Suburban rail in India

Suburban rail, urban rail, commuter rail, or regional rail, plays a major role in the public transport system of many of India's major cities. Suburban rail is defined as a rail service between a central business district and suburbs, a conurbation or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. The trains providing such services may be termed suburban trains.

Mumbai's suburban trains handle 6.3 million commuters daily

 Suburban rail in India operates on lines shared with other passenger and freight trains (like the Lucknow-Kanpur Suburban Railway) or a combination of dedicated suburban lines and lines for long distance trains (like the Mumbai Suburban Railway). The infrastructure in India is owned by Indian Railways and usually operated by one or more of the railway zones of Indian Railways.

Chennai MRTS

 In some cities of India, the opening of rapid transit systems have led to a decline in use of the Suburban rail system.
Suburban trains that handle commuter traffic are mostly electric multiple units. They usually have nine or twelve coaches and sometimes even fifteen to handle rush hour traffic.

One unit of an EMU train consists of one power car and two general coaches. Thus a nine coach EMU is made up of three units having one power car at each end and one at the middle. The rakes in some of the suburban rails run on direct current and others on alternating current.

Systems

Many cities have their own dedicated suburban networks to cater to commuters. Currently, suburban networks operate in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Barabanki-Lucknow and Lucknow-Kanpur. The suburban rail systems in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Barabanki-Lucknow and Lucknow-Kanpur do not have dedicated suburban tracks but share the tracks with long distance trains.

A suburban rail system is planned for Ahmedabad and Bangalore.

System	Local Name	City	Opening Year	No of Lines	Notes
Chennai Suburban Railway	சென்னை புறநகர் இருப்புவழி	Chennai	1931	6 lines	Broad gauge
Barabanki-Lucknow Suburban Railway	बाराबंकी लखनऊ उपनगरीय रेलवे بارا بنکی لکھنؤ اپنگریی ریلوے	Barabanki Lucknow		2 lines	Broad gauge
Delhi Suburban Railway	दिल्ली उपनगरीय रेल्वे	Delhi	1982		Broad gauge
Mumbai Suburban Railway	मुंबई उपनगरीय रेल्वे	Mumbai Metropolitan Region	1857	3 lines	Broad gauge
Kolkata Suburban Railway	কলকাতা শহরতলি রেল	Kolkata	1854	3 lines	Broad gauge
Lucknow-Kanpur Suburban Railway	लखनऊ कानपुर उपनगरीय रेलवे لکھنؤ کان پور اپنگریی ریلوے	Lucknow Kanpur		2 lines	Broad gauge
Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS)	హైదరాబాదు ఎం ఎం టి ఎస్	Hyderabad	2003	3 lines	Broad gauge
Pune Suburban Railway	पुणे उपनगरीय रेल्वे	Pune		2 lines	Broad gauge

Fast Passenger

Fast Passenger trains are Fast Passenger local train rail service of India. Fast Passenger skips some stops, in route of Passenger/Local train. In some cases, trains run as Fast Passenger/local train in some section, while run local at different section.

Virar-Valsad Fast Passenger

 Fast Passenger trains generally run on long distance single line routes. Some examples in India are Bhusawal-Surat & Amravati-Surat broad gauge line. Another example will be Akola-Ratlam metre gauge single line. Merely because the category of train contains the word "Fast" does not mean that the train runs at faster speed than other peer trains on same route. Speed of the train on that route is decided by the track, schedule and traffic. Fast Passenger train means its pre-decided schedule may skip some smaller stations/halts where there is not much traffic. Usually this may happen during late night hours.

Superfast/Mail Trains in India

Superfast Mail/Express trains are faster Express rail service of India with Superfast charge levied over Mail/Express charges. Superfast trains make small number of stops, unlike Mail/Express and hence cover the same distance in marginally lower time span, as compared to their counterparts (regular mail/express). Currently some 450 pairs of Superfast run in Indian Railway.

The 12155/12156 Habibganj(Bhopal) - Hazrat Nizamuddin(Delhi) Shan - E - Bhopal Express is the fastest non-shatabdi, non-rajdhani Mail/Express train of India. In some cases, trains run Superfast where there is overlapping Mail/Express Train service available, and run Regular Mail/Express where there is no supplemental Mail/Express service. Trains with Average Speed equaling or exceeding 55 kilometres per hour (34 mph) in up and down direction falls under Superfast Category and is number with 2 prefixed

Types

Regular Superfast

These Superfast has been Superfast since their inauguration and hasn't been deteriorated till now. These Superfast do maintain average speed throughout their route and often have best Rake/Loco Combination. Some are,

Jaipur Superfast Express

1. Bhopal Express/ Indore - Jaipur Superfast/Upasana Express/Chambal Express/ Mahakoshal Express/ Indore - Nagpur Express/ Indore - Mumbai Central Express/ Bhopal - Rewa Rewanchal Express/ Jabalpur - New Delhi Shridham Express/ Jabalpur - Jaipur Dayodaya Express

1. Jaipur Superfast Express / Tamil Nadu Express/Swaraj Express/Vaishali Express/Prayagraj Express/Andhra Pradesh Express/Samata express/Rajendranagar Express
2. Kerala Express/Karnataka Express/Trivandrum-Chennai Mail/ Trivandrum-Chennai Superfast/Trivandrum-Gorakhpur Rapti Sagar Super Fast/Mangala Lakshadweep Express/Bhopal Express
3. Coromandal Express/Kalka Mail /Poorva Express/Jnaneshwari Express/Gitanjali Express/Falaknuma Express

Non-Stop Superfast

These Superfast express are not DURONTO Express but have no intermediate commercial stoppage and serve as non-stop connection between source to destination station like that in case of Duronto express.
There are three of this type,

1. Indore - Bhopal Non-Stop Express between Indore Junction and Bhopal Junction
2. Shram Shakti Express runs between Kanpur Central and New Delhi : No Technical or Commercial Stoppage

Shram Shakti Express

1. Sampoorna Kranti Express runs between Patna and New Delhi : 2 Technical Stoppage (Mughalsarai and Kanpur Central

Intercity Superfast

These superfast connects two major nearby cities serving for regular office goers and MST Ticket holders. These act as long-distance reserved suburban trains with sitting accommodation.

