Garib Rath Express
Series of lower-cost express trains in India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Garib Rath[1] (lit. Poor Chariot)[2][3] trains are a series of no-frills trains operated by Indian Railways to provide air-conditioned train travel at a cheaper rate compared to regular trains.[4] Garib Rath Express trains primarily operate on long-distance routes, connecting major cities and important railway stations across different states in India. These trains are designed to cover extensive distances, often traversing several hundred kilometers in a single journey.
| Garib Rath Express | |
|---|---|
Amritsar–Saharsa Garib Rath Express at Barauni | |
| Overview | |
| Service type | Express |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | All over India |
| First service | 5 October 2006 |
| Current operator | Indian Railways |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | LHB |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge |
| Operating speed | 130 Kmph |
| Track owner | Indian Railways |
History
The Sanskrit term "Garib Rath" translates to "Poor Man's Chariot" or "Chariot of the Poor" in English. These trains were primarily aimed at providing affordable transportation for economically weaker sections of society. The first service was inaugurated on 5 October 2006 by introduced by the then Rail Minister of India Lalu Prasad Yadav between Saharsa and Amritsar.
Rolling stock
Garib Rath trains have fully air-conditioned coaches that have to be reserved in advance. The originally used ICF rakes, which have been removed from service, consisted of modified AC 3-Tier coaches with side middle berths. The new LHB rakes consist of AC 3-Tier Economy coaches without side middle berths. Earlier some Garib Rath Express trains were pulled by diesel locomotives such as the WDM-3A, WDM-3D and WDP-4 or WDG-4, and nowadays with the LHB coach upgrade and the route being fully electrified those are pulled by electric locomotives like the WAP-4, WAP-5 and most importantly the WAP-7.
| Train no. | Destinations | Inaugurated on | Distance (km) | Journey time | Major halts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12203/04 | Saharsa Junction–Amritsar Junction | 5 Oct 2006 | ~1550 | ~30 hrs | Barauni, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, Delhi |
| 12611/12 | Chennai Central–Hazrat Nizamuddin | 21 Feb 2007 | ~2180 | ~33 hrs | Vijayawada, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jhansi |
| 12909/10 | Bandra Terminus–Hazrat Nizamuddin | 24 Feb 2007 | ~1385 | ~16 hrs | Surat, Vadodara, Ratlam, Kota |
| 13127/28 | Kolkata - Ara | 24 Jan 2008 | ~600 | ~10 hrs | Asansol, Jasidih, Jamui |
| 12201/02 | Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Thiruvananthapuram Kochuveli | 31 Jan 2008 | ~1500 | ~28 hrs | Madgaon, Mangalore, Ernakulam |
| 12735/36 | Secunderabad Junction–Yesvantpur Junction | 1 Feb 2008 | ~700 | ~12 hrs | Kurnool, Dharmavaram, Hindupur |
| 12215/16 | Delhi Sarai Rohilla–Bandra Terminus | 7 Feb 2008 | ~1360 | ~17 hrs | Jaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad |
| 12535/36 | Lucknow Charbagh–Raipur Junction | 23 Feb 2008 | ~820 | ~15 hrs | Prayagraj, Satna, Bilaspur |
| 12517/18 | Kolkata - Guwahati | 30 Mar 2008 | ~1000 | ~18 hrs | Malda Town, New Jalpaiguri, New Bongaigaon |
| 12207/08 | Kathgodam–Jammu Tawi | 8 Apr 2008 | ~900 | ~16 hrs | Moradabad, Saharanpur, Pathankot |
| 12209/10 | Kanpur Central – Kathgodam | 16 Sep 2008 | ~450 | ~8 hrs | Lucknow, Bareilly, Lal Kuan |
| 12435/36 | Jaynagar–Anand Vihar Terminal | 29 Sep 2008 | ~1250 | ~22 hrs | Darbhanga, Samastipur, Patna |
| 12739/40 | Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad | 25 Oct 2008 | ~700 | ~12 hrs | Rajahmundry, Vijayawada |
| 12881/82 | Puri - Shalimar | 6 Jan 2009 | ~500 | ~9 hrs | Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Kharagpur |
| 12113/14 | Pune–Nagpur | 19 Jan 2009 | ~890 | ~15 hrs | Daund, Manmad, Bhusaval |
| 12877/78 | Ranchi – New Delhi | 28 Jan 2009 | ~1300 | ~20 hrs | Bokaro, Gaya, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay |
| 12211/12 | Muzaffarpur – