Latest news with #DeccanQueen
India.com
a day ago
- General
- India.com
India's first deluxe train turns 95, only train with a dining car facility, the name is..., runs between...,top speed is...
Deccan Queen New Delhi: The magnificent Deccan Queen celebrated its 96th anniversary on June 1, 2025. Commonly known as the 'Queen of the Deccan,' this historic train continues to be a cherished link between Mumbai and Pune, symbolizing emotion, nostalgia, and engineering brilliance. To recall, the train was first flagged off on June 1, 1930, by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. The journey of Deccan Queen began from Kalyan to Pune and quickly earned her regal nickname. Initially called the 'Blue Bird Baby,' the train represented the pride of Maharashtra's cultural capital and became India's first deluxe train. This train, which connects two major cities, is not only a glorious part of railway history but also remains the first choice of passengers even today. 'Deccan Queen is not just a train, but an emotion. Over these 96 years, she has carried the memories of generations. Always known for her punctuality and comfort, she holds a special place in the hearts of people,' said Harsha Shah, President of the Railway Passengers Group. Here are some of the interesting facts about Deccan Queen: India's first deluxe train running between Mumbai and Pune, the 'Deccan Queen', completed a glorious 95 years on June 1. This train was launched in the year 1930, at a time when train travel in the country was considered a luxury. This train was launched by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. Later, it became a part of Central Railway. The train was named 'Deccan Queen', meaning 'Queen of the Deccan'. This train, which connects two major cities of Maharashtra — Mumbai and Pune — has retained both its identity and speed despite undergoing several technological changes and upgrades over time. Deccan Queen is the only train in India that still offers a dining car facility. The dining car is equipped with modern amenities such as microwave ovens, deep freezers, and toasters, along with table service. The dining tables, adorned with comfortable chairs and carpets, provide passengers with a restaurant-like experience.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
A tale of two cities: Deccan Queen turns 95
1 2 Mumbai: Deccan Queen, one of Central Railway's most prestigious and popular trains, turned 95 on Sunday. Introduced between Mumbai and Pune, the two premier cities of Maharashtra, on June 1, 1930, Deccan Queen was a major landmark in the history of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, the forerunner of Central Railway. This was the first deluxe train introduced on the railway to serve two important cities of the region and was aptly named Deccan Queen or Dakkan ki Rani. The train has the distinction of having many firsts to its credit. The Deccan Queen is the only running train with the facility of a dining car, which offers table service and has modern pantry facilities such as a microwave oven, deep freezer, and toaster. The dining car is tastefully furnished with cushioned chairs and carpet. "Coaches with roller bearings were introduced for the first time in this train in the past. End-on generation coaches were replaced with self-generating coaches with a 110-volt system for the first time. First and second class chair cars were introduced," said CR chief spokesperson Swapnil Nila The Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen was attached with a Vistadome coach with effect from August 15, 2021, providing passengers a golden opportunity for a wonderful view of the breathtaking scenery as the train traversed through the Western Ghats. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo All the conventional coaches of Deccan Queen Express were replaced with LHB coaches in June 2022 under Project Utkrisht, with modern facilities like LED lights, bio toilets, Braille signages, etc. The train now runs with a revised composition of sixteen coaches: three AC chair cars, nine second class chair cars, one Vistadome coach, one dining car, one general second class cum guard's brake van, and a generator car, said a CR spokesperson. "It is always a pleasure travelling by this popular train to Pune and also back to Mumbai. In fact, many passengers like me are happy with the punctuality of this train besides the comfort it offers for a pleasant ride," said Sumita Desai, a Mulund resident who travels to Pune regularly as she has a second home there. Additionally, some passengers travel daily from Pune on monthly passes and hold govt and semi-govt jobs in the city.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Special place for Deccan Queen among Punekars as commuters celebrate train's birthday
