Union minister of state for Railways K H Muniyappa flagged off the flower-decked Duronto Express from Bangalore for Howrah. The colourful train, painted with a collage of red, green and cream, on the exterior, traverse 1,946 kms in 29 hours before it terminated at Howrah at 4 pm on Monday.
Within a month of the announcement of a Duronto service between Bangalore and Howrah, the non-stop, super fast express was flagged off.
The train from Bangalore was almost full, with over 950 passengers on board. The travel time is seven hours lesser than the time taken by the existing train services to Howrah.
The Howrah-Yeshwantpur weekly Duranto Express (Train no 2245) leaves Howrah on Fridays at 11 am and arrives at Yeshwantpur on Saturdays at 4 pm (launched on December 30, 2009).
The Yeshwantpur-Howrah Weekly Duranto Express leaves Yeshwantpur on Sundays at 11.15 am. It reaches Howrah on Mondays at 4 pm .
The train has 1 first-class AC coach, 1 two-tier AC coach, 3 three-tier ac coaches, 8 three-tier second class sleeper coaches, 2 second-class cum luggage vans and 1 pantry car.
The superfast weekly express stands out on many counts when compared to the regular train. Sliding transparent doors between coaches, sleeker-designed bottle holders and switches are a few obvious ones. Lighting is both aesthetically appealing and clear with the imported light fittings providing better illumination and light dispersion and LED night lamps substituting the regular fluorescent lights. Pantry car is provided on board with the cost of food included in the ticket. Newspapers are provided on a complimentary basis.