Flying Rani Express

 These are quite fast and holds high Average Speed for short distance along with priority over other trains. Some famous Intercity Superfast are,

Karnavati Express

1. Indore - Hazrat Nizamuddin Intercity Express/ Indore - Bhopal Intercity Express/ Indore - Gwalior Intercity Express/ Indore - Jabalpur Intercity Express/ Indore - Rewa Intercity Express/ Bhopal - Indore Intercity Express/ Bhopal - Gwalior Intercity Express/ Bhopal - Jabalpur Intercity Express/ Bhopal - Damoh Intercity Express/ Jabalpur - Rewa Intercity Express
2. Deccan Queen Express/Flying Rani Express/Panchvati Express
3. Gomti Express/Taj Express/Shan-e-Punjab Express/Indrayani Express/Indore Express / Indore - Jodhpur Intercity Express
4. Tamralipta Express/Lal Bagh Express/Brindavan Express/Karnavati Express
5. Pinakini Express/Kovai Express/Pragati Express/
6. Jaipur Indore SF Express/Ranthambore Express/Coimbatore-Mangalore Intercity Superfast Express

Upgraded Superfast

These Superfast were Regular Mail/Express when inaugurated but has been upgraded into Superfast Category with time maintenance of 55 km/h (34 mph). Most Overnight Express comes under this class. Some are,

1. Chennai Mail
2. Charminar Express
3. Lucknow Mail
4. Kaifiyat Express
5. Navjivan Express
6. Pushpak Express
7. Malwa Express
8. Mahakaushal Express
9. Dakshin Express
10. Secunderabad Patna Express
11. Agniveena Express
12. Coalfield Express
13. Shantiniketan Express
14. Dhauli Express

Retained Superfast

These Superfast were Superfast when inaugurated but were degraded to Regular Mail/Express category, but recently the Superfast Tag has been retained by speeding-up these trains. Some are,

1. Punjab Mail
2. Himgiri Express

Mixed Superfast

These Superfast serve as regular Mail/Express/Passenger/Fast Passenger service near tail of their route. This result in drastic decrease in overall Average Speed of these Superfast. Some are,

1. Shramjeevi express, Magadh Express, Vikramshila Express: Acts as Passenger between Patna and Rajgir, Islampur, Bhagalpur respectively
2. Punjab Mail: Acts as regular Mail/Express Service between Mumbai and Firozpur
3. Sapt Kranti Express: Acta as Fast Passenger Service between Gorakhpur and Muzaffarpur

Accommodation

• Berth:

1. AC First Class (1A): Lockable Cabin - Coupe (for 2) and Compartment (for 4)
2. Non-AC First Class (FC): Lockable Cabin - Coupe (for 2) and Compartment (for 4)
3. AC II Tier (2A): Non Cabin - Compartment (for 4) and Bay (for 2)
4. AC III Tier (3A): Non Cabin - Compartment (for 6) and Bay (for 2)
5. III Tier Sleeper (SL): Non Cabin - Compartment (for 6) and Bay (for 2)
6. Unreserved

• Sitting:

1. AC First Class (1ACC): Sitting Push-back Chairs (2×2)
2. Non-AC First Class (FC): Sitting Push-back Chairs (2×2)
3. AC Chair Car (CC): Sitting Push-back Chairs (3×2)
4. Reserved II Sitting (2S): Sitting Non-Push-back Chairs (3×3)
5. Unreserved II Sitting

Jan Shatabdi Express

The Jan Shatabdi Express is a more affordable variety of the Shatabdi Express, which has both AC and non-AC accommodation. The word 'Jan' refers to common people.

A Jan Shatabdi train

Trivia

• The Bhopal Jan Shatabdi was the first Jan Shatabdi of Central India, started operations on 2 January 2003 between Habibganj railway station of Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh and Jabalpur.
• The longest distance is covered by the Madagon Jan Shatabdi between Mumbai and Margao in Goa covering 765 km (475 mi) in 9 hours through the Konkan stretch. It is also the fastest jan shatabdi averaging above 80 km/h (50 mph).
• The state of Kerala has two Jan Shatabdis from Trivandrum (Trivandrum Central) to Kozhikode (Calicut) on slightly different routes, one via coastal Alappuzha and another via Kottayam.
• Train No: 12075/12076 and 12081/12082 Jan Shatabdis from Thiruvananthapuram Central to Kozhikode (Calicut) are the longest Janshatabdis each with 18 coaches in each rake and pulled by Erode shed WDM 3D or WDM 2A from Shoranur to Calicut and WAP4 of Erode shed from Shoranur to Trivandrum Central.

