Union railway minister Mamata Banerjee is leaving more than her imprint on the Indian Railways. Banerjee, a known painter in Kolkata, has designed the outward look of the new Duronto Express, non-stop trains to be launched on September 18 by the Trinamool chief and home minister P Chidambaram.
“The head coach of the train will have an abstract painting in primary colours denoting speed, in the middle of which will be a pair of legs, coloured blue, in a running stance,” a source in the railways said. “Mamata has designed the look,” he said.
Banerjee has often auctioned her paintings for various charities in Kolkata and was even seen dabbling in colours during the Trinamool’s agitation in Singur against the Tata motors plant there. In parliament too, in the middle of long-winded speeches, she is seen doodling on her notepad.
The launch of two Duronto trains, from Sealdah to New Delhi and from Chennai to Nizamuddin was first scheduled for September 14, but was pushed to September 18 after some officials pointed out that the earlier date was in the middle of the inauspicious shraddh or pitrapaksh period. “The railway minister does not care for such things but some officials advised her to pay heed to such beliefs,” said the source.
While Mamata will flag off the Sealdah-New Delhi Duronto train at Sealdah on September 18, Chidambaram will launch the Chennai-Nizamuddin Duronto on the same day in Chennai.
The introduction of this new train was announced in the Railway Budget 2009-10. Duronto will be of two types — fully air-conditioned reserved train and an AC and non-AC combined reserved train. The fare of the trains will include the cost of meals. The colour scheme of Duranto coaches is distinct from other railway coaches.
According to sources, the Duranto fare structure is being kept at less than Rajdhani though it includes food. The Delhi-Sealdah train will arrive a full half an hour earlier than the regular Rajdhani.
