Golden Temple Mail old name. Today, if we talk about convenient and semi-high speed train, the first name that comes to mind is Vande Bharat. However, along with this, names of trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Tejas also come up among the premium trains. But before independence, when these trains did not exist, one of the most favorite trains was ‘Frontier Mail’. Apart from British officers, affluent Indians also used to travel by this train. Today this train is running in the name of Golden Temple Express.
One of the most prestigious, fast and comfortable trains of the British era was the Frontier Mail, which started in 1929. At that time this train ran between Mumbai (then Bombay) and Peshawar. That is, it was the main train connecting the North-West Frontier Province (now Pakistan) to India, hence it was named Frontier Mail. This can be gauged from the fact that in 1930, ‘The Times’ of London described it as the most famous among the express trains running in the British Empire.
Today the train runs from Golden Temple Mail.
How many days did it take to complete the journey?
The distance from Mumbai to Peshawar was about 2600 kilometers. The train took about 60 hours to complete this entire journey. Initially the train used to stop in big cities like Delhi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. In this way, it was prominent among trains covering long distances.
How were the coaches cooled?
At that time, since this train was the favorite train of rich people, bureaucrats and during the British rule. Passengers should not face any problem in traveling in this train in summer. For this reason, air-conditioned coaches were added to it in 1934, making it India’s first AC train. Not only this, even before this, special arrangements were made to cool the coaches. At that time the floor was filled with snow, so that the coaches remained cool and the passengers felt warm. This facility was available in first class and dining coaches. Rich people used to travel in this class.
- Today Vande Bharat Express is the most special, but before independence, Frontier Mail was the most favorite.
- This train started in 1928, which ran from Mumbai to Peshawar.
- In 1930, ‘The Times’ of London described it as the most famous express train of the British Empire.
- The train took about 60 hours to complete the entire journey.
- AC coaches were added to the train in 1934, making it India’s first AC train.
How far does the train run today?
After the partition of 1947, both the route and name of this train changed. Since Peshawar went to Pakistan, trains could not go there. For this reason it was decided to limit the train to Amritsar. The special thing is that its name was not changed and it continued running between Mumbai and Amritsar under the name of Frontier Mail.
When was the name changed
After independence, the train continued to run under the old name for about 49 years, but in 1996, it was decided to change the name of this train and Indian Railways named it ‘Golden Temple Mail’, this name was kept because of the famous religious place Golden Temple in Amritsar. Today this is the main train from Mumbai to Amritsar.
How many hours does it take to complete the journey?
This train running between Mumbai Central to Amritsar Junction completes the total journey of 1893 km in about 31 hours. Keeping in mind the convenience of the passengers, it has been fitted with LHB coaches which are also better in terms of safety. It has 22 to 24 coaches including first, second and third AC, sleeper and general class coaches. In this way, the first AC coaches are being installed in this train for almost 97 years.
When was Frontier Mail started?
The train was introduced in 1928–1929.
From where to where did Frontier Mail run earlier?
From Mumbai (then Bombay) to Peshawar (North-West Frontier Province, now Pakistan).
Why was Frontier Mail so named?
Because of its connection to the North-West Frontier Province, hence the name Frontier Mail.
Earlier, how much time did the journey take to complete?
The 2600 km distance from Mumbai to Peshawar was covered in about 60 hours.
Why is Frontier Mail considered to be India’s first AC train?
Air-conditioned coaches were added in 1934; Earlier, coaches were cooled by filling ice on the floor.
Where is the stoppage?
During the entire journey, this train stops at major cities like Surat, Vadodara, Ratlam, Kota, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. Even today it is one of the VIP trains.
Why did people mix their watches with the train?
Regarding the train, it is said that the watch may be late but not the train. This is the reason why people used to adjust their watches after seeing the train. Regarding the punctuality of this train, it goes so far that once the train was late by 15 minutes, orders were given to investigate it. Not only this, according to railway archives, when Frontier Mail reached Mumbai, special lighting was done from tall buildings to give information about its safe arrival.
