Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari Vivek Express
Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari Vivek Express is a weekly Express train of the Vivek Express series the Indian Railways which runs from Dibrugarh in India's north eastern state Assam to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu the southernmost state of India. In close to 80 hours the train covers a distance of 4,218.6 kilometres (2,621.3 mi) and traverses through nine states in India.[1] This train currently holds the record of being the longest running train route in the Indian Subcontinent both in terms of distance as well as time. The train has 56 halts across its route.
 Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari Vivek Express at Guwahati | |||||
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Express | ||||
| Status | Active | ||||
| Locale | Assam, Bihar, Nagaland, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala & Tamil Nadu | ||||
| First service | 19 November 2011 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Northeast Frontier Railway | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Start | Dibrugarh (DBRG) | ||||
| Stops | 58 | ||||
| End | Kanyakumari (CAPE) | ||||
| Distance travelled | 4,219 km (2,622 mi) | ||||
| Average journey time | 82hr 50min | ||||
| Service frequency | Weekly, Saturday | ||||
| Train number(s) | 15905/15906 | ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Class(es) | AC 2 tier, AC 3 tier, Sleepar Class, General Unreserved | ||||
| Seating arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Catering facilities | Pantry car On-board Catering E-Catering | ||||
| Baggage facilities | Available | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | LHB coaches | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
| Operating speed | 51 km/h (32 mph) | ||||
| |||||
Loco ReversalEdit
The train reverses its direction only once at Visakhapatnam Junction
HistoryEdit
Vivek Express are four pairs of Express Trains on the Indian Railways network. These trains were announced in the Railway Budget of 2011-12 by the then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee. These trains were started to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Vivek express also holds another place in the history of indian railways, as being the last train to halt its services, when the entire indian railway passenger services came to standstill following the COVID19 pandemic and the subsequent national wide lockdown in March 2020.
RouteEdit
Dibrugarh - Kanyakumari Vivek Express joins Dibrugarh in Assam, North-East India to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu which is the southernmost tip of Mainland India. The train No:15906 starts from Dibrugarh at 22:45 PM and reaches Kanyakumari at 9:50 AM on the fifth day of journey. In the return direction the train no: 15905 leaves Kanyakumari at 23:00 PM and reaches Dibrugarh at 07:15 AM on the fifth day. The train travels through the states of Assam, Nagaland, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It passes through important cities such as Tinsukia, Dimapur, Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Alipurduar, New Jalpaiguri Junction, Kishanganj, Malda, Rampurhat, Barddhaman Junction, Dankuni Junction, Kharagpur, Balasore, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Brahmapur, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Samalkot, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Vijayawada, Ongole, Nellore, Renigunta, Vellore, Salem, Erode, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrissur, Aluva, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Chengannur, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Nagercoil.
Coach compositionEdit
It now runs with modern LHB rakes. The coach composition is
- 3 general coaches
- 11 sleeper coaches
- 1 pantry coach
- 1 AC 2-Tier
- 4 AC 3-Tier
- 2 End On Generators(Only for lhb coaches only)
TractionEdit
Due to partial electrification of route, A Diesel Loco Shed, Siliguri-based WDP-4D hauls the train from Dibrugarh to till New Jalpaiguri Junction after which a Electric Loco Shed, Sealdah-based WAP-7 hauls the train till Visakhapatnam Junction after which a Electric Loco Shed, Arakkonam or Electric Loco Shed, Erode based WAP 4 takes the twoards the reaminig part of the journey till Kanniyakumari.