Mumbai Indian Railways’ first deluxe train ‘Deccan Queen’ on Thursday completed 93 years of operation between Pune and Mumbai. Central Railway gave this information.
Railway lovers and officials celebrated the train’s birthday with great enthusiasm by cutting two huge cakes before Deccan Queen’s departure from Pune Railway Station to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai. Maharashtra Government Minister Chandrakant Patil was also present on the occasion at Pune Railway Station.
Central Railway said, “In its glorious history of 93 years, this train has risen from being a transport service connecting two cities to an institution that has bonded a generation of loyal commuters.”Deccan for this special day The Queen was decorated with garlands of colorful flowers, while the platform from where the train departed had attractive rangolis at its entrance and music was also arranged.
According to a release issued by the Central Railway, the Deccan Queen rolled out on June 1, 1930, marking a major milestone in the history of the Great Indian Peninsula (GIP) Railway. It was the first deluxe train to connect two important cities – Pune and Mumbai and was named after Pune, also known as the ‘Queen of the Deccan’.
According to the release, initially two trains (rakes) of seven coaches were introduced, one of which was silver in color with red stripes engraved on it, while the other was blue in color with gold stripes on it. “The undercarriage of the original rake was made in England, while its bogies were fabricated at GIP Railway’s Matunga workshop in Mumbai,” the release said.
According to the release, the Deccan Queen initially had only first class and second class seats, but on January 1, 1949, first class was discontinued and second class was converted into first class, which remained in operation until June 1955. , when third class seats were introduced for the first time in the train.
The release said that in 1966 the original rakes were replaced by steel-clad ‘anti-telescopic integral coaches’ manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory in Perambur, Tamil Nadu, which were more comfortable and convenient for travel. According to the release, the number of coaches in the train has also been increased from seven coaches in the original rake to 12, making it capable of carrying more passengers.
In the subsequent years, the process of increasing the number of coaches in the train continued and at present it is equipped with 16 coaches. Deccan Queen has been operated with new ‘Linke Hofmann Busch’ (LHB) coaches since last year, the release said. Which is considered to be safer and more comfortable than the old coaches. LHB coach has more space and also has more speed.
According to the release, Deccan Queen is the only train in India to have a ‘dining car’ that allows 32 passengers to enjoy their meals sitting on comfortable chair-table tables. The ‘dining car’ also has modern pantry facilities like microwave oven, deep freezer and toaster. Deccan Queen’s ‘dining car’ and its exterior have been designed by the Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design based on suggestions received from the public, the release said. Aadhaar prepared in collaboration with officials from Railway Board, Integral Coach Factory (Chennai), Research, Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) and Central Railway.
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