Howrah–New Delhi Duronto Express

The 12273/74 Howrah–New Delhi Duronto Express is a Duronto class train which operates between the capital of West Bengal, Kolkata and the national capital New Delhi. It is the second Duronto Express connecting Delhi to Kolkata, the other one being the Sealdah–Bikaner Duronto Express. Most of the other Duronto trains take less travel time than their Rajdhani counterparts. Therefore, before the introduction of the Howrah Duronto, it was expected to be the fastest service on the route by many Indian railfans. The Rajdhani Express gets top-most priority on the route, making it the fastest train in the Howrah–Delhi route. But, the Rajdhani continues to be the fastest as both trains cover the same distance and despite being a non-stop service, with no commercial halts, the Duronto takes more time than the Rajdhani. It has been running with modern LHB rakes since 2 July 2021, having a maximum permissible speed of 130 km/h, thus replacing the hybrid LHB Rakes which have a maximum permissible speed of 120 km/h.

Howrah–New Delhi Duronto Express
Howrah-New Delhi Duronto Express standing on platform 4 of Asansol Junction.
Overview
Service type	Duronto Express
Status	Operating
Locale	West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi
First service	2 April 2010; 14 years ago (2010-04-02)
Current operator(s)	Eastern Railway zone
Route
Termini	Howrah (HWH), West Bengal New Delhi (NDLS), Delhi
Stops	7
Distance travelled	1,531 kilometres (951 mi)
Average journey time	22 hrs
Service frequency	Twice a week: 12273 – Mondays and Fridays; 12274 – Tuesdays and Saturdays
Train number(s)	12273/12274
On-board services
Class(es)	First AC, Second AC, Third AC, Sleeper
Seating arrangements	Available
Sleeping arrangements	Available
Catering facilities	Available
Observation facilities	LHB coach
Baggage facilities	Available
Technical
Rolling stock	LHB coach
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Electrification	25 kV AC 50 Hz
Operating speed	Average – 70 km/h Maximum – 130 km/h
Route map Legend 12273 ↓ Howrah Junction Asansol Junction West Bengal Jharkhand border Jasidih Junction Jharkhand Bihar border Patna Junction Bihar Uttar Pradesh border Pt. DD Upadhyaya Jn Kanpur Central Uttar Pradesh New Delhi border 12274 ↑ New Delhi 12273 - Howrah → New Delhi 12274 - New Delhi → Howrah

Change in route

Beginning 6 February 2018, the route of this train was changed from Grand Chord (via Gaya) to mainline (via Patna) on request of Godda MP Nishikant Dubey. Therefore, it now travels 1,531 km rather than 1,452 km. Due to this it takes more time than the Premium Rajdhanis and Sealdah Duronto Express from Kolkata to Delhi. Therefore, its average speed went down from 84 km/h to 70 km/h.

Locomotive

12273 Duronto Express led by WAP 5 standing on Platform 5 in New Delhi

It is hauled by a Howrah-based WAP-7 end to end.^[1]

Howrah-New Delhi Duronto Express on Platform 6 of Mughalsarai Junction

Speed

The maximum permissible speed of the train is up to 130 km/h except some parts. Its all coaches are of air conditioned LHB coach type which is capable of reaching 160 km/h but it does not touch. Sometimes people become confused because according to Indian Railways Permanent Way Manual (IRPWM) on Indian Railways website or Indian Railway Institute of Civil Engineering website, the BG (Broad Gauge) lines have been classified into six groups ‘A’ to ‘E’ on the basis of the future maximum permissible speeds but it may not be same as present speed.

The maximum permissible speed is 130 km/h except two small parts – 29 km long New Delhi (NDLS) – Chipyana Buzurg (CPYZ) part where Railway is trying to raise maximum permissible sectional speed to 130 km/h from 110 km/h and Jhajha – Madhupur part where trains pass through at a maximum permissible speed of 110 km/h. The trains also touch the speed of 100 km/h in a short stretch of approximately for this short distance.

An Air Conditioned 3 Tier coach (numbered B3) of 12274 New Delhi - Howrah Duronto Express standing at Asansol Junction

Railway Board has approved the speed policy which envisages operation of passenger trains at 160 km/h on Delhi–Howrah route but it is still unclear what will its impact on this train in future like increasing of speed but not up to 160 km/h or up to 160 km/h.

References

1. "India Rail info".