Current services

The following is a current list of Jan Shatabdi express trains:

List of Jan Shatabdi Trains

Pair	Train No	Sector	Departure	Arrival	Stoppages	Distance (km)	Frequency
1	12021	Howrah – Barabil	06:20	13:15	Kharagpur Jn, Tatanagar Jn, Chaibasa, Dangoaposi, Noamundi, Bara Jamda	398	Daily
	12022	Barabil – Howrah	13:45	20:50
2	12023	Howrah – Patna	14:05	22:15	Durgapur, Asansol Jn, Chittaranjan, Jamtara, Madhupur Jn, Jasidih Jn, Jhajha, Jamui, Luckeesarai Jn, Hathidah Jn, Mokameh Jn, Patna Saheb	532	except Sunday
	12024	Patna – Howrah	05:45	13:25
3	12051	Mumbai CST – Madgaon	05:10	14:10	Dadar, Thane, Panvel, Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Kankavali, Kudal, Thivim	765	Daily
	12052	Madgaon – Mumbai CST	14:30	23:30
4	12053	Haridwar – Amritsar	14:35	21:45	Roorkee, Saharanpur, Jagadhri, Ambala Cantt Jn, Ludhiana Jn, Phagwara Jn, Jalandar City, Beas	407	except Thursday
	12054	Amritsar – Haridwar	07:00	13:55
5	12055	New Delhi – Dehradun	15:25	21:10	Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Deoband, Tapri, Roorkee, Haridwar Jn	303	Daily
	12056	Dehradun – New Delhi	05:10	11:15
6	12057	New Delhi – Una Himachal	14:35	22:10	Subzi Mandi, Sonipat, Panipat Jn, Karnal, Kurukshetra Jn, Ambala Cantt Jn, Chandigarh, SahibzadaAsngr, Rupnagar, Anandpur Sahib, Nangal Dam	410	Daily
	12058	Una Himacha – New Delhi	05:00	12:00
7	12059	Kota – Hazrat Nizamuddin	06:00	12:30	Sawai Madhopur, Gangapur City, Shri Mahabirji, Hindaun City, Bayana Jn, Bharatpur Jn, Mathura Jn, Ballabgarh	458	Daily
	12060	Hazrat Nizamuddin – Kota	13:20	19:40
8	12061	Habibganj – Jabalpur	17:40	22:55	Hoshangabad, Itarsi Jn, Pipariya, Gadarwara, Kareli, Narsinghpur, Shridham, Madan Mahal	331	Daily
	12062	Jabalpur – Habibganj	06:00	11:35
9	12063	Haridwar – Una Himachal	14:35	22:10
	12064	Una Himachal – Haridwar	05:00	13:55
10	12067	Guwahati – Jorhat	06:30	13:10	Chaparmukh Jn, Hojai, Lanka, Lumding Jn, Diphu, Dimapur, Furkating Jn, Mariani Jn	368	except Sunday
	12068	Jorhat – Guwahati	13:55	20:45
11	12069	Raigarh – Gondia	06:25	13:25	Kharsia, Sakti, Champa, Naila, Akaltara, Bilaspur Jn, Bhatapara, Tilda, Raipur Jn, Durg, Raj Nandgaon, Dongargarh	414	except Sunday
	12070	Gondia – Raigarh	15:00	22:00
12	12071	Mumbai CST – Aurangabad	13:50	20:35	Dadar, Thane, Kalyan Jn, Nasik Road, Manmad Jn	374	Daily
	12072	Aurangabad – Mumbai CST	06:00	12:45
13	12073	Howrah – Bhubaneshwar	13:35	20:20	Kharagpur Jn, Jaleswar, Balasore, Soro, Bhadrakh, Jajpur K Road, Cuttack	439	except Sunday
	12074	Bhubaneshwar – Howrah	06:20	12:50
14	12075	Kozhikode – Trivandrum Central	13:35	20:55	Tirur, Shoranur Jn, Thrishur, Ernakulam Jn, Alleppey, Kayankulam Jn, Kollam Jn, Varkala	399	Daily
	12076	Trivandrum Central – Kozhikode	06:00	13:05
15	12077	Chennai Central – Vijaywada	07:00	13:35	Sullurupeta, Gudur Jn, Nellore, Kavali, Ongole, Chirala, Tenali Jn	431	except Tuesday
	12078	Vijaywada – Chennai Central	14:35	21:10
16	12079	Bangalore City Jn – Hubli	06:00	13:25	Yesvanthpur Jn, Tumkur, Arsikere Jn, Birur Jn, Chikajajur Jn, Davangere, Harihar, Ranibennur, Haveri	469	Daily
	12080	Hubli – Bangalore City Jn	14:00	21:25
17	12081	Kozhikode – Trivandrum Central	06:15	13:45	Tirur, Shoranur Jn, Thrisur, Ernakulam Town, Kottayam, Chengannur, Kayankulam Jn, Kollam Jn	413	except Wednesday and Sunday
	12082	Trivandrum Central – Kozhikode	14:20	22:05
18	12083	Mayiladuturai – Coimbatore	14:40	21:20	Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Tiruchchirapalli Jn, Karur Jn, Erode Jn, Tiruppur, Irugur	362	except Tuesday
	12084	Coimbatore – Mayiladuturai	07:00	13:40
19	12365	Patna – Ranchi	06:15	13:50	Gaya Jn, Koderma, NSC Bose Jn Gomo, Bokaro Steel City, Muri	411	Daily
	12366	Ranchi – Patna	14:30	22:50
20	05697	Lumding Jn – Lower Haflong	09:45	13:30	Langting, Maibang, Mahur	100	Daily
	05698	Lower Haflong – Lumding Jn	13:45	17:30

 

Garib Rath

The Garib Rath express train is one of the premier trains introduced by the Indian Railways in 2005 by Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to provide fully air-conditioned travel to passengers who could not afford the expensive tickets of Rajdhani and Shatabdi express trains. The Garib Rath, whose name means "Poor Man's Chariot", was introduced with features of full air-conditioning and speed faster than most other super-fast express trains. The maximum speed of Garib Rath trains is 130 kmph which is the same as Rajdhani's top speed. However, in Garib Rath trains, passengers are not normally provided with blankets and pillows; and they have to pay extra to get them.