COMMUTERS and die-hard fans of the Deccan Queen, the express train which runs between Pune and Mumbai, celebrated its birthday in style on platform number one at Pune Railway station. The celebrations were held from as early as 6.30 in the morning. The Deccan Queen on June 1, 2025 completed 95 years and entered its 96th year. The train was started on June 1, 1930. The train, in all these years, had only one major mishap in 1990, when a few bogies had jumped tracks at Khandala Ghat. 'In the initial years, it had seven coaches… Now it has 16 coaches. It is one of the oldest trains being run in the country. It always leaves on time and is therefore highly popular among commuters, especially office-goers and businessmen and women,' said Harsha Shah, president of the Railway Pravasi Group, which every year takes the initiative to celebrate the train's birthday. The train leaves Pune railway station at 7.10 in the morning and reaches Mumbai at 10.40 am. And it was no different on Sunday as loyal passengers who have regularly travelled to Mumbai from Pune for years and fans of the train gathered ahead of the train's leaving for Mumbai at Pune Railway Station. They decorated the train with festoons and ribbon. The train was garlanded as well. As the crowd swelled and cellphones captured the enthusiastic moment, a cake was cut in the presence of Railway officials, activists and commuters. Some commuters even broke into an impromptu jig as the band in attendance spiked their tempo. Shah said she was just five years old when she first travelled with her uncle to Mumbai. 'And since then, for decades now, I have always preferred the Deccan Queen or Dakkhan Ki Rani to travel to Mumbai. The train has a dinning car with table service which very few in the country boast of… The passengers who regularly travel have formed a special bond among themselves,' she said. Speaking about the mishap in 1990, Shah said, 'Deccan Queen has been the safest train for commuters. I do not remember any major mishap with the train except in 1990 when some 10 bogies had jumped track in Khandala Ghat following heavy rain. There were no casualties,' she said. 'I am a fan of Deccan Queen…It is my favourite train,' said another commuter. Shah said commuters who travel by Deccan Queen consider it as part of their family. 'The passengers have a special place for Deccan Queen in their hearts,' she said. Shah said the enthusiasm among commuters and fans in celebrating the birthday of the train remained intact. 'They all turn up on their own. Each one it seems waits to celebrate the birthday of their Deccan Queen,' she said. Manoj More has been working with the Indian Express since 1992. For the first 16 years, he worked on the desk, edited stories, made pages, wrote special stories and handled The Indian Express edition. In 31 years of his career, he has regularly written stories on a range of topics, primarily on civic issues like state of roads, choked drains, garbage problems, inadequate transport facilities and the like. He has also written aggressively on local gondaism. He has primarily written civic stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad, Khadki, Maval and some parts of Pune. He has also covered stories from Kolhapur, Satara, Solapur, Sangli, Ahmednagar and Latur. He has had maximum impact stories from Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial city which he has covered extensively for the last three decades. Manoj More has written over 20,000 stories. 10,000 of which are byline stories. Most of the stories pertain to civic issues and political ones. The biggest achievement of his career is getting a nearly two kilometre road done on Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki in 2006. He wrote stories on the state of roads since 1997. In 10 years, nearly 200 two-wheeler riders had died in accidents due to the pathetic state of the road. The local cantonment board could not get the road redone as it lacked funds. The then PMC commissioner Pravin Pardeshi took the initiative, went out of his way and made the Khadki road by spending Rs 23 crore from JNNURM Funds. In the next 10 years after the road was made by the PMC, less than 10 citizens had died, effectively saving more than 100 lives. Manoj More's campaign against tree cutting on Pune-Mumbai highway in 1999 and Pune-Nashik highway in 2004 saved 2000 trees. During Covid, over 50 doctors were asked to pay Rs 30 lakh each for getting a job with PCMC. The PCMC administration alerted Manoj More who did a story on the subject, asking then corporators how much money they story worked as doctors got the job without paying a single paisa. Manoj More has also covered the "Latur drought" situation in 2015 when a "Latur water train" created quite a buzz in Maharashtra. He also covered the Malin tragedy where over 150 villagers had died. Manoj More is on Facebook with 4.9k followers (Manoj More), on twitter manojmore91982 ... Read More
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Heavy rains disrupt train services in Pune division
