For passengers in India, trains are not only common but also the most comfortable and cheap mode of transport for long distance journeys. The Indian Railways has been transforming the quality of trains to better facilitate the passenger journeys. From express trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express to Vande Bharat Express, trains have been modernised to a bigger extent. On a daily average, the Indian Railways operates around 3,000 express trains.
The origin of Indian Railways dates to the British rule era, that is, it is 160 years old with the first passenger train in India started from Boree Bunder in Mumbai to Thane on April 16, 1853. This pioneering journey laid the foundation for India’s vast railway system, which has expanded over time to become one of the world’s largest, ranking fourth globally.
Howrah-Kalka Mail is India’s oldest running passenger train. It started its journey 158 years back. It connects Howrah in West Bengal’s capital Kolkata to Kalka, a quaint town in Haryana’s Panchkula district.
It started its operations on January 1, 1866, and was first known as Howrah-Peshawar Express. It first started from Howrah and its destination was Delhi which later extended from Delhi to Kalka in 1891. The Howrah-Kalka Mail is a historic train as it started in the the British era, when it was mainly used by British officials to travel from Kolkata, the then capital of India, to Shimla, the British summer capital.
Howrah-Kalka Mail is not the train’s original name, that changed over three times. Initially, it was called, East India Railway Mail, and then renamed to Kalka Mail. It is said that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose boarded this train from Gomoh, in the Dhanbad district, to escape the British administration in 1941.
It got its latest name in 2021 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi led central government renamed the Howrah-Kalka Mail, as the ‘Netaji Express’ on the freedom fighter’s 125th birth anniversary as a tribute to him.
Spanning over a century, this iconic train has borne witness to India’s transformation from colonial era to independence and modernity. For those seeking a nostalgic voyage, the Howrah-Kalka Mail offers a one-of-a-kind journey, weaving through India’s heart and reviving memories of a bygone era.
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THIS is India’s oldest train, has 158 years old history, it runs from…