Garib Rath Express

The maiden journey of the train started from Saharsa, Bihar to Amritsar, Punjab. Critics and observers alike noted that the maiden journey was chosen between two commercially unimportant routes as many local Bihari people had migrated to Punjab and Yadav's origination from Bihar led him to choose this route for political purposes. Despite the criticism, the Garib Rath has received positive reviews, with the train capacity reaching near 100% in off-season timings.

Garib Rath Express

Garib Rath trains are also slated to have many amenities such as fridge, microwave oven, TV, cooler, fan, toaster. They have continuous running electronic display which will show distance remaining, next station name and expected time to reach there. The coaches also decorated with beautiful paintings of Indian heritage artwork.

The emergence of the Garib Rath has led to more connections between commercially important routes, where these trains run faster and make fewer stops, such as the Bandra-Hazrat Nizammudin Garib Rath compared to the August Kranti Rajdhani Express.

Future Services

Services likely to start shortly

1. Bhopal - Lucknow Garib Rath Express (Weekly)
2. Bhopal -Mumbai CST Garib Rath Express (Bi-Weekly)
3. Kochuveli Vikram Sarabhai Terminal- Secunderabad
4. Ajmer-Bhagalpur via Delhi Garib Rath Express (Bi-Weekly)
5. Yeswanthpur- Puri GR
6. Kochuveli VST/ Nagercoil Jn- Chennai Egmore GR weekly
7. Jammu Tawi-Darbhanga Garib Rath Express (Weekly)
8. Sitamarhi-Delhi Garib Rath Express via Patna (Weekly)
9. Kochuveli Vikran Sarabhai Terminal- Allepy-Yeshwanthpur

Current services

Train Number	Train Name	Source	Departure	Destination	Arrival
12113	Nagpur Garib Rath	Pune	17:40	Nagpur	09:25
12114	Pune Garib Rath	Nagpur	18:35	Pune	09:45
12187	MUMBAI GARIBRATH	JABALPUR	19:30	MUMBAI CST	12:15
12188	JBP GARIB RATH	MUMBAI CST	13:30	JABALPUR	06:00
12201	Kochuveli Garib Rath	Lokmanya Tilak Terminus	16:55	Kochuveli	20:30
12202	Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Garib Rath	Kochuveli	08:50	Lokmanya Tilak Terminus	11:45
12203	GARIB RATH EXP	SAHARSA JN	15:00	AMRITSAR JN	20:45
12204	SHC GARIB RATH	AMRITSAR JN	04:40	SAHARSA JN	10:10
12207	JAMMU GARIB RATH	KATHGODAM	18:30	JAMMU TAWI	09:40
12208	KGM GARIB RATH	JAMMU TAWI	23:45	KATHGODAM	14:35
12209	KGM GARIB RATH	KANPUR CENTRAL	06:15	KATHGODAM	15:05
12210	CNB GARIB RATH	KATHGODAM	18:30	KANPUR CENTRAL	04:30
12211	ANVT GARIB RATH	MUZAFFARPUR JN	15:15	ANAND VIHAR TRM	12:25
12212	MKI GARIB RATH	ANAND VIHAR TRM	21:10	MUZAFFARPUR JN	17:55
12215	DEE BDTS G RATH	DELHI S ROHILLA	09:20	BANDRA TERMINUS	08:10
12216	DEE GARIBRATH	BANDRA TERMINUS	12:55	DELHI S ROHILLA	12:20
12247	BDTS NZM YUVA E	BANDRA TERMINUS	16:55	H NIZAMUDDIN	09:45
12248	NZM BDTS YUVA	H NIZAMUDDIN	15:40	BANDRA TERMINUS	09:20
12249	HWH NDLS YUVA E	HOWRAH JN	17:10	NEW DELHI	10:50
12250	NDLS HWH YUVA	NEW DELHI	16:10	HOWRAH JN	10:40
12255	PUDUCHERRY EXP	YESVANTPUR JN	23:15	PUDUCHERRY	09:40
12256	YESVANTPUR EXP	PUDUCHERRY	22:05	YESVANTPUR JN	08:25
12257	Kochuveli Garib Rath	Yesvantpur	21:00	Kochuveli	12:40
12258	Yesvantpur Garib Rath	Kochuveli	16:35	Yesvantpur	09:05
12359	PNBE GARIB RATH	KOLKATA	20:00	PATNA JN	05:30
12360	KOL GARIB RATH	PATNA JN	20:10	KOLKATA	05:15
12517	GHY GARIB RATH	KOLKATA	21:40	GUWAHATI	15:40
12518	KOL GARIB RATH	GUWAHATI	21:00	KOLKATA	15:00
12535	LJN R GARIBRATH	LUCKNOW NE	14:40	RAIPUR JN	07:15
12536	LJN GARIBRATH	RAIPUR JN	12:20	LUCKNOW NE	05:05
12569	JYG ANVT G RATH	JAYNAGAR	12:10	ANAND VIHAR TRM	08:25
12570	JYG GARIB RATH	ANAND VIHAR TRM	17:00	JAYNAGAR	13:30
12593	LJN BPL G R	LUCKNOW NE	22:45	BHOPAL JN	09:35
12594	LJN GARIB RATH	BHOPAL JN	22:45	LUCKNOW NE	09:45
12611	NZM GARIB RATH	CHENNAI CENTRAL	06:10	H NIZAMUDDIN	10:20
12612	MAS GARIB RATH	H NIZAMUDDIN	16:00	CHENNAI CENTRAL	20:15
12735	YPR GARIB RATH	SECUNDERABAD JN	19:15	YESVANTPUR JN	07:10
12736	SC GARIB RATH	YESVANTPUR JN	20:50	SECUNDERABAD JN	08:35
12739	VSKP GARIB RATH	VISHAKAPATNAM	20:30	SECUNDERABAD JN	08:10
12740	VSKP GARIB RATH	SECUNDERABAD JN	20:15	VISHAKAPATNAM	07:30
12831	BBS GARIB RATH	DHANBAD JN	16:00	BHUBANESWAR	08:15
12832	DHN GARIB RATH	BHUBANESWAR	20:10	DHANBAD JN	10:45
12877	RNC GARIB RATH	RANCHI	17:10	NEW DELHI	10:50
12878	NDLS RNC G RATH	NEW DELHI	16:10	RANCHI	10:40
12881	HWH PURI G RATH	HOWRAH JN	20:55	PURI	05:55
12882	PURI HWH G RATH	PURI	22:15	HOWRAH JN	07:05
12909	NZM GARIB RATH	BANDRA TERMINUS	16:55	H NIZAMUDDIN	09:45
12910	BDTS GARIB RATH	H NIZAMUDDIN	15:40	BANDRA TERMINUS	08:10
12983	AII CDG G RATH	AJMER JN	17:55	CHANDIGARH	06:40
12984	CDG AII G RATH	CHANDIGARH	21:05	AJMER JN	09:55
22405	BGP GARIB RATH	BHAGALPUR	13:30	ANAND VIHAR TRM	08:25
22406	RJPB GARIB RATH	ANAND VIHAR TRM	17:00	BHAGALPUR	11:30
22407	BSB ANVT G RATH	VARANASI JN	19:30	ANAND VIHAR TRM	10:00
22408	BSB GARIB RATH	ANAND VIHAR TRM	18:10	VARANASI JN	08:05
22409	ANVT GARIB RATH	SASARAM	21:15	ANAND VIHAR TRM	11:50
22410	SSM GARIB RATH	ANAND VIHAR TRM	19:15	SASARAM	08:15

