My favorite Indian Train Names ....

There's nothing quite like an Indian train journey and I have always been fascinated by the colorful names Indian trains possess ... Some of my favorites ...

Agniveena Express : Howrah - Asansol
(Name of work by Bengali poet Nazrul Islam)

Andaman Express : Jammu Tawi- Chennai
(Each state has a train named after it and as the Andamans are islands and cannot have train services from the mainland, but at least can have a train named for them!)

Black Diamond Express : Howrah - Dhanbad
(Coalfields in Dhanbad)

And there are four trains in Tamil Nadu, named after the four major dynasties that ruled it ...

Cheran Express: Chennai - Coimbatore
Pandyan Express: Chennai - Madurai
Pallavan Express: Chennai - Thiruchirapalli
Cholan Express : Chennai - Thiruchirapalli

Flying Ranee Express : Mumbai - Surat
This is possibly my favorite - I have travelled on this, and I must confess that this ranee has lost a lot of her steam ;-)

Grand Trunk Express : New Delhi - Chennai
(Name modeled on the famous Grand Trunk Road). Fun fact, this train is slower now than when it was first launched more than 50 years ago, largely because of the increased traffic.

Matsyagandha Express : Kurla - Mangalore
(The fisherman's daughter who was the mother of Vyasa the sage; literally, "fishy-smelling")

School Train : Kurseong - Darjeeling
Train to Darjeeling in the morning, returning in the late afternoon; Presumably from the number of school children that take it.

Chetak Express : New Delhi - Udaipur
(Named for the battlehorse of Maharana Pratap, ruler of Udaipur)