#Knowyourtrain
12658 Bangalore-Chennai Mail
Bangalore-chennai Mail is one of the highly demanded and fastest train on the 360 km strech between Bangalore and Chennai running at an average speed of 60kmph. This train introduced in the British era between the 2 South Indian cities of Chennai and Bangalore i.e from their Coastal City to their Military City.
Under the Indian Railways this...
more... train came under the Southern Zone and was run as the 07/08 Mail which later became 6007/08 Chennai-Bangalore-chennai Mail with maintainence at Chennai Central. To prevent the train from idiling at Bangalore City, the train was made to return as 6023/24 Express from Bangalore which ran in the day time between the cities. The Express from chennai used to leave in the afternoon to return as mail from Bangalore
The top speed train of Brindavan introduced to take 5.5 hours between the cities later on reduced to 6 hour runs. the Jolarpettai-Bangalore section was un-electrified and Brindavan being a SF used to get Twin diesels for its Deccan plateau ascent. Mail however, the convinient train with the slow possible timings of 7 hours for 360 kmph used to get a single diesel loco in the 1990's. the timings followed then were SBC: 22:15hrs MAS: 05:15 Return MAS 22:10hrs SBC 05:10 hrs. The same continued till 2003
In 2003 the base shifted and for a very short period the train ran with 65xx numbering and Express at this time had changed its RSA with the 12608 Superfast. the timing of mail was revised to 22:40 departure at Bangalore city and 22:45 departure at Chennai in this period.
In December of the same year(Also the year when TAAG was released twice regular in July and revised again in December) the train was made a SF with the timings quite similar to present timings. ever since its become a SF cateogory, Mail has lost its reputation of keeping to its time and has got a new reputation of early arrivals especially towards Chennai with regular arrivals of 20 minutes ahead of schedule into Chennai Centralwith minor delays. Sharing its rakes with 12627/28 SWR's pride Karnataka Express, mail faces issues during fogs or heavy monsoons which delay Karnataka but same lasts for very short period