Pune: The 91st birthday of the iconic Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen Express on Monday was a low-key celebration considering the coronavirus pandemic. The train is in-operating since the lockdown was imposed and is parked in Mumbai Yard.
As the iconic train turns 91, the celebration took place in Pune.
The Deccan Queen is a tale of connecting the two major cities of Maharashtra that is Pune and Mumbai. June 1, 1930, was a major landmark in the history of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway as the first deluxe train was introduced on to serve two important cities of the region and was aptly named after Pune, which is also known as ‘Queen of Deccan’ (‘Dakkhan ki Rani’).
Usually, on a daily basis, the Deccan Queen departs every morning from Pune at 7.15 am and reaches the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai at 10.25 am. The return journey for the train starts from CSMT on the same evening at 5.10 pm and arrives back at Pune Junction at 8.25 pm.
Every year on its anniversary, the train is decorated with flowers, garland and balloons. The train arrives at the platform of the Pune Railway station with a band, and even cake is cut to celebrate the anniversary, and later it heads to its destiny. But, for the first time in over six decades, the celebration has been halted.
Speaking to Sakal Times, Harsha Shah, President of Railway Pravasi Group said, “I was five since then I am celebrating the birthday. Due to lockdown, the train is parked in Mumbai yard. To celebrate its anniversary this year, I was requesting authorities to bring the train from Mumbai to Pune for celebration, but it was not possible. We are celebrating Deccan Queen’s anniversary near my house following the social distancing norm and other precautionary measures of this pandemic.”