Shatabdi Express

Route map of Shatabdi trains

 Shatabdi Express trains are a series of fast (called superfast in India) passenger trains operated by Indian Railways to connect Metro cities with other cities important for tourism, pilgrimage or business. Shatabdi Express are day-trains and they return to the station of origin the same day.

The Chennai Mysore Shatabdi at the Mysore Junction

The Shatabdis are among the fastest trains in India and the Indian Railways considers them as prestigious. The Shatabdi Express trains run over short to medium distances while the Rajdhani Expresses are long-distance trains connecting the nation's capital New Delhi to capitals of states. Both series of trains have a regular speed of about 130 km/h (81 mph). The 12001 Bhopal Shatabdi express, however, runs at a peak speed of 150 km/h (93 mph), which makes it the fastest train in India.

Vehicle and rolling stock

The Bhopal Shatabdi is the fastest train in India and it runs at an average speed of around 93.05 km/h (57.82 mph)  between the origin and the destination though it runs at speeds at 150 km/h (93 mph) on some stretches between Agra and New Delhi stations. These trains are now using latest L.H.B. Rakes to provide extra comfort in the train.

Bhopal Shatabdi

The Lucknow - Delhi Shatabdi has a recorded speed of 145 km/h (90 mph) although it lingers in the neighborhood of 130 km/h (81 mph) for most of the cruising distance.

The Howrah - New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi is the fastest Diesel hauled Shatabdi as well as fastest diesel hauled train in India, it often touches 125-130kph on Howrah - Barddhaman Chord Line with a WDP4/WDPB loco of Siliguri Junction Diesel Loco Shed.

Howrah - New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi

It is also the First End-to-End EMD hauled Shatabdi and uses the First Chair Car LHB Rakes from LHB Factory Raebareli.

Service

Shatabdi Express trains offer fast connectivity with only a few intermediate stops. They are fully air-conditioned and of a much higher standard than most Indian trains. Shatabdi travelers are provided with bottled water, juice, coffee or tea, and meals relevant to time of day of the journey.

Interior view of the new Executive AC Chair Car coaches(EC)

 Shatabdi trains are also further distinguished from other trains, in terms of convenience in boarding and disembarking. Most stations give them priority berthing at the better platforms, such as ones located close to the station building or waiting halls (generally platform number 1 at most of the stations.

Interior view of the new AC Chair Car coaches(CC)

Berths and seats in Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express trains have to be reserved in advance before boarding the train. There is no unreserved accommodation in these trains, unlike most of the other trains in India. A few Shatabdis have a current booking system where tickets can be booked within a couple of hours before departure.
As Shatabdi Express are day-trains and return to the station of origin the same day, most of the coaches on the train have only airconditioned seats (called AC Chair Car or CC) and not berths. All the Shatabdi Express trains have, however, one coach of first class airconditioned seating. These coaches have wider leg room and offer better food compared to the normal Air conditioned seating(CC).
New on board entertainment systems have also been installed on some of these trains where the passengers can view movies and television serials directly via satellite. One of the first services to have this system is the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Shatabdi Express.

List of Shatabdi trains

Indian Railways operates 17 pairs of Shatabdi Express as on 1 April 2012. These trains are listed here.

