117-year-old first double-decker Flying Ranee Express becomes history

 This means that the new rake will no longer run as a double-decker. It will be the same as other Express trains that are running including Rajdhani, Tejas etc.

 On Sunday, Union Minister of State for Railways & Textile Darshana Jardosh along with MP from Kandivali Gopal Shetty flagged off the newly converted train from Mumbai Central station.

 Sumit Thakur, Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer, stated that the (Train No. 12921/12922) Mumbai Central–Surat Flying Ranee Express will run with newly converted LHB rakes from Mumbai Central on July 16 and from Surat on July 17.

 Meanwhile, the decision to replace the conventional rake with LHB rake was taken to make the travelling experience more comfortable, said the PRO.

 Adding to the historical aspect of this train, Thakur stated that the popular Mumbai – Surat Flying Ranee Express first started chugging in 1906. The train was named as Flying Ranee by the wife of the then District Superintendent of Bulsar (now Valsad) at Bombay Central before a large gathering.

 It was then stopped intermittently in between and has been on tracks ever since, circa 1950. This iconic train has been catering to the needs of the people between Mumbai and Surat with all dedication. In 1965, the Flying Ranee achieved another milestone when it was declared the fastest medium–distance train in the country.

 At the same time, it changed colour, and was given a distinct light and dark coat of blue by Western Railway. In November 1976, the train was painted a shade of light and dark green. It then started its run on electric traction from June 1977. On December 18, 1979, the Flying Ranee became the first train in the history of the Indian Railways to be attached with the double-decker coaches.

 This train is popular with passengers, merchants and traders as it connects the two commercial centres.

The new LHB train will comprise 21 coaches consisting of AC Chair Car (reserved), Second Class Seating (7 coaches will be reserved, 1 coach earmarked for First Class Monthly Season Tickets (MST) pass holders & 6 coaches will be unreserved) and General Second Class coaches (1 coach will be earmarked as General while 1 coach will be earmarked for Second Class MST pass holders, 1 coach for Ladies and one coach for Second Class MST Ladies pass holders). This change will provide comfort to the passengers and will also ensure an increase in safety, Thakur asserted.