Boat Mail Express
| Boat Mail Express | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Boat Mail Express at
Chennai Egmore Railway Station Platform No. 9 | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Service type | Mail/Express | ||||
| System | Indian Railways | ||||
| Status | Active | ||||
| Locale | Tamil Nadu | ||||
| Predecessor | Indo-Ceylon Express, Boat Mail Express | ||||
| First service | 24 February 1914 | ||||
| Last service | Operation till now | ||||
| Successor | Rameswaram Express | ||||
| Current operator | Southern Railway (Indian Railways) | ||||
| Former operators | South Indian Railway (SIR) & Ceylon Government Railway (CGR) | ||||
| Ridership | Mail/express | ||||
| Website | http://www.indianrailways.gov.in | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Termini | Chennai Egmore (MS) Rameswaram (RMM) | ||||
| Stops | 20 | ||||
| Distance travelled | 665 km (413 mi) | ||||
| Average journey time | 12 hours 30 minutes | ||||
| Service frequency | Daily | ||||
| Train number | 16751/16752 | ||||
| Line used | Main Line | ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Classes |
| ||||
| Disabled access |  | ||||
| Seating arrangements | Yes (un-reserved compartment) | ||||
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes (berth) | ||||
| Catering facilities | E-catering
| ||||
| Observation facilities | Large windows | ||||
| Entertainment facilities | No | ||||
| Baggage facilities | Available | ||||
| Other facilities | Bio toilet | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | Locomotive: WAP 4 (AJJ) Bogie:ICF coach | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
| Electrification | 25 kV AC, 50 Hz (high voltage traction) | ||||
| Operating speed | 59 km/h (37 mph) | ||||
| Average length | 23 Coaches | ||||
| Depots | Chennai & Thiruvananthapuram | ||||
| Track owner | Southern Railway | ||||
| Rake maintenance | Chennai Egmore | ||||
| Rake sharing | Amritha Express | ||||
| |||||
otherfacilities, other facilities.The Rameswaram (Boat Mail) Express, formerly known as the Boat Mail or Indo-Ceylon Express, is an express train connecting Rameswaram with the Tamil Nadu state capital Chennai via Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Melmaruvathur, Viluppuram, Cuddalore Port, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Tiruchchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Karaikudi, Sivagangai, Manamadurai, Paramakkudi, and Ramanathapuram.
In the 20th century, it operated as a combined train-steamer ferry-train service between India and Sri Lanka, linking Chennai and Colombo, the capital of modern-day Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). Initially, the service utilized a rail-to-sea operation, which later evolved into a rail-sea-rail operation. Passengers could purchase a single ticket for the entire journey from Chennai to Colombo.
After Indian independence, the ferry service was discontinued and the train operated under the name Dhanushkodi Express from Chennai Egmore to Dhanushkodi. Following the destruction of Dhanushkodi in the cyclone of 1964, the train service on Rameswaram-Dhanushkodi section was completely halted due to the destruction of the complete section between Pamban Junction and Dhanushkodi and now runs only from Chennai Egmore up to Rameswaram.