Kalinga Utkal Express

The 18477 / 18478 Kalinga Utkal Express is an important Express of Indian Railways connecting two pilgrimage centres of India, Yog Nagari Rishikesh and Puri.

Kaling Utkal Express near Dholpur

Kalinga Utkal Express in Ghaziabad Junction

Kalinga Utkal Express

Kalinga Utkal Express train board
Overview
Service type	Express
Locale	Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi & Uttarakhand
First service	1 October 1969; 55 years ago (1969-10-01)[1] (initial service between Puri and New Delhi)
Current operator(s)	East Coast Railways
Route
Termini	Puri (PURI) Yog Nagari Rishikesh (YNRK)
Stops	73
Distance travelled	2,367 km (1,471 mi)
Average journey time	48 hours 25 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	18477 / 18478
On-board services
Class(es)	AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper Class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	Available
Baggage facilities	No
Technical
Rolling stock	LHB coach
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	49 km/h (30 mph) average including halts
Route map Kalinga Utkal Express Route Map

History

Kalinga Utkal Express was introduced in 1969 as train no.77/78 Utkal Express, a bi-weekly train from Puri to Hazrat Nizamuddin. The frequency of the train was later increased to 4 days a week. In 1983 Utkal Express was merged with erstwhile train no.143/144 Kalinga Express to become Kalinga Utkal Express and the frequency was also increased to daily.

Route and halts

The train runs from Puri via Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Balasore, Tatanagar, Chakradharpur, Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Raigarh, Champa, Bilaspur, Pendra Road, Anuppur Junction, Shahdol, Umaria, Katni Murwara, Saugor, Khurai, Jhansi Junction, Gwalior, Dholpur, Agra Cantonment, Mathura Junction, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Meerut City, Muzaffarnagar, Tapri Junction, Roorkee, Haridwar to Yog Nagari Rishikesh.

Locomotive

It is hauled by Tughlakabad / Ghaziabad-based WAP-7 locomotive on its entire journey.

Rakes

This train has total 5 rakes running between Puri & Haridwar. The train has 27 coaches comprising
Three A/C 2-Tier
One A/C 1-Tier
Four A/C 3-tier
Twelve Sleeper class
Four General compartments (unreserved)
Two Luggage van (SLR) and
One pantry car.^[a]

Loco	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27
	SLR	GS	B1	A1	A2	A3	H1	B2	B3	B4	S1	S2	PC	S3	S4	S5	S6	S7	S8	S9	S10	S11	S12	GS	GS	SLR

Accidents

On 19 August 2017, heading to Haridwar in Uttarakhand from Puri in Odisha, the Kalinga-Utkal Express derailed with fourteen coaches of the train going off track in Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh.^[2][3] The incident resulted in the death of 23 people while injuring 40 others. Minister for Railways, Suresh Prabhu, ordered an inquiry into the incident.^[4]

Notes

1. The coach composition is subject to change.