Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line

External videos
External videos
	Howrah Mumbai Mail speeding through the Gangetic plains

Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line
Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line
	Jabalpur Junction an important railway station on Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar,; Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra
Termini	Howrah; Mumbai CST;
Website	[1]
Service
System	Fully electrified
Operator(s)	Eastern Railway, East Central Railway, North Central Railway, West Central Railway, Central Railway
Depot(s)	Kalyan Junction railway station, Bhusawal, Itarsi Junction railway station, Katni
History
Opened	1870
Technical
Line length	Since 2004 2,160 km (1,342 mi). Before 2004 2,146 km (1,333 mi)
Number of tracks	4 in Bardhaman–Asansol section & Kalyan–Mumbai CST section ; 3 in Howrah–Bardhaman chord, Gaya–Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction section, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction-Prayagraj section & Bhusawal–Kalyan section ; 2 in Asansol–Gaya section, Prayagraj–Jabalpur section & Jabalpur–Bhusaval section
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Electrification	Fully electrified
Operating speed	up to 130 km/h (81 mph)
Highest elevation	Lowest at Howrah 8 metres (26 ft) (approx). Highest at Thull Ghats 1,849 feet (564 m) (approx)
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	Nagpur–Bhusawal
	section
	Maharashtra
	Madhya Pradesh
	Madhya Pradesh
	Uttar Pradesh
	Uttar Pradesh
	Bihar
	Bihar
	Jharkhand
	Jharkhand
	West Bengal
	Bardhaman–Asansol
	section
	Howrah–Bardhaman chord &
	Howrah–Bardhaman main line
	Source: Indian Railway Time Table

The Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line, (formerly known as Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line) ^{[importance?]} is a railway line connecting Kolkata and Mumbai via Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad). The 2,160-kilometre long (1,340 mi) railway line was opened to traffic in 1870. This railway line was 2,146-kilometre long (1,333 mi) until 2004. In 2004 the construction of Indira Sagar Dam submerged the old alignment near Khandwa & a new alignment of 14-kilometre long (8.7 mi) was relaid.

Sections

For more detailed study the cross-country line has been divided into smaller sections:

History

The first train in India traveled from Bombay to Thane on 16 April 1853. By May 1854, Great Indian Peninsula Railway's Bombay–Thane line was extended to Kalyan. It was extended to Khopoli via Palasdhari in 1855. Bhusawal station was set up in 1860 and Pune connected in 1863. In Eastern India, construction of the Howrah–Delhi main line was completed and through connection between Delhi and Kolkata was established in 1865. The last link was the bridge across the Yamuna at Prayagraj. In 1866 Bhusawal-Khandwa section was opened and GIPR also extended its operations to Nagpur. East Indian Railway, which had established the Howrah–Allahabad–Delhi line, opened the Allahabad–Jabalpur branch line in June 1867. GIPR connection over the Thull Ghat reached Jabalpur from Itarsi on 7 March 1870, linking up with EIR track there from Allahabad, and establishing connectivity between Mumbai and Kolkata.^[1]^[2]

The Bengal Nagpur Railway was formed in 1887 for the purpose of upgrading the Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway and then extending it via Bilaspur to Asansol, in order to develop a shorter Howrah–Mumbai route than the one via Allahabad.^[3] The Bengal Nagpur Railway main line from Nagpur to Asansol, on the Howrah–Delhi main line, was opened for goods traffic on 1 February 1891.^[4] It was only after Kharagpur was linked from the west and the south that it was connected to Howrah in 1900.

The opening of this track was part of the inspiration for the French writer Jules Verne's book Around the World in Eighty Days. At the opening ceremony, the Viceroy Lord Mayo concluded that "it was thought desirable that, if possible, at the earliest possible moment, the whole country should be covered with a network of lines in a uniform system."

Electrification

In August 1976, the New Delhi–Howrah route (via Grand Chord), and that includes the Howrah–Allahabad section of the Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line, was the first trunk route in the country to be completely electrified with AC traction. Electrification of Itarsi - Jabalpur - Allahabad was proposed in Railway Budget of 2011. The entire route was divided into sections and electrification was completed in parts. In March 2020, electrification of last remaining stretch betweek Katni Jn. and Satna was also done, thereby the Howrah Allahabad Mumbai route became completely electrified.^[5]

Speed limits

Most of the Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line and Howrah–Bardhaman chord (the line is common with this line up to Allahabad) is classified as 'A' class line where trains can run up to 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph) but in certain sections speeds may be limited to 120–130 kilometres per hour (75–81 mph). The line from Bhusawal to Mumbai is also classified as 'A' class. The Allahabad–Bhusawal sector is classified as 'B' class where trains can run up to 130 km/h.^[6]

Calcutta Mail

The Imperial Indian Mail (now called 12321 up /12322 down Howrah–Mumbai Mail via Jabalpur), running on this route, was possibly the first named train of Indian Railways. The Mumbai–Howrah Mail via Allahabad is called Calcutta Mail between Mumbai and Allahabad, and Mumbai Mail (some still call it by its old name, Bombay Mail) between Allahabad(Now Prayagraj) and Howrah. It is still running for 151 years as the oldest active train on this route covering 2,160-kilometre long (1,340 mi) distance in 37 hours & 30 mins with an average running speed of 57.6 kilometres per hour (35.8 mph) .^[7]^[8]