Deccan Queen completes 81-year reign

Deccan Queen, one of the country’s first deluxe trains — plying between Mumbai and Pune — completed 81 years of service on Wednesday.

Deccan Queen, one of the country’s first deluxe trains — plying between Mumbai and Pune — completed 81 years of service on Wednesday.

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Once considered among the fastest trains, it has served millions of passengers over the years, many of whom have are very attached to it.

“Even today the Deccan Queen is the fastest way to travel between Mumbai and Pune. The best thing about the train is that it is integral to passengers’ lives. We will make sure that this train always keeps the two cities connected," said V Malegaonkar, chief public relations officer of Central Railway.

“Whenever I go to Mumbai, I always take the Deccan Queen. The journey is most enjoyable,” said Latika Kulkarni, a resident of Pune.

The train is named after Pune, which is also called the Queen of Deccan, or Dakkhan chi Rani. The Deccan Queen we see today is known for its distinctive cream and oxford blue colour-scheme, with a red band above the window.

However, when the train was first introduced, it had seven coaches, one of which was painted in silver, with a scarlet moulding, and the rest with royal blue and gold line.

The number of coaches in the train was also increased to 12 and has, over the years, gone up to 17.