Tea Garden Express

Tea Garden Express

காரைக்கால்-எர்ணாகுளம் எக்ஸ்பிரஸ்

എറണാകുളം-കാരയ്ക്കൽ എക്സ്പ്രസ്സ്

Overview
Service type	Regional rail Express
Status	Operating
Locale	Tamil Nadu & Kerala
First service	1944 (1944)
Current operator(s)	Southern Railway zone
Former operator(s)	South Indian Railway
Route
Start	Karaikal (KIK)
Stops	26
End	Ernakulam Junction (ERS)
Distance travelled	593 km (368 mi)
Average journey time	14 Hours 15 Minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	16187 / 16188
Line used	Jolarpettai–Shoranur line (ED – SRR) Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section (SRR – ERS)
On-board services
Class(es)	1A, 2A, FC, 3A, SL, SLR and UR / GS
Disabled access
Seating arrangements	Corridor coach (Unreserved)
Sleeping arrangements	Couchette car
Auto-rack arrangements	No
Catering facilities	No
Observation facilities	Windows in all carriages
Entertainment facilities	No
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks Baggage carriage
Technical
Rolling stock	Locomotive: KIK–TPJ: WDM 3A (TNP); TPJ–ERS: WDG4 (GOC) Bogie: One First AC (HA1) One AC 2–Tier (2A) One First Class (FC; non–A/C) One AC 3–Tier (3A) Seven II Sleeper Five UR / GS Two SLR
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	42 kilometres per hour (26 mph)
Track owner(s)	Southern Railway zone
Timetable number(s)	86 / 86A[1]
Route map

Tea Garden Express (Officially known as Karaikal – Ernakulam Express) is a overnight regional rail connecting Karaikal in Union territory of Puducherry with Ernakulam in Kerala via Thanjavur Junction, Tiruchirappalli Junction, Coimbatore Junction, Palakkad Junction.

History

The train introduced during the 1940s,^[2] as Ooty–Cochin express to transport tea and related products from the Nilgiris to Cochin Port and further exported to Europe and world over, hence came the name of the train. It ran in narrow gauge between Udhagamandalam and Mettupalayam and broad gauge between Mettupalayam and Cochin Harbour Terminus.^[3] Post Indian independence, the Ooty–Mettupalayam trip was cut–off and the train ran as No.565/566 between Cochin Harbour Terminus and Mettupalayam, since the 1970s.^[4] Then, the Mettupalayam–Coimbatore Junction portion was cut–off and was re-routed to Tiruchirappalli Junction from Cochin (Ernakulam Junction), numbered as 6865 / 6866.^[5] In the 2009–2010 Railway Budget, it was announced that the service will be extended to Nagore,^[6][7][8] and the extension was effected on 30 March 2010.^[9] The number of train was changed from the 6865 / 6866 to 16865 / 16866, since December 2010 onwards as a part of train management system over the entire Indian Railways network.^[10][11] The train services were further extended to Karaikal from 17 December 2011 onwards^[12] and re–numbered from 16865 / 16866 to 16187 / 16188, since 1 September 2013.^[13][14]

Importance

This train provides connectivity for the people of Kerala and western districts to educational institutions^[15] and places of worship in delta districts, viz., Navagraha temples^[16] like Tirunallar Saniswaran Temple and others, Nagore Dargah and Velankanni Matha shrine.^[17]

Rakes

This train has 18 bogies composing all six classes: one First AC (HA1), one AC 2–Tier (2A), one First Class (FC) (non–A/C), one AC 3–Tier (3A), seven II Sleeper coaches (SL), five Unreserved (general) coaches (UR / GS) and two Luggage rakes (SLR).^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Loco	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
	SLR	GS	GS	GS	S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	S6	S7	FC	HA1	A1	B1	GS	GS	SLR

Schedule

The train numbered 16187 departs Karaikal railway station as Ernakulam Express at 16:10 hours, arrives Tiruchirappalli Junction at 20:00 hours, reverses loco and departs at 20:10 hours and finally arrives Ernakulam Junction at 06:25 hours, the next day.^[18] On the return direction, the train numbered 16188 departs Ernakulam Junction as Karaikal Express at 22:05 hours, arrives Tiruchirappalli Junction at 07:40 hours, the next day, reverses loco and departs at 07:50 hours and finally arrives Karaikal railway station at 11:50 hours. Some of the prominent stoppages for the train are Nagore, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Karur, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Shoranur, Thrissur and Aluva.^{[19][lower-alpha 2]}

