Main Operation(s) India 1988 - Parent company Indian Railways | Fleet size 22 | |
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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.
Contents
The Shatabdis along with The Rajdhani and the Duronto are among the fastest trains in India and the Indian Railways consider Rajdhani and Shatabdi as prestigious. The Shatabdi Expresses get second highest priority, after Rajdhani Expresses which gets highest priority. The Shatabdi Express trains run over short to medium distances while the Rajdhani Expresses and the Duronto Expresses are long-distance trains. Rajdhani Expresses connect the nation's capital New Delhi to capitals of states and other major cities while Duronto Expresses connect major cities to other major cities. All three series of trains have a maximum speed of about 130 km/h (81 mph). The 12001 Bhopal Shatabdi express, however, runs at a peak speed of 155 km/h (96 mph), which makes it the second fastest train in India after Gatimaan Express.
History
The word "Shatabdi" means centenary in Sanskrit, Hindi and several Indian languages. The first Shatabdi train was started in 1988 to commemorate the centenary of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru's Birthday (the First Prime Minister of India) & was flagged off by Madhav Rao Scindia, minister for railways. The train was driven by Driver 'A' Grade Special Mr Jamshed Jehangirji Dick & Late Mr L . R Gahlot both Drivers belonging to Jhansi division. It operated from New Delhi Railway Station via Agra to Gwalior Junction, Mr. Scindia's home town as the erstwhile Maharaja of Gwalior. The train remained idle at Gwalior between 1000 am and 1900 pm. The railway tracks between Gwalior and Bhopal were tested for safety before extending the Shatabdi's run in 1989 to Bhopal via Jhansi. Now known as the Bhopal Shatabdi Express, it departs from New Delhi at 0600 am and reaches Bhopal at 1350 pm, leaving on its return trip at 1515 pm and arriving at New Delhi at 2315 pm.
Vehicle and rolling stock
The Bhopal Shatabdi is the second fastest train in India and it runs at an average speed of around 70 km/h (43 mph) to 110 km/h (68 mph)(Please see : Fastest trains in India). Between the origin and the destination though it runs a maximum speed of 155 km/h (96 mph) on some stretches between Agra and New Delhi stations. These trains are now using latest LHB Coaches to provide extra comfort in the train.
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.
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).
Berths and seats in Shatabdi Express, Duronto 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, coaches (called AC Chair Car or CC) on the train have only seats and not berths. All the Shatabdi Express trains have, however, one or two coaches 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 Shatabdi Express.
List of Shatabdi trains
Indian Railways operates 24 pairs of Shatabdi Express as of January 2016. These trains are listed here.
Ernakulam-Bangalore City Shatabdi, Ernakulam-Chennai Central Shatabdi, Thirvananthapram Central-Mangalore Shatabdi, Howrah-Patna Shatabdi, Ahmedabad-Jaipur Shatabdi, Kacheguda-Vizag Shatabdi,
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) in 2005. 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.