Some select highlights from a terrific high speed run by the 22210 New Delhi Mumbai Duronto Express. Heavily delayed by the north Indian fog, the Duronto left Vadodara at 4 PM and set of aggressively towards Mumbai. On a wonderful winter evening, with the sun progressively receding in the horizon, the Duronto flew south through industrial coastal Gujarat steadily maintaining its maximum permissible speed of 120 kmph. Vadodara-Bharuch took 45 minutes (70 km at average of 93 kmph). A little before Bharuch, we crossed the WAP7 hauled Paschim Express (most probably with 25 coaches), skipped Bharuch at a sedate speed and crossed the wonderful Narmada river. By Ankleshwar, we were back to over 100 kmph, and met with the Bandra-Delhi Garib Rath. We stormed across the Tapi River at 105 kmph and cruised into Surat, meeting the Suryanagari Express. Surat-Vapi was another frightening run where we covered 92 kilometres in 58 minutes, with some blistering skips of Valsad (105 kmph), Navsari (120 kmph, and Vapi itself. A little before Vapi, the Mumbai New Delhi Rajdhani stormed us. After nightfall, we maintained a steady momentum till Vasai Road where we were held up due to the Bikaner-Kochuvelli Express, which was switching tracks to head towards Diva. The stretch through the Mumbai suburban area was brilliantly organized. We had a through process ever since Vasai and were only made to halt at the outer of Mumbai Central. It was wonderful watching the heavily crowded suburban stations of Mumbai at around 9 in the night, and racing the nippy MRVC EMUs, In the end, we pulled into Mumbai Central at 2115, 5 hours delayed
Fans of honking will enjoy the melodious and incessant honking of the Vadodara WAP4, as it stormed through Gujarat.

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