamata Banerjee as railway minister, the service numbers were changed to 12505 and 12506. The train now starts from Kamakhya Junction railway station at Maligaon and runs up to Anand Vihar Terminal instead of Guwahati and New Delhi.[citation needed]

Coaches

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The train has air-conditioned as well as non-air-conditioned coaches. The composition of the train is 2A – 1 (A-1), 3A – 3 (B-1, B-2, B-3), SL – 14 (S-1 to S-14), PC – 1, GENL – 3 & SLR – 2. The total rake length is 24 coaches. New LHB rakes were introduced on 3 October 2019.[citation needed]

Stations

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Delhi to Guwahati

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List of stops on the North East Express from Delhi to Guwahati[3]

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State Town/City Station Distance (km)
Delhi Delhi Anand Vihar Terminal 0
Uttar Pradesh Aligarh Aligarh Junction 126
Tundla Tundla Junction 204
Etawah Etawah Junction 296
Kanpur Kanpur Central 435
Fatehpur Fatehpur 513
Prayagraj Prayagraj Junction 629
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction 778
Bihar Buxar Buxar 872
Arrah Ara Junction 941
Danapur Danapur 980
Patna Patliputra Junction 986
Barauni Barauni Junction 1095
Begusarai Begusarai 1110
Khagaria Khagaria Junction 1150
Mansi Mansi Junction 1159
Naugachia Naugachia 1217
Katihar Katihar Junction 1274
Barsoi Barsoi Junction 1313
Kishanganj Kishanganj 1371
West Bengal Siliguri New Jalpaiguri Junction 1458
Jalpaiguri Jalpaiguri Road 1491
Cooch Behar New Cooch Behar Junction 1584
Alipurduar New Alipurduar 1603
Assam Kokrajhar Kokrajhar 1681
Bongaigaon New Bongaigaon Junction 1709
Rangia Rangiya Junction 1819
Maligaon Kamakhya Junction 1856

Guwahati to Delhi

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List of stops on the North East Express from Guwahati to Delhi[3]

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State Town/City Station Distance (km)
Assam Maligaon Kamakhya Junction 0
Rangia Rangiya Junction 48
Bongaigaon New Bongaigaon Junction 157
Kokrajhar Kokrajhar 185
West Bengal Alipurduar New Alipurduar 264
Cooch Behar New Cooch Behar Junction 283
Jalpaiguri Jalpaiguri Road 375
Siliguri New Jalpaiguri Junction 409
Bihar Kishanganj Kishanganj 496
Barsoi Barsoi Junction 553
Katihar Katihar Junction 593
Naugachia Naugachia 650
Mansi Mansi Junction 708
Khagaria Khagaria Junction 716
Begusarai Begusarai 757
Barauni Barauni Junction 772
Patna Patliputra Junction 880
Danapur Danapur 886
Arrah Ara Junction 926
Buxar Buxar 994
Uttar Pradesh Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction 1088
Prayagraj Prayagraj Junction 1237
Fatehpur Fatehpur 1354
Kanpur Kanpur Central 1432
Etawah Etawah Junction 1571
Tundla Tundla Junction 1663
Aligarh Aligarh Junction 1741
Ghaziabad Ghaziabad Junction 1844
Delhi Delhi Anand Vihar Terminal 1856

Traction

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It is hauled by a Ghaziabad Loco Shed-based WAP-7 electric locomotive from end to end.

Accidents and incidents

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On 11 October 2023 at 21:35 IST, 23 coaches of the eastbound 12506 train derailed near Raghunathpur Railway Station in the Buxar district of Bihar.[4] Five people were killed in the crash and more than 70 others were injured.[5] The East Central Railway zone facilitated relief trains to ferry the remaining passengers to their destination. A preliminary investigation report cited an issue with the track.[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Trains of fame and locos with a name–Part 2". Indian Railways Fan Club. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  2. ^ "English Releases". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Indian Railways National Train Enquiry System". enquiry.indianrail.gov.in. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Fault in tracks likely cause for derailment of North East Express train; engineering dept responsible, finds preliminary probe". The Times of India. 12 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  5. ^ "One more dies in North-East Express accident, death toll rises to 5". ETV Bharat News. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  6. ^ "4 dead in Delhi-Kamakhya North East Express derailment, helpline numbers issued". India Today. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Bihar Train Accident News Live: Meghalaya sets up helpline for Bihar train derailment, CM speaks to Vaishnaw". The Times of India. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.