Pair	Train No	Sector	Stoppages	Distance (km)	Frequency
1	12001 - 12002	Bhopal - New Delhi	Jhansi, Gwalior, Morena, Agra Cantt, Mathura	701	Daily
2	12003 - 12004	Lucknow - New Delhi	Kanpur, Etawah, Aligarh, Ghaziabad	511	Daily
3	12005 - 12006	New Delhi - Kalka	Kurukshetra, Ambala, Chandigarh	303	Daily
4	12007 - 12008	Chennai Central - Mysore	Bangalore City	500	except Wednesday
5	12009 - 12010	Mumbai - Ahmedabad	Borivali, Vapi, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Nadiad	491	except Sunday
6	12011 - 12012	New Delhi - Kalka	Panipat, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Chandigarh	303	Daily
7	12013 - 12014	New Delhi - Amritsar	Sirhind, Ludhiana, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Beas	448	Daily
8	12015 - 12016	New Delhi - Ajmer	Delhi Cantt, Gurgaon, Rewari, Alwar, Jaipur	443
9	12017 - 12018	New Delhi - Dehradun	Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Roorkee, Haridwar	315	Daily
10	12019 - 12020	Howrah - Ranchi	Durgapur, Raniganj, Asansol, Dhanbad, Chandrapura, Bokaro Steel City, Muri	423	except Sunday
11	12025 - 12026	Pune-Secunderabad	Daund, Solapur, Gulbarga, Wadi, Tandur, Vikarabad, Begumpet	597	Except Tuesday
12	12027 - 12028	Chennai Central - Bengaluru City	Vellore (Katpadi Junction), Bengaluru Cantonment	362	except Tuesday
13	12029 - 12030	New Delhi - Amritsar	Ambala, Ludhiana, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Beas	448	except Thursday
14	12031 - 12032	New Delhi - Amritsar	Ambala, Ludhiana, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Beas	448	Thursday
15	12033 - 12034	Kanpur - New Delhi	Ghaziabad	440	Except Sundays
16	12037- 12038	Ludhiana-New Delhi	Rohtak, Tohana, Sangrur	329	Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday (Soon 7 days)
17	12039- 12040	Kathgodam - Delhi Anand Vihar(T.)	Haldwani, Lalkuan, Rudrapur, Rampur, Moradabad, Ghaziabad	270	Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
18	12041 - 12042	Howrah Junction - New Jalpaiguri	Bolpur Shantiniketan, Malda Town, Kishanganj	566	except Sunday

Related trains

A variant of the Shatabdi Express, Swarna Shatabdi Express, is considered more luxurious by Indian Railway.
Indian Railways later introduced a lower-priced version Jan Shatabdi Expresses, which are nearly all without air-conditioning and much more affordable.
The former railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav had also introduced Garib Rath (chariot of the poor). These are fast trains (like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi), are fully Air-Conditioned and with lower fares. These trains are quite successful and compete with low cost airlines on some long-distance routes.

Rajdhani Express

Rajdhani Express

Rajdhani Express  is a passenger train service in India connecting New Delhi with other important destinations, especially state capitals. Rajdhani means "The Capital" in Hindi and other Indian Languages.

History

Rajdhani Express was introduced in 1969, for providing fast connections (up to 140 km/h/87 mph, speed variation depending upon the particular track section) from New Delhi to the capital cities of various states in India.

Old rake of Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express

 The first Rajdhani Express left New Delhi station for Howrah station to cover a distance of 1,445 km in 17 hours 20 mins.

Rajdhani

Rajadhanis get highest priority on the Indian railway network. They are fully air-conditioned. Passengers are served complimentary meals during the journey. Depending on the duration and timings of the journey, these could include lunch, high tea, dinner, morning tea and breakfast. Almost all Rajdhani trains offer three classes of accommodation: First Class AC with 2- or 4-berth lockable bedrooms, AC 2-tier with open berths (bays of 4 berths + 2 berths on the other side of the corridor) with curtains for privacy, and AC 3-tier (bays of 6 berths + 2 berths on the side) with curtains for privacy.

Mumbai Central-New Delhi Rajdhani just before Borivili

 Currently there are 24 pairs of Rajdhani Express trains, connecting New Delhi to Ahmedabad, Bangalore (2), Bhubaneswar(2), Bilaspur, Chennai, Guwahati/Dibrugarh(3), Hyderabad, Ranchi(2), Kolkata (3), Jammu, Mumbai (2), Patna and Thiruvananthapuram. These trains have fewer stops than other express trains. They halt only in state capitals and prominent cities like Vadodara, Bhopal, Ratlam, Nagda, Kota, Jaipur, Allahabad, Jhansi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Gaya, Balasore, Cuttack, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Asansol, Bokaro, Nagpur, Panvel, Kazipet, Surat and Raipur.


Besides Delhi three State Capitals Mumbai, Guwahati and Calcutta are served by more than one Rajdhani Express. For instance 9 pairs of Rajdhani Trains halt at Kanpur Central, as well as 5 pairs of Rajdhani Express trains halt each at Jhansi Junction, Bhopal Junction and Nagpur Junction.

