Service type Superfast Stops 15 | Current operator(s) Western Railway zone Distance travelled 1,600 km (990 mi) | |
Start Ahmedabad Junction (ADI) End Varanasi Junction (BSB) | ||
The Sabarmati Express is an express train which connects the city of Ahmedabad, India to Varanasi city in the northern state of Bihar through Jhansi. The train may take up to two days to complete the journey. It travels through Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh via Ratlam Junction, Ujjain Junction, Guna Junction, Kanpur Central, Lucknow Charbagh, Ayodhya, Faizabad.
Contents
It enters Gujarat from Dahod railway station then Godhra, Vadodara and Ahmedabad.
History
On 27 February 2002, the train was stopped outside Godhra Junction railway station because of the emergency chain being pulled. The train was then attacked and four coaches were burned by a large mob. It has been alleged that the attack was the result of a conspiracy hatched by local Muslims.
58 people, including some Hindu pilgrims who were returning from the holy city of Ayodhya, were trapped and killed in the burning train. That incident is perceived as the trigger for the widespread 2002 Gujarat riots that followed in Godhra as well as the rest of Gujarat in which more than a thousand individuals died, thousands more were rendered homeless and property worth hundreds of crores was lost.
Route and halts
The important halts of the train are :
Coach composite
The train consist of 22 coaches :
Traction
As the route is yet to be fully electrified, it is hauled by a Ratlam Diesel Loco Shed based WDM 3A from Varanasi up to Ratlam handing over to a Vadodara Electric Loco Shed based WAP-4 locomotive for the remainder of the journey until Ahmedabad.
Direction Reversal
Train Reverses its direction 2 times: