Neelachal Express

Overview
Service type	Express
Locale	Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar Uttar Pradesh & Delhi
First service	31 March 1980; 43 years ago (1980-03-31) (initial service between Puri and New Delhi)[1]
Current operator(s)	East Coast Railways
Route
Termini	Puri (PURI) Anand Vihar Terminal (ANVT)
Stops	37
Distance travelled	1,914 km (1,189 mi)
Average journey time	34h 50m
Service frequency	Tri-weekly
Train number(s)	12875 / 12876
On-board services
Class(es)	AC First Class, AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Available
Observation facilities	Rake sharing with 12815/12816 Nandan Kanan Express
Technical
Rolling stock	LHB coach
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Operating speed	55 km/h (34 mph) average including halts
Route map

The 12875 / 12876 Neelachal Express is a tri-weekly train which runs between Puri in Odisha and Anand Vihar Terminal railway station. It is one of the oldest trains that connect Puri to Anand Vihar Terminal. The main towns along the route are Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore, Hijili, Tatanagar, Bokaro Steel City, Muri, Gomoh, Gaya, Mughalsarai, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Rae Bareli, Lucknow, Unnao and Kanpur. It operates three times per week and covers a distance of 1,912 kilometres (1,188 mi) from Puri to Anand Vihar Terminal. Neelachal Express consists of 1 AC First Class coach, 2 Second AC coach, 6 Third AC coaches, 7 Sleeper Class coaches, 2 General (Un-Reserved) coaches, 1 Pantry Car, 1 Divyangjan Coach and 1 EOG.^[2]

Coach composition

The 12875/ 12876 Puri–Anand Vihar Terminal Neelachal Express presently has 1 AC First Class, 2 AC 2 tier, 6 AC 3 tier, 7 Sleeper Class, 2 Second Class seating, 1 Divyangjan Coach and 1 EOG coach. Also, it does have a pantry car.

As with most train services in India, coach composition may be amended at the discretion of Indian Railways depending on demand.

Service

12875 Puri–Anand Vihar Terminal Neelachal Express covers the distance of 1914 kilometers in 24 hours 50 mins (57.20 km/h) and in 24 hours 25 mins as 12876 Anand Vihar Terminal–Puri Neelachal Express (59.48 km/h).

It takes around 34 hours and 50 minutes to cover 1,914 kilometres (1,189 mi) at an average speed of 54 kilometres per hour (34 mph) with 39 halts.

Neelachal Express was moved from New Delhi to Anand Vihar Terminal in May 2018.^[3]

Timetable

From Puri to Anand Vihar Terminal - 12875. The train starts from Puri every Sunday, Tuesday & Friday.^[4]

From Anand Vihar Terminal to Puri – 12876. The train starts from Anand Vihar Terminal every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday.^[5]

Background

This train is given name on The abode of Hindu deity Jagannath at Puri is known as the Nilachal or Niladri, [Nila (Blue) + Achal (Mountain)] meaning, The Blue Mountain. The Nilachal is a place of high religious significance in Hinduism and is one of the four Char Dhams. Religious teachers like Shri Ramanuja Acharya, Swami Vishnuswami visited Nilachal in the twelfth century and established a mathas. Shri Nimbarka Acharya also visited Puri, as also Guru Nanak Dev and many other Acharyas. Shri Chaitanya spent 18 years at Nilachal dhama.

Coach composition

The train has Mordern LHB rakes with a maximum speed of 130 km/h.

• 1 AC First Class
• 2 AC II Tier
• 6 AC III Tier
• 1 Pantry Car
• 7 Sleeper Coaches
• 2 General
• 1 Divyanjan cum Guard Coach
• 1 EOG

Loco	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21
	SLRD	GEN	H1	B1	B2	B3	B4	A1	A2	B5	B6	PC	S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	S6	S7	GEN	EOG

Route and halts

The train runs from Puri via Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Hijli, Tatanagar, Bokaro Steel City, Gomoh, Gaya Junction, Mughalsarai Junction, Varanasi, Pratapgarh Junction, Rae Bareli Junction, Lucknow Charbagh, Unnao Junction, Kanpur Central, Hathras Junction, Aligarh Junction to Anand Vihar Terminal.

As the route is fully electrified, Ghaziabad-based WAP-7 locomotive powers the train from Puri to Anand Vihar Terminal.