FIROZPUR (PUNJAB) TO MUMBAI (MAHARASHTRA) : FULL TRAIN JOURNEY : 12138 FIROZPUR CANTT - MUMBAI CSMT PUNJAB MAIL : LOCOMOTIVE CHANGE AT BATHINDA JUNCTION FROM LDH WDP-4D TWINS TO KALYAN WAP-7 : MADHYA PRADESH BUDNI GHAT FULL COVERAGE : INDIAN RAILWAYS.
12138/Punjab Mail
पंजाब मेल
FZR/Firozpur Cantt. Junction -- CSMT/Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (Mumbai)
The 12137 / 12138 Punjab Mail is a Mail train of Indian Railways – Central Railway zone that runs between Mumbai and Ferozpur in India. It operates as train number 12137 from Mumbai CST to Ferozpur and as train number 12138 in the reverse direction. It is among the two daily trains that connect Mumbai and Firozpur, the other being the Firozpur Janata Express.
With the opening of the Indian Midland Railway's broad-gauge line between Itarsi and Tundla on 1 March 1890, the first through communication on the broad gauge between Bombay and Delhi was established. At the outset, 2 through carriages from Bombay were attached to the East Indian Railway's 5 Up Howrah–Kalka Passenger at Tundla. From thereon, the train ran through to Kalka and Lahore with the name 5 Up Bombay mail. This pattern of operations continued until the early 1900s.
After the opening of the Agra–Delhi Chord railway in 1905, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway and the North Western State Railway started a new through service between Bombay and Lahore, going through Agra, Mathura, Ambala and Amritsar. The new service, christened The Punjab Mail, commenced operations from 15 March 1905.
From 1911, the Bombay, Baroda and Central Indian railway (BB&CIR) started operating a through train between Bombay and Peshawar, running through Baroda, Kota, Delhi and Bathinda, known as the Northern Express. In response, the Great Indian Peninsular Railway extended the Punjab Mail to run through to Peshawar. However, owing to the lack of line capacity, the Punjab Mail and the Northern Express ran together as a single train between Lahore and Peshawar.
Between 1928 and 1930, a flurry of changes took place in the train services between Bombay and Delhi. As a result of these changes, the Punjab Mail's run was terminated at Lahore from 1 March 1930. However, a bogie composite I and II class through carriage to Peshawar was still run on the Punjab Mail, being attached to the North Western Railway's mail train between Lahore and Peshawar.
From 1 April 1934, the Punjab Mail, which hitherto had been running through Ambala and Amritsar between Delhi and Lahore, was diverted to run through the BB&CIR's route through Bathinda and Ferozepore.
During the unrest following the partition of India, the Punjab Mail, along with a host of other trains running to Lahore and beyond, was terminated at Delhi. Shortly after the partition, the service was extended to Ferozepore on the India–Pakistan border. The train still runs on this route to this day.
The 12137/12138 Punjab Mail presently has 1 AC 1st Class cum AC 2 tier coach, 1 AC 2 tier coach, 1 AC 2 cum AC 3 tier coach, 5 AC 3 tier coaches, 10 Sleeper Class coaches, 2 General Unreserved coaches & 1 Pantry car.
The 12137 Punjab Mail covers the distance of 1930 kilometres in 34 hours 00 mins (56.76 km/hr) & in 33 hours 55 mins as 12138 Punjab Mail (56.90 km/hr).
The 12137/12138 Punjab Mail runs from Mumbai CSMT via Dadar Central, Kalyan, Igatpuri, Nasik Road, Jalgaon, Bhusawal, Khandwa, Harda, Itarsi Junction, Bhopal Junction, Ganj Basoda, Bina Junction, Jhansi Junction, Gwalior, Agra Cantonment, Mathura, Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Rohtak Junction, Jind Junction, Jakhal, Bathinda to Firozpur Cantonment.
Now it is hauled by a Kalyan / Ajni-based WAP-7 (HOG) equipped locomotive from Mumbai CSMT till Bathinda, handing over to a Ludhiana-based WDP-4D locomotive for its remainder journey until Firozpur Cantonment, and vice versa.
Firozepur Cantonment railway station (station code: FZR) is located in Firozepur district in the Indian state of Punjab and serves Firozepur, on the banks of the Sutlej River .
Firozpur Cantonment railway station is at an elevation of 200 metres (660 ft) and was assigned the code – FZR.
The Southern Punjab Railway Co. opened the Delhi–Bhatinda–Samasatta line in 1897. The line passed through Muktasar and Fazilka tehsils and provided direct connection through Samma Satta (now in Pakistan) to Karachi. The extension from the Macleodganj (later renamed Mandi Sadiqganj and now in Pakistan) railway line to Ludhiana was opened by the same company in 1905.
The Firozpur Cantonment-Jalandhar City branch line was opened in 1912.
Firozpur railway division covers a large area with railway lines under its jurisdiction – covering parts of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