Train No.	Train Name	Journey	Frequency
12301–12302	Howrah Rajdhani	New Delhi → Kanpur Central → Allahabad → Gaya → Parasnath → Dhanbad → Howrah	Except Fri down and except Sunday up
12305–12306	Howrah Rajdhani	New Delhi → Kanpur Central → Allahabad → Patna → Madhupur → Howrah	Only Friday down and Sunday up
12309–12310	Patna Rajdhani Express	New Delhi → Kanpur Central → Allahabad → Patna → Rajendra Nagar	Daily
12313–12314	Sealdah Rajdhani Express	New Delhi → Kanpur Central → Gaya → Dhanbad → Asansol → Durgapur → Sealdah	Daily
12951–12952	Mumbai Rajdhani	Mumbai Central → Surat → Vadodara → Ratlam → Kota → New Delhi	Daily
12953–12954	August Kranti Rajdhani	Mumbai Central → Andheri → Borivali → Vapi → Valsad → Surat → Bharuch → Vadodara → Ratlam → Nagda → Kota → Sawai Madhopur → Mathura → Hazrat Nizamuddin	Daily
22823-22824	Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express	New Delhi → Kanpur Central → Gaya → Bokaro → Jamshedpur → Cuttack → Bhubaneswar	4 days a week
22811-22812	Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express	New Delhi → Kanpur Central → Gaya →Bokaro → Adra → Cuttack → Bhubaneswar	3 days a week
12439-12440	Ranchi Rajdhani	New Delhi → Kanpur Central → Gaya → Bokaro → Ranchi	2 days a week
12453-12454	Ranchi Rajdhani	New Delhi → Kanpur Central → Daltonganj → Ranchi	weekly
12423-12424	Guwahati/Dibrugarh Rajdhani	New Delhi → Kanpur Central → Allahabad → Mughalsarai → Patna → Barauni → Naugachia → Katihar → Guwahati → Dibrugarh Town	7 days a week
12235-12236	Guwahati/Dibrugarh Rajdhani	New Delhi → Lucknow → Varanasi → Muzaffarpur → Samastipur → Guwahati → Dibrugarh	Weekly
12435-12436	Guwahati/Dibrugarh Rajdhani	New Delhi → Lucknow → Varanasi → Hajipur → Guwahati → Dibrugarh Town	2 days a week
12441–12442	Bilaspur Rajdhani	New Delhi to Bilaspur → Jhansi, Bhopal, Nagpur, Durg, Raipur	2 days a week
12957–12958	Ahmedabad Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani	New Delhi to Ahmedabad → Jaipur, Ajmer, Abu Road, Palanpur, Ahmedabad	Daily
12429–12430	Bangalore Rajdhani	Hazrat Nizamuddin to Bangalore via Raichur, Secunderabad, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jhansi	4 days a week
12493–12494	Bangalore Rajdhani	Hazrat Nizamuddin to Bangalore via Kacheguda-kurnool(but no stops) up to Secunderabad, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jhansi	3 days a week
12433–12434	Chennai Rajdhani	Hazrat Nizamuddin to Chennai via Vijayawada, Warangal, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jhansi	2 days a week
12425–12426	Jammu Tawi Rajdhani	New Delhi to Jammu Tawi	Daily
12437–12438	Secunderabad Rajdhani	Hazrat Nizamuddin to Secunderabad via Kazipet, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jhansi	Once a week
12431–12432	Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani	Hazrat Nizamuddin → Kota → Vadodara → Vasai Road → Panvel → Madgaon Junction → Karwar → Udupi → Mangalore Junction → Cannannore → Calicut → Shornur → Trichur → Ernakulam Junction (South) → Alleppey → Quilon Junction → Trivandrum Central	3 days a week

Duronto Express

Duronto Express ("Rebel" or "rebellious" or "Restless" in a positive way) is a category of long distance trains run by the Indian Railways. The special feature of these trains is that they run non-stop from source to destination, barring technical halts. All Duronto Express trains can be easily recognized by the characteristic yellow-green livery of their passenger coaches.

Duronto service map

 Several Duronto Express services connect the metros and major state capitals of India. The Duronto Express trains are projected to be the fastest trains between the particular pair of cities they serve, although this is not necessarily true for all services.

Efficiency and Speed

The Duronto Expresses are one of the fastest trains in India. These trains run faster than Rajdhani Express trains which hold the record of the fastest long-distance trains in India.This has been made possible as these trains, unlike the Rajdhani Express, will have no intermediate stoppages and run in much the same speed clocked by Rajdhani.For example, the new bi-weekly non-stop train between New Delhi and Sealdah will take 16 hours to cover the journey, as against 17 hours taken by Rajdhani Express.

Jaipur Duronto Express at Jaipur Junction.

The trains will, however, have technical stoppages at a few stations for facilitating staff and loco change but the transit time will come down drastically.The trains will adhere to the speed limit of 110 km/h {non stop}. The Chennai and Pune Duronto run at a speed of 130 km/h. Also, the Duronto trains were known to be much cheaper than the Rajdhanis while they run faster and are more efficient than the Rajdhanis. They also had AC three tier-Economy coaches which are Air conditioned coaches with sleeping berths, now present only in Garib Rath Trains. Berths are usually arranged as in 3AC but with three tiers across the width and three longways.

Delhi Duronto stationed at Allahabad

They were slightly less well-appointed, usually no reading lights or curtained off gangways. Bedding is usually excluded from fare and was available with a payment of 25 (US$0.45) per passenger. However, these coaches were soon suspended and the Duronto trains had no Economy coaches after that. In March 2011, the cost of travel in the Duronto Express too went up as Dinesh Trivedi from the Trinamool Congress became the first Minister of Railways to announces a hike in railway fare. The decision to hike railway fares resulted in trouble across the Government and were rolled back, only to be raised again on April 1. A feature exclusive to the Duronto was the LHB Sleeper coach. The sleeper class is the most common coach, and usually ten or more coaches could be attached. These are regular sleeping coaches with three berths vertically stacked. In broad gauge, it carries 72 passengers per coach in regular ICF coaches and 78 berths in the new LHB coaches that the Duronto trains have.

List of Duronto Express trains

The Duronto trains are to ply between the metro cities of India. During the inaugural announcement of these services in the Railway Budget 2009–10 (made on 3 July 2009), 12 weekly, bi-weekly and tri-weekly Duronto trains were announced. In the next rail budget of 24 February 2010, ten more Duronto were announced. The trains, though announced in a chronological order, were not introduced accordingly. Some trains, like the Visakhapatnam Duronto, have been postponed for a whole year. The introduction of the Duronto Express trains depends on many factors. The availability of coaches is one of the primary factors involved.There are currently 29 active Duronto services running in India. The following is a current list of Duronto trains between cities in India. The services mentioned in red are either terminated or converted to other services. While the numbers indicate when the trains were announced, the way they are arranged in the list indicates the order in which they were actually flagged off.

