COA-MMR was introduced in 2000. Used to be numbered 1405/06 back then.
Vaigai, Pink City etc were much faster.
MG Ajanta was 3-4 hours slower than present-day BG Ajanta.
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Just before GC, Ajanta used to depart from KCG at 5:50PM, reaching MMR at 10:10 AM the next morning. In the return, it used to depart from MMR at 7:30PM, reaching KCG at 12 noon the next day. This is about 1 hour slower that it's TT in the 1970s. But for most of its history, it has been departing from SC between 6-6:30PM.