Title - Chennai – Bangalore AC Double Decker from April 25

Finally! Putting an end to one and a half years of waiting and speculation, Southern Railways has announced the starting date of the Chennai Central – Bangalore City – Chennai Central, Air Conditioned Double Decker Express! The train was announced in the 2010-11 union railway budget. And here comes the announcement!
The train will start running from Thursday, April 25 2013 from both Chennai and Bangalore!
Details of the Chennai – Bangalore – Chennai AC Double Decker Express:

Train Numbers: 22625 MAS – SBC/22626 SBC – MAS

Days of Service: Daily

Timings: The train 22625 will leave Chennai Central at 0725 in the morning every day to reach Bangalore City at 1330. Running time from MAS to SBC: 6 hours and 5 minutes!

In the return direction 22626 will leave Bangalore at 1440 in the afternoon to reach Chennai Central at 2045 in the evening. Running time from SBC to MAS: 6 hours and 5 minutes.

Composition: The train will consist of ten (10) fully air conditioned high capacity double decker coaches and two EOG cars at either end. The capacity of one Double Decker coach of the Indian Railways is 120 seats on three levels, so the capacity of this double decker train is 1200 people. The Locomotive Link for the AC Double Decker will be a 6350 hp WAP7 of the Royapuram (RPM) shed of SR.

Stoppages: Arakkonam Jn, Katpadi Junction, Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Jolarpettai Jn, Bangarapet Jn, Bangalore Krishnarajapuram, Bangalore Cantonment, Bangalore City. In the return direction the train will stop at Perambur also.

Reservation: The AC Double Decker is fully reserved and does not have General/Unreserved or non-AC coaches. The seats to this train come under the AC Chair Car category and can be reserved 120 days in advance like any other train through PRS counter, railway ticketing agents or the IRCTC website. Initial reservations will open on April 23 2013.

Ticket Prices from Chennai to Bangalore (and Bangalore to Chennai) on the AC Double Decker Express: Rs.470 (Adult) Rs.290 (Child) Rs.280 (Sr.Citizen Female) Rs.320 (Sr. Citizen Male)

Time Table of the 22625 Chennai – Bangalore Double Decker Express

Chennai Central (MAS) d: 0725, Arakkonam (AJJ) a:0828 d:0830, Katpadi (KPD) a;0918 d:0920, Ambur (AB) a:1003 d:1005, Jolarpettai (JTJ) a:1033 d:1035, Bangarapet (BWT) a:1143 d:1145, Krishnarajapuram (KJM) a:1233 d:1235, Bangalore Cantt (BNC) a:1300 d:1305, Bangalore City (SBC) a:1330

Time Table of the 22626 Bangalore – Chennai Double Decker Express

Bangalore City (SBC) d:1440, Bangalore Cantt (BNC) a:1449 d:1451, Krishnarajapuram (KJM) a:1500 d:1501, Bangarapet (BWT) a:1543 d:1545, Jolarpettai (JTJ) a:1700 d:1702, Ambur (AB) a:1727 d:1728, Katpadi (KPD) a:1813 d:1815, Arakkonam (AJJ) a:1908 d:1910, Perambur (PER) a:2008 d:2010, Chennai Central (MAS) a:2045
Running time a Major Disappointment

One of the major expectations about the AC Double Decker was its speed but it turned out to be disappointing as it seems that it is not as fast as it is made out to be. The Shatabdis are faster than the Double Decker by a full hour, the Lalbagh Express covers the Bangalore – Chennai distance in just 5 hours 45 minutes and is faster than the Double Decker by 20 minutes and the Brindavan Express takes the same time from SBC to MAS (6h 5m).

The Chennai – Bangalore double decker is only the fourth of its kind in India, with the Howrah – Ranchi, the Delhi – Jaipur and the Mumbai – Ahmedabad Double Deckers already in service, with the first one running empty. It is meant to be highly prestigious train and is meant to cater to busy routes which see a lot of daily passengers. The MAS-SBC route already has two Shatabdi Expresses and three daily daytime Intercities (Lalbagh, Brindavan and InterCity Expresses) running, every one of them full to capacity. This train will cater to the passengers who are willing to pay a bit more for extra speed and comfort (and of course, the view) and is sure to be a hit!

PS: Given the high slack time, expect delays by an average of 15 minutes en route.