Kolkata Mail


The Kolkata Mail is a daily train running between two metro cities Kolkata, in West Bengal and Mumbai, in Maharashtra. Numbered 12321/22, the train belongs to the superfast category and is operated by Eastern Railways.

Route

This train travels through Asansol, Gaya, Mughalsarai Junction, Allahabad Chheoki Junction, Katni Junction, Itarsi Junction, Bhusaval, Manmad Junction, and Kalyan to reach Mumbai CSMT, and vice versa.

Traction

An Itarsi based WAP-4 locomotive hauls the train from Mumbai CSMT to Katni Junction after which an Itarsi-based WDP-4D or Katni-based WDM 3A locomotive hauls the train until Mughalsarai Junction. From Mughalsarai, a Howrah based WAP-7 hauls the train for the remainder of its journey until Howrah.
Before 6 June 2015, this train was used to be hauled by a Kalyan-based WCAM 3 locomotive from Mumbai CSMT to Igatpuri.

History

Kolkata Mail as it is known now is one of the oldest train of Indian Railways with service of 150 years. This train was started by the British Indian Government on 7 March 1870 and was operated by the Great Indian Peninsular Railways. At that time this train was known as the Imperial Indian Mail and use to carry British Officers, Civil Servants, Diplomats and their family members from the then Bombay to Calcutta. At that time it was one of the most luxurious train of British India and the world. Later on after independence the name was changed to Bombay Mail, which then subsequently changed to Mumbai Mail after rechristening Bombay to Mumbai. Being a very popular train, Indian Railways has to start another train by the same name but via Nagpur. Later on to avoid confusion, Indian Railways changed its name to Kolkata Mail.