Continuous heavy rainfall across Maharashtra over the past one week has severely impacted both road and rail transportation, leading to major disruptions in train schedules and considerable inconvenience to passengers. On Monday, several short- and long-distance trains from Pune, including the iconic Deccan Queen, were delayed by as much as seven to eight hours, throwing the railway timetable into disarray and straining railway infrastructure. Pune and the surrounding districts have been experiencing relentless rainfall since the past one week. The heavy downpour has particularly affected train services along the Pune-Mumbai railway corridor. On Monday, waterlogging at several stations in Mumbai caused severe delays for trains arriving from and departing toward northern India. While some trains appeared only marginally late at Pune station, they ultimately reached their final destination/s with delays ranging from three to four hours, stranding passengers inside coaches and at stations for extended periods. Frustrated passengers voiced their complaints on social media, highlighting their ordeal and calling attention to the lack of preparedness. The situation was further compounded by the summer vacation rush, with a surge in passenger traffic on all major routes. To manage the crowd, the Pune railway division had introduced special trains toward northern destinations. However, the persistent rain rendered these efforts ineffective, with cascading delays affecting even regular scheduled trains. One of the most affected services was the Deccan Queen (train number 12124) which departs from Pune station daily at 7:15 a.m. Though it left on time, the train reached Lonavala 22 minutes late due to rain-related issues. Further delays were caused by flooding near Kalyan, Kurla, and Masjid Bunder, where the train was halted for nearly an hour and fifteen minutes. Ultimately, it arrived in Mumbai two hours and 34 minutes late, severely affecting daily commuters heading to offices and business engagements. Ramesh Kamble, a daily commuter working in Mumbai, said, 'I board the Deccan Queen almost every day to reach my office in Mumbai. Today, despite leaving Pune on time, we were stranded near Kalyan for over an hour. I reached my office nearly three hours late and missed an important client meeting. It is frustrating because this isn't a one-off incident every monsoon; the same thing happens. The authorities need to upgrade the drainage and signalling systems so that we aren't left helpless year after year.' While Harsha Shah, president of the Railway Pravasi Group, said, 'Passengers are suffering due to poor infrastructure and lack of contingency planning. Many rely on these trains for their daily commute, and delays of this magnitude create a cascading effect on work, family, and even health-related plans. The railway authorities need to act swiftly to resolve these recurring monsoon issues.'
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Time of India
Kolhapur held a special place in Narilkar's heart
Kolhapur : In his 2016 memoir " My Tale Of Four Cities ", written in English, renowned cosmologist Jayant Narlikar recounted his life across Varanasi, Cambridge, Mumbai and Pune. He also dedicated a chapter, "Summer Vacations in Kolhapur", to his cherished annual visits to his ancestral hometown : Kolhapur. Narlikar noted that despite opportunities to visit other tourist destinations, his parents consistently chose Kolhapur — their hometown for three generations before his father. These trips, beginning in 1938, would last for around two to three months. The journey from Varanasi involved taking the Bombay Mail to Bombay, then the Deccan Queen or Poona Mail to Pune, followed by an overnight trip on the Pune-Kolhapur Mail. Upon arrival, Narlikar, his sister and brother Anant would stay at Huzurbazar Wada at the foot of Bhende Galli, while his father, Vishnu, resided in the ancestral Narlikar Bhavan on Mahadwar Road. Narlikar was also born in Kolhapur at the Dabholkar Nursing Home . Narlikar also fascinated train journeys. "There were special saloons belonging to the royal family of Kolhapur, standing on the tracks. We would try to climb them to catch glimpses of the luxurious fittings inside," wrote Narlikar, who wished he could travel in such luxury and mentioned that his wish was fulfilled in 1986 when he travelled on the engine of the Koyna Express on the Pune-Lonavala sector. In his book, Narlikar remembers visiting Temblai Hill, from the top of which they could see a panoramic view of the city. On the way back, his father treated them with Amboli, a special version of dosa, for the kids. Despite attempts to learn swimming, Narlikar and his brother Anant were deterred by their fear of the Panchganga river. Their mother and sister ultimately ended their lessons, a decision that brought relief to a young Narlikar. He later recalled in his book that leaving Kolhapur for Varanasi was a painful experience for him. Uday Kulkarni, a veteran journalist and activist, said, "Three generations of Narlikars spent their lives in Kolhapur. The Narlikars' wada was trimmed during road widening and then redeveloped as Narlikar Bhavan. When he became well-known in the field of science, we used to call him for lectures in Vidnyan Prabhodini. He used to deliver lectures for free, and whenever we mailed the fees, he politely returned them. The people of Kolhapur recognised his contribution and publicly felicitated him with the Kolhapur Bhushan and Rajarshi Shahu Puraskar."
