en Andaman Express

Andaman Express
Overview
Service type	Express
First service	1 May 1988; 36 years ago (initial service); 3 September 2015; 9 years ago (extended to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra);
Current operator(s)	Southern Railway
Route
Termini	MGR Chennai Central (MAS); Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra (SVDK)
Stops	69
Distance travelled	2,877 km (1,788 mi)
Average journey time	55 hours 40 minutes
Service frequency	Tri-weekly
Train number(s)	16031 / 16032
On-board services
Class(es)	AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper class, General Unreserved
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	On-board catering, ; E-catering
Observation facilities	Rake sharing with 16093/16094 Gomtisagar Express
Baggage facilities	No
Other facilities	Below the seats
Technical
Rolling stock	ICF coach
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Operating speed	50 km/h (31 mph) average including halts.
Route map
Route map

The 16031 / 16032 Andaman Express is a long-distance express train in India, connecting the cities of Chennai in Tamil Nadu and Katra, Jammu and Kashmir.

It is the slowest train between Delhi and Chennai.

History

The train is named after the Andaman Islands of the country situated off the Eastern coast.

It has been extended to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra of Jammu and Kashmir on 3 September 2015.^[1]

In 2013, an exclusive air-conditioned coach was added to the train for CAPF and other police forces for the first time in the Indian Railways.

It is hauled by an Arakkonam Loco Shed-based WAP-4 or Royapuram Loco Shed- based WAP-7 electric locomotive from end to end.

The train runs three times weekly, covering a distance of 2,848 kilometres (1,770 mi) at an average speed of 50 km/h with over 79 intermediate halts in between including important stations such as Vijayawada, Warangal, Balharshah, Nagpur, Betul, Itarsi, Bhopal, Jhansi, Agra, Mathura, New Delhi, Ambala Cantonment, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Jammu Tawi, Udhampur.