Trains in India are known more for running late. There is a joke that a person, who wanted to commit suicide by lying down on the tracks in India, had ultimately died of starvation because that train had never arrived! But for those who make fun of the Indian railways' slow running, super train Tejas Express made an emphatic point on Sunday, June 11.
On Sunday, the Tejas Express had left Goa's Karmali station for Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) after a three-hour delay but reached the destination, located 750 kilometres away, a minute earlier than the schedule, which is 7:44 pm. It means the train covered the distance it is meant to in 12 hours and 44 minutes in 9 hours and 43 minutes! Incredible, isn't it?
The passengers as well as others waiting at the CST were taken aback by this record run of Tejas, which had started its journey on May 22. The delay was caused by the train's new monsoon timetable which is being followed for safety while operating in the rough terrain.
But how was this made possible? After all, India is yet to own something like the bullet train.
Tejas Express was running late by 2 hours and 17 minutes when it reached Kudal, 538 kilometres away from Mumbai. The delay was brought down to 11 hours when the train reached Ratnagiri and 14 minutes at Panvel. The delay was made up by the train's electro-numatic braking systems besides the driver's own skills. Its speed was raised to 153 kilometres per hour from its normal range of 130 kilometres, helping it to make up for the lost time.
The technologically advanced train which has several facilities on board was flagged off by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu last month. It, however, made the headlines for the wrong reasons after it was found to be damaged by the passengers in its maiden voyage.
