Swaraj Express/12471

Gitanjali, Poorva, UA Toofan, Azad Hind, Kalka Mail, GT, Kerala, Brindavan, Lalbagh and many more trains have met the same fate.
Everybody wants good and fast trains to halt at their small stations and nobody even tries to notice those trains which are already stopping there. For example 18029/30 and 12809/10 (Mumbai-Howrah trains) both halt at Shegaon and Malkapur. But people complain that those trains are too slow (again it is IR's fault). This is the excuse which converts good trains to pathetic super crawlers. 18029/30 has only 19 coaches (excluding HCPVs). More coaches can be added to it. Gitanjali runs with 24 coaches (full capacity) and yet runs with high WL figures even though it has limited halts.
Now, why did IR provide a halt for Gitanjali at those stations?...
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Who is that genius who believes that Gitanjali can serve those stations? Really, it is a very bad decision.
Gitanjali is so popular that if IR gives it the same number of halts as 12809/10 Mail, then it may perhaps need about 40 coaches or 24 double decker coaches (double decker sleeper + double decker pantry + double decker 1st AC, 2nd AC, 3rd AC + double decker unreserved) to carry those passengers :P
I still feel that 18029/30 can serve those stations better as its capacity can still be increased to accommodate those people.
Maybe IR is forgetting the definition of "Express train".
Definition of Express train : "Express trains (also sometimes referred to as "fast trains", though this is a relative term, usually meaning "faster than some other trains on the line in question") are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping at every single station."....source : Wikipedia
Many trains have unnecessary halts. For example, 18030/29 SHM LTT Express halts at Bhilai Power House, Bhilai, Bhilai Nagar and Durg. All four of them come under to Bhilai's urban agglomeration. Now, what's the point in having 4 halts within the same urban area? In my opinion, its halts should be Bhilai and Durg only as they are different municipalities. Some Express trains may halt more frequently but it should not give you the feeling that it is some Fast Passenger train. Kerala Express crawls like a passenger within Kerala and Vikramshila does the same between Patna and Bhagalpur. There are a lot more trains like those two.
Yet there are some trains which gained prestige. Vikramshila used to be a super crawler in the past from Delhi to BGP. But today, it runs like a Duronto between NDLS and PNBE and it stars crawling afterwards.
Another example is Darjeeling Mail. It used to be slow as it was not a SF train earlier and it used to have lots of halts. But soon after its SF conversion, it became one of the most prestigious trains of ER with a decent average speed and minimum halts. A number of halts were withdrawn and people didn't complain as IR gave them alternatives.

As far as Swaraj is concerned 19019/20 and Paschim are available as alternatives. 19019/20's capacity can still be increased as it is not a 24-coach train yet.
Nowadays, even Rajdhanis and Shatabdis are not spared. There are three kinds of halts on IR i.e. Technical, Commercial and POLITICAL :P :P
Political halts are those halts which have been given due to silly politicians.
For example : Bangalore Rajdhani's halt at Sedam, AK Rajdhani's multiple halts, Dibrugarh Rajdhani's halts at Begusarai, Naugachia and Rangia, Bilaspur Rajdhani's halt at Rajnandgaon, etc.
IR is least bothered about white elephants like SSM Garib Rath (introduced because of politics), Dhanbad Double Decker, etc. In fact, as they are...
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not getting the required patronage, their halts should be increased (wisely) and they may be extended.
Really...... Shame on IR :P

TN also has undergone tinkering. ET halt was not at all required as there are plenty of trains from ET to MAS. Also, its running time increased from 29 hrs 50 to 33 hours. It used to take 29 hrs 50 min with WDM2 (considered to be the least powerful loco on the mainline). But today, it takes 33 hours even with better locos like WAP4.
Now people may say "The congestion of the route has also increased a lot".
Even today, we have trains which maintain an average speed of 70+ km/h like Sampoorna Kranti and Maharashtra SK. Sampoorna Kranti is able to maintain an average speed of 70+ on a super-congested NDLS-MGS route. It does get delayed but it is because of NCR section controllers. I don't think NDLS-MAS...
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route is as congested as NDLS-MGS route. After getting LHB coaches, Sampoorna Kranti's punctuality also improved.

When did I say "All halts are useless barring the halts where we either board or deboard"?
There is nothing like that. Some halts are necessary and some are not needed.
There are express trains in various categories :-
1) Trains with multiple halts. For example, SHM LTT Express.
2) Trains with minimum (required) halts. For example, TN.
3) Duronto (non-stop) type trains
We need all three types of trains.
Now, Swaraj belongs to the second category and it runs with a decent average speed...
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and it can be further increased.

Those politicians don't even know where a train should halt,which route it should take,how much and which type of coaches the train should have,which route it should take.
For example,
1)PURI-LTT SF Express hasn't given a halt at Dhenkanal(DNKL),where people are demanding a direct train to Mumbai and BBS-LTT Exprese(both) are not enough to fulfil the demands.
2)22827/22828-PURI-ST SF Express should run via JSG-BSP-R instead of SBP-TIG-R.
3)There is a great demamnd for more 3A coaches in 22827/22828 PURI-ST SF Express.Addition of only 3A doesn't suit the demands.It must have 1/2 more 3A.
4)RThere is no use of 1A in 18425/18426 PURI-DURG Express.But 1A can...
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be well suited in 12879/12880 BBS-LTT SF Express and 22827/22828 PURI-ST SF Express.
5)There is no pantry car in 22909/22910 PURI-BL SF Express whichy badly needs a pantry car.This train also needs two more 3A coaches.But our great rail experts are adding more and more 3A coaches in special trains like 02745/02746 Puri-Sai Nagar Shiridi Special.
6)Our politicians and railway officials don't even know on which TT a train can get good patronage.Great example,12585/12586 SBP-HWH SF Express.