See also

• Chennai Egmore – Mangalore Central Express
• Guruvayur Express

Notes

References

External links

• Southern Railway - Official Website

Railways in Southern India
National network / trunk lines	Howrah–Chennai main line New Delhi–Chennai main line Mumbai–Chennai line
Other lines / sections	Chennai Central–Bangalore City line Chennai Egmore–Thanjavur main line Chord Line Coimbatore–Shoranur railway line Gudivada–Bhimavaram section Gudivada–Machilipatnam branch line Guntakal–Chennai Egmore section Guntur–Macherla section Guntur–Repalle section Jolarpettai–Shoranur line Kazipet–Vijayawada section Kollam–Sengottai branch line Kollam–Thiruvananthapuram trunk line Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section Kothavalasa–Kirandul line Manamadurai–Virudhunagar line Mysore–Bangalore railway line Mysore–Chamarajanagar branch line Nagpur–Hyderabad line Nilambur–Nanjangud rail line (Proposed) Nilambur–Shoranur railway line Nilgiri Mountain Railway Palakkad–Pollachi line Pagidipalli–Nallapadu railway line Peralam–Karaikal line Sabari railway line (Proposed) Shimoga–Talaguppa railway Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section Shoranur–Mangalore section Solapur–Guntakal section Vijayawada–Chennai section Vijayawada–Guntur section Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada section Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal railway line Guntakal–Vasco da Gama section Pune–Miraj–Londa line Bangalore–Arsikere–Hubli line Pamban–Dhanushkodi branch line (Defunct)
Urban and suburban rail transport	Chennai Chennai Suburban Railway Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System Chennai Metro Hyderabad Multi-Modal Transport System Hyderabad Metro Rail Bangalore Bangalore Commuter Rail Namma Metro Kochi Kochi Metro
Monorails	Bangalore Chennai Coimbatore Kozhikode Tiruchirappalli Thiruvananthapuram
Defunct railways	Cochin State Forest Tramway Kundala Valley Railway
Railway divisions	Bangalore Chennai Bangalore Hubli Madurai Mysore Palakkad Salem Thiruvananthapuram Tiruchirappalli
Named trains	Ahilya Nagari Express Ajmer–Hyderabad Meenakshi Express Andaman Express Amritha Express Anantapuri Express Andhra Pradesh Express Bangalore City–Ernakulam Intercity Express Bangalore Rajdhani Express Bhagmati Express Brindavan Express Chalukya Express Chamundi Express Charminar Express Chemmozhi Express Chennai Rajdhani Express Chennai–Alleppey Express Chennai Central–Coimbatore Shatabdi Express Chennai Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Chennai–Jaipur Express Chennai–Madurai Duronto Express Chennai–Mysore Shatabdi Express Chennai Thiruvananthapuram AC Duronto Express Chennai Egmore–Mangalore Central Express Chennai Central–Vijayawada Jan Shatabdi Express Cheran Express Cholan Express Circar Express Cocanada AC Express Coimbatore–Chennai Express Coimbatore–Jaipur Express Coimbatore–Nagercoil Express Coimbatore–Tuticorin Link Express Coimbatore–Rameswaram Express Coromandel Express Ernad Express Ernakulam–H.Nizamudin Duronto Falaknuma Express Ganga Kaveri Express Godavari Express Gol Gumbaz Express Golconda Express Golden Chariot Goutami Express Grand Trunk Express Guruvayur Express Hampi Express Himsa Express Himsagar Express Hirakud Express Howrah–Chennai Mail Howrah–Kanyakumari Express Hussainsagar Express Hyderabad–Pune Express Indore–Yesvantpur Express Island Express Janmabhoomi Express Kanyakumari Express Kanyakumari–Mumbai Express Kaveri Express Kerala Express Krishna Express Kollam–Visakhapatnam Express Kongu Express Kovai Express Lal Bagh Express Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Ernakulam Duronto Express Malabar Express Mangala Lakshadweep Express Mangalore Yaswanthpur Express Manikarnika Express Mannai express Marusagar Express Matsyaganda Express Maveli Express Mayiladuthurai–Mysore Express Mumbai CST Chennai Express Mysore–Tuticorin Express Nagarjuna Express Nagercoil Passenger Nagavali Express Narayanadri Express Navjivan Express Navyug Express Nellai Express Netravati Express Nilgiri Express Pallavan Express Pandian Express Parasuram Express Pearl City Express Pinakini Express Poorna Express Pothigai Express Pune–Ernakulam Express Rajkot–Coimbatore Express Rani Chennamma Express Raptisagar Express Rockfort Express Sabari Express Samata Express Sanghamithra Express Satavahana Express Secunderabad Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Secunderabad Rajdhani Express Secunderabad Mumbai Duronto Express Sharavati Express Sethu Express Silambu Express Simhapuri Express Tamil Nadu Express Tea Garden Express Thirukural Express Tippu Express Tirumala Express Tiruchirappalli–Howrah Superfast Express Tiruchirappalli–Mayiladuthurai Express Tiruchirappalli–Tirunelveli Intercity Express Thiruvananthapuram Mail Thiruvananthapuram–Indore Express Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express Udyan Express Uzhavan Express Vanchinad Express Venad Express Visakha Express Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Duronto Express Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Garib Rath Express West coast express Yesvantpur Puducherry Garib Rath Express Yelagiri express Yercaud Express
Manufacturing units / workshops / sheds	Integral Coach Factory Rail Wheel Factory Golden Rock Railway Workshop Diesel Loco Shed, Golden Rock Kollam MEMU Shed
Railway zones	South Central Railway Southern Railway South Western Railway
Railway companies	Konkan Railway Corporation Kerala Monorail Corporation East Coast State Railway Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway Hyderabad–Godavari Valley Railways Madras Railway Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
Agitations and accidents	1928 South Indian railway strike 1932 Madras and Southern Mahratta railway strike 1974 railway strike in India 1988 Kollam Peruman train accident Nellore train fire
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Transport in Guntur Madras Time Thiruvananthapuram–Mangalore high-speed passenger corridor Annual passenger earnings details of railway stations in Kerala
Railways in India portal