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 modelled on the famous Grand Trunk Road)

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)