Gour Express
| Sealdah Junction - Malda Town Gour Express | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Service type | Express |
| Locale | West Bengal & Jharkhand |
| First service | April 1980, 20 |
| Current operator | Eastern Railway |
| Route | |
| Termini | Sealdah (SDAH) Malda Town (MLDT) |
| Stops | 12 |
| Distance travelled | 349 km (217 mi) |
| Average journey time | 8 hours in up direction, 7 hours 15 minutes in down direction. |
| Service frequency | Daily |
| Train number | 13153/13154 (to Malda Town) |
| On-board services | |
| Classes | First AC, Second AC, Third AC, Sleeper, Unreserved |
| Seating arrangements | Available |
| Sleeping arrangements | Available |
| Auto-rack arrangements | Available |
| Observation facilities | Large windows |
| Baggage facilities | Available |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | LHB coach |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Operating speed | 44 km/h (27 mph) average with halts |
Gour Express is an express train of the Indian Railways connecting the district of Kolkata with the district of Malda. The train covers a distance of 347.3 km (216 mi) up to Malda and back to Sealdah , Kolkata with the numbers 13153/54.
Timeline
The Gour Express commenced operations as a triweekly express service between Sealdah and Malda from 20 April 1980. The train proved successful and the then railway minister A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury played a key role in increasing the frequency of the service. On 2 October 1982, he flagged off the first run of the train as a daily service.
Important stoppages
- Sealdah
- Naihati Junction
- Bandel Junction
- Barddhaman Junction
- Bolpur Shantiniketan
- Ahmadpur Junction
- Sainthia Junction
- Rampurhat Junction
- Nalhati Junction
- Murarai
- Rajgram (only for 13154 service)
- Pakur
- New Farakka Junction
- Malda Town
Note: Bold letters indicates Major Railway Stations/Major Cities.
Routeing & Halts
| Station code | Station name |
13153[1] |
Distance from source in km |
Day |
13154[2] |
Distance from source in km |
Day | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrival | Departure | Arrival | Departure | ||||||
| SDAH | Sealdah | Source | 22:05 | 0 | 1 | 04:40 | Destination | 347.3 | 2 |
| NH | Naihati Junction | 22:50 | 22:53 | 38.1 | 1 | 03:34 | 03:36 | 309.2 | 2 |
| BDC | Bandel Junction | 23:30 | 23:35 | 46.5 | 1 | 02:46 | 02:50 | 300.2 | 2 |
| BWN | Barddhaman Junction | 00:50 | 00:55 | 113.9 | 2 | 01:41 | 01:46 | 233.4 | 2 |
| BHP | Bolpur Shantiniketan | 01:42 | 01:44 | 165.3 | 2 | 00:41 | 00:43 | 182 | 2 |
| RPH | Rampurhat Junction | 02:57 | 03:02 | 225.8 | 2 | 00:01 | 00:06 | 121.5 | 2 |
| NHT | Nalhati Junction | 03:15 | 03:17 | 239.9 | 2 | 23:34 | 23:36 | 107.3 | 1 |
| MRR | Murarai | 03:32 | 03:34 | 256.0 | 2 | 23:18 | 23:19 | 91.2 | 1 |
| RJG | Rajgram | --- | --- | 267.7 | 2 | 23:02 | 23:03 | 79.5 | 1 |
| PKR | Pakur | 03:56 | 03:58 | 279:2 | 2 | 22:46 | 22:48 | 68 | 1 |
| NFK | New Farakka Junction | 04:48 | 04:53 | 312.7 | 2 | 21:47 | 21:52 | 34.6 | 1 |
| MLDT | Malda Town | 6:05 | Destination | 347.3 | 2 | Source | 21:25 | 0 | 1 |
Timings
- 13153 leaves Sealdah around 22:05 everyday and reaches Malda Town at 6:05 next day.
- 13154 departs Malda Town around 21:25 everyday and reaches Sealdah at 4:40 next day.
Coach composition
The train consists of 21 passenger coaches. The train runs with the following coach composition -
- 1 Composite 1st A/C
- 3 A/C 2-tier coaches
- 2 A/C 3-tier coaches
- 9 Non-A/C sleeper coaches
- 4 Unreserved sleeper coaches (UR)
- 1 Luggage-cum-Guard coaches with unreserved seating (SLR)
- 1 End on Generation (EOG)
Of these, one Luggage-cum-Guard, one unreserved sleeper, three reserved non-A/C sleeper, one A/C 3-tier and one A/C 2-tier coach were used for the through service between Sealdah and Balurghat (now closed).[3]
Traction
As the route from Sealdah to Malda is fully electrified, it is hauled by a Howrah/Sealdah-based WAP-4/WAP-7 throughout its entire journey.
See also
- Old Malda Junction
- Sealdah railway station
- Malda Town railway station
- Gangarampur railway station
- Balurghat railway station