Service	Train number	Train name	Source	Departure	Destination	Arrival
1	12213	Sarai Rohilla Duronto	Yesvantpur Junction	23:40	Delhi Sarai Rohilla	06:50
	12214		Delhi Sarai Rohilla	23:00	Yesvantpur Junction	07:30
2	12219	Secunderabad Duronto	Lokmanya Tilak Terminus	23:05	Secunderabad Junction	11:05
	12220		Secunderabad Junction	23:05	Lokmanya Tilak Terminus	11:05
3	12221	Howrah Duronto	Pune Junction	15:15	Howrah Junction	19:40
	12222		Howrah Junction	08:20	Pune Junction	11:35
4	12223	Ernakulam Duronto	Lokmanya Tilak Terminus	20:50	Ernakulam Junction	17:45
	12224		Ernakulam Junction	21:30	Lokmanya Tilak Terminus	18:15
5	12227	Indore Duronto	Mumbai Central	23:15	Indore Junction	11:15
	12228		Indore Junction	23:00	Mumbai Central	11:50
6	12239	Jaipur Duronto	Mumbai Central	23:15	Jaipur	13:55
	12240		Jaipur	19:15	Mumbai Central	12:05
7	12241	Amritsar Duronto	Chandigarh	19:00	Amritsar Junction	23:15
	12242		Amritsar Junction	05:25	Chandigarh	09:30
8	12243	Coimbatore Duronto	Chennai Central	07:15	Coimbatore Junction	15:20
	12244		Coimbatore Junction	15:05	Chennai Central	21:50
9	12245	Yesvantpur Duronto	Howrah Junction	11:00	Yesvantpur Junction	16:00
	12246		Yesvantpur Junction	11:15	Howrah Junction	16:00
10	12259	Delhi Duronto	Sealdah	18:40	New Delhi	11:00
	12260		New Delhi	20:05	Sealdah	12:25
11	12261	Chattrapati Shivaji Duronto	Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus	17:15	Howrah Junction	19:40
	12262		Howrah Junction	08:20	Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus	10:30
12	12263	Nizamuddin Duronto	Pune Junction	11:10	Hazrat Nizamuddin	07:15
	12264		Hazrat Nizamuddin	11:00	Pune Junction	07:00
13	12265	Jammu Duronto	Delhi Sarai Rohilla	22:15	Jammu Tawi	07:10
	12266		Jammu Tawi	19:25	Delhi Sarai Rohilla	04:00
14	12267	Ahmedabad Duronto	Mumbai Central	23:25	Ahmedabad Junction	06:00
	12268		Ahmedabad Junction	23:45	Mumbai Central	06:15
15	12269	Chennai Duronto	Chennai Central	06:40	Hazrat Nizamuddin	10:35
	12270		Hazrat Nizamuddin	15:50	Chennai Central	20:10
16	12271	Lucknow Duronto	Lucknow Charbagh	23:30	New Delhi	07:30
	12272		New Delhi	23:30	Lucknow Charbagh	07:10
17	12273	Kolkata Duronto	Howrah Junction	13:00	New Delhi	06:05
	12274		New Delhi	13:00	Howrah Junction	06:00
18	12275	Allahabad Duronto	Allahabad Junction	22:40	New Delhi	06:05
	12276		New Delhi	23:00	Allahabad Junction	06:20
19	12277	Puri Duronto	Howrah Junction	14:25	Puri	21:40
	12278		Puri	06:30	Howrah Junction	13:45
20	12281	Bhubaneshwar Duronto	Bhubaneswar	08:10	New Delhi	06:05
	12282		New Delhi	13:00	Bhubaneswar	11:05
21	12283	Kochi Duronto	Ernakulam Junction	23:30	Hazrat Nizamuddin	19:30
	12284		Hazrat Nizamuddin	21:35	Ernakulam Junction	15:30
22	12285	Hyderabad Duronto	Secunderabad Junction	13:30	Hazrat Nizamuddin	10:35
	12286		Hazrat Nizamuddin	15:50	Secunderabad Junction	14:00
23	12289	Nagpur Duronto	Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus	20:15	Nagpur	07:15
	12290		Nagpur	20:50	Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus	07:50
24	12293	Lokmanya Tilak Duronto	Lokmanya Tilak Terminus	17:25	Allahabad Junction	12:25
	12294		Allahabad Junction	19:30	Lokmanya Tilak Terminus	14:50
25	12297	Pune Duronto	Ahmedabad Junction	22:30	Pune Junction	07:00
	12298		Pune Junction	21:45	Ahmedabad Junction	06:20
26	12847	Digha Duronto	Howrah Junction	11:15	Digha	14:15
	12848		Digha	15:35	Howrah Junction	18:35
27	22201	Sealdah Duronto	Sealdah	20:00	Puri	04:00
	22202		Puri	19:50	Sealdah	04:00
31	22209	Mumbai Duronto	Mumbai Central	23:15	New Delhi	16:55
	22210		New Delhi	23:30	Mumbai Central	17:00
32	22211	Ajmer Duronto	Ajmer	05:50	Hazrat Nizamuddin	12:35
	22212		Hazrat Nizamuddin	15:10	Ajmer	21:50
33	22213	Patna Duronto	Shalimar	22:05	Patna Junction	06:40
	22214		Patna Junction	20:40	Shalimar	05:40
28	22203	Visakhapatnam Duronto	Visakhapatnam Junction	22:30	Secunderabad Junction	08:00
	22204		Secunderabad Junction	20:30	Visakhapatnam Junction	06:05
Future Services
29	22205	Madurai Duronto	Chennai Central	22:30	Madurai Junction	07:00
	22206		Madurai Junction	22:40	Chennai Central	07:10
30	22207	Trivandrum Duronto	Chennai Central	16:30	Trivandrum Central	05:15
	22208		Trivandrum Central	21:40	Chennai Central	10:15