Famous Trains — Set 5

Correct Answer: B. 1969

• **1969** = the year when India's first Rajdhani Express was flagged off on 1 March 1969 between New Delhi and Howrah (Kolkata), marking a historic milestone as the first fully air-conditioned express train in independent India. • **Speed record at launch** — it ran at a maximum speed of 120 km/h, the fastest for a passenger train in India at the time, and covered the 1,441 km Delhi–Howrah route in about 17 hours, significantly faster than existing trains. • The Rajdhani Express concept — connecting the national capital (Rajdhani = capital city) with state capitals — has since expanded to over 24 routes, and these trains enjoy the highest priority on the rail network, second only to special presidential/military specials. • 💡 Option A (1965) is wrong because in 1965 no Rajdhani Express existed — Indian Railways was still running steam-era mail trains; Option C (1972) is wrong because the first Rajdhani had already started three years earlier in 1969; Option D (1980) is wrong because by 1980, the Rajdhani network had already been operating for over a decade with multiple routes added.

Correct Answer: B. Gatimaan Express

• **Gatimaan Express** = India's first semi-high-speed train, launched on 5 April 2016, running between Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi) and Jhansi, with a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h — the fastest train speed on Indian Railways at the time of its launch. • **Route and tourism** — it covers the 403 km Nizamuddin–Jhansi route, with a key halt at Agra Cantonment (the gateway to the Taj Mahal), making it a premium tourist train; the journey to Agra from Delhi takes only 100 minutes. • The train features onboard catering, hostesses (a first for Indian Railways), bio-vacuum toilets, automatic doors, and a distinctive red-and-grey livery, setting a new standard for Indian passenger comfort before Vande Bharat arrived. • 💡 Option A (Bhopal Shatabdi) is wrong because Bhopal Shatabdi runs at 150 km/h maximum and is a Shatabdi-class train, not semi-high-speed class; Option C (Vande Bharat Express) is wrong because Vande Bharat was launched in 2019 — three years after Gatimaan — and runs on a different Delhi–Varanasi route; Option D (Tejas Express) is wrong because Tejas Express was introduced in 2017 on the Mumbai–Goa route, after Gatimaan and on a completely different corridor.

Correct Answer: A. Train 18

• **Train 18** = the project codename given to India's first indigenously designed and manufactured self-propelled (EMU-style) semi-high-speed trainset, built by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, which was later officially named 'Vande Bharat Express' and flagged off on 15 February 2019. • **Key technical features** — Train 18 is a distributed power train (motors under every coach) unlike a locomotive-hauled consist; this gives faster acceleration, reaching 0–100 km/h in just 52 seconds, and it operates at up to 160 km/h with regenerative braking. • Built in just 18 months at a cost of about ₹100 crore (roughly 40% cheaper than comparable imported trains), it became a symbol of 'Make in India' in railway manufacturing. • 💡 Option B (Train 20) is wrong because Train 20 is a different ICF project (a successor aluminum-bodied trainset), not the original indigenously developed semi-high-speed set; Option C (Train 15) is wrong because no significant train project by that name corresponds to this milestone; Option D (Bharat Express) is wrong because that is not the official name of this trainset — the correct official commercial name is Vande Bharat Express.

Correct Answer: B. Deccan Odyssey

• **Deccan Odyssey** = a luxury tourist train operated as a joint venture between the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Indian Railways, launched in January 2004 to promote high-end tourism in Maharashtra and Goa. • **Onboard luxury** — the train has 21 coaches including a spa car, a bar, a restaurant car with multi-cuisine dining, and private en-suite cabins; it has been consistently ranked among the top luxury trains in Asia by travel publications. • It runs multiple itineraries including 'Maharashtra Splendour,' 'Hidden Treasures of Gujarat,' and 'India Sojourn,' covering destinations like Ajanta-Ellora caves, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, and Goa beaches over 7–8 nights. • 💡 Option A (Palace on Wheels) is wrong because Palace on Wheels is a Rajasthan Tourism–Indian Railways venture, not a Maharashtra joint venture; Option C (Golden Chariot) is wrong because Golden Chariot is operated by Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation, not Maharashtra; Option D (Maharajas' Express) is wrong because Maharajas' Express is operated by IRCTC and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation as a pan-India luxury train, not a Maharashtra-specific joint venture.

Correct Answer: B. Alwar

• **Fairy Queen** = a steam locomotive built in 1855 by Kitson Thompson and Hewitson in England, recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest working steam locomotive still hauling a passenger train. • **Route to Alwar** — restored for commercial heritage tourism in 1997, it runs a special seasonal heritage excursion from Delhi Cantonment to Alwar (Rajasthan), where passengers visit the Sariska Tiger Reserve and Siliserh Lake Palace; the one-way journey is about 155 km. • The locomotive was displayed at the Delhi Transport Museum before its restoration, and its revival attracted international attention; it won the National Tourism Award for Best Heritage Train Experience. • 💡 Option A (Agra) is wrong because the Fairy Queen's heritage excursion route goes to Alwar in Rajasthan, not to Agra — the Taj Mahal city is on a different corridor served by Gatimaan and other trains; Option C (Jaipur) is wrong because while Jaipur is also in Rajasthan, the Fairy Queen terminates at Alwar, which is northeast of Jaipur and a separate destination; Option D (Jhansi) is wrong because Jhansi is in Uttar Pradesh on the Central Railway zone, far from the Fairy Queen's narrow north-Rajasthan route.

Correct Answer: A. Himsagar Express

• **Himsagar Express (Train No. 16317/16318)** = a weekly long-distance express connecting Jammu Tawi (the gateway to the Himalayas) with Kanyakumari (the southernmost tip of India), covering approximately 3,745 km and passing through 12 states — the longest route by distance in India. • **Journey duration** — the train takes about 66–70 hours (nearly 3 days) to complete its one-way journey, making it one of the longest continuous rail journeys available in India; it crosses major rivers like the Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri. • 'Himsagar' literally means 'ocean of snow' (Himal + Sagar), symbolising the journey from the snow-capped Himalayan foothills to the ocean meeting point at Kanyakumari where three seas converge. • 💡 Option B (Vivek Express) is wrong because Vivek Express (Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari) holds the record for the longest distance of any Indian train at 4,282 km, so it is not the train connecting Jammu Tawi to Kanyakumari; Option C (Navyug Express) is wrong because Navyug Express operates on a short suburban-style route in Mumbai and has no connection to a Jammu–Kanyakumari service; Option D (Kanyakumari Express) is wrong because that train runs from Chennai to Kanyakumari, not from Jammu Tawi.

Correct Answer: B. First hospital on wheels

• **Lifeline Express (Jeevan Rekha Express)** = widely recognised as the world's 'first hospital on wheels,' this special medical train was launched in 1991 as a joint initiative of the Impact India Foundation, United Nations, and Indian Railways to bring healthcare to remote, medically underserved communities. • **Services provided** — the train offers surgeries for preventable disabilities (cataracts, cleft palate, orthopaedic conditions), cancer detection, immunisation, dental care, and health education; it parks at a station for days at a time while a medical camp operates from its coaches. • Over three decades, the Lifeline Express has conducted hundreds of camps, treated millions of patients in tribal and rural areas of states like Odisha, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, and is recognised as a global model for mobile healthcare delivery. • 💡 Option A (First flying hospital) is wrong because no train can fly — 'flying hospital' refers to airborne medical evacuation aircraft like air ambulances, an entirely different concept; Option C (First solar train) is wrong because the first solar-powered train in India was a different project on the Jodhpur–Bhildi narrow gauge line; Option D (First automated train) is wrong because automated or driverless trains are a separate technology category, unrelated to the Lifeline Express's medical mandate.

Correct Answer: B. Duronto

• **Duronto Express** = launched in September 2009 under Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, these were India's first 'point-to-point' non-stop express trains between major cities, with no intermediate passenger stops (freight and technical halts only). • **Name meaning and livery** — 'Duronto' is a Bengali word meaning 'restless' or 'unstoppable,' reflecting the non-stop concept; the trains sport a distinctive green and yellow colour scheme different from all other Indian Railways liveries. • The first Duronto ran between Sealdah (Kolkata) and Delhi; the service class mix includes AC 1st, AC 2-tier, AC 3-tier, and Sleeper, making it more accessible than Rajdhani at lower fares while still being faster than regular express trains. • 💡 Option A (Rajdhani) is wrong because Rajdhani Express has operated since 1969, a full 40 years before 2009, and was not described as India's first non-stop point-to-point service; Option C (Garib Rath) is wrong because Garib Rath was introduced in 2006 as a low-cost AC train, not as a non-stop service; Option D (Sampark Kranti) is wrong because Sampark Kranti dates from 2004 and focuses on state-capital connectivity with selected stops, not the non-stop model.

Correct Answer: B. Dhaka

• **Maitree Express (Dhaka)** = an international passenger train running between Kolkata (India) and Dhaka Cantonment (Bangladesh), inaugurated on 14 April 2008 (Pohela Boishakh, the Bengali New Year), reviving the historic Kolkata–Dhaka rail link that had been severed since the 1965 India-Pakistan war. • **'Maitree' meaning** — the name means 'friendship' in Sanskrit/Bengali, symbolising India–Bangladesh diplomatic and cultural bonds; the train crosses the Padma and Jamuna river regions and uses the Petrapole–Benapole border crossing. • The journey of approximately 375 km takes around 10–12 hours, covering the Gede (India)–Darshana (Bangladesh) border; it is one of only two operational rail links between India and Bangladesh, the other being the Bandhan Express. • 💡 Option A (Lahore) is wrong because the Kolkata–Lahore rail link has never been a commercial passenger service — the Samjhauta Express connects Delhi to Lahore, not Kolkata; Option C (Kathmandu) is wrong because Nepal has no rail link with Kolkata — the only India–Nepal rail link is a narrow-gauge line at Raxaul–Birganj; Option D (Thimphu) is wrong because Bhutan has no operational railway connection with India at all.

Correct Answer: A. Deccan Queen

• **Deccan Queen** = India's first train to be operated entirely by an all-woman staff for its regular scheduled service, introduced by Central Railway as a special initiative for Women's Day; it runs between Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Pune, one of India's busiest intercity corridors. • **Historical prestige** — launched in 1930, the Deccan Queen is one of India's oldest superfast trains and was the first train in India to have a dining car (restaurant car) and vestibule coaches, earning it the nickname 'Pride of the Deccan.' • The all-woman crew initiative covered loco pilots, guards, ticket collectors, catering staff, and station masters on its route, making it a landmark in women's empowerment in Indian Railways. • 💡 Option B (Matunga Express) is wrong because Matunga is famous for being India's first all-woman-staffed railway station, not a train with all-woman operational crew; Option C (Uday Express) is wrong because Uday (Utkrisht Double Decker Air-Conditioned Yatri) Express is a double-decker premium train with no record of all-woman staffing; Option D (Tejas Express) is wrong because Tejas Express is notable for being the first train operated by IRCTC as a private entity, not for all-woman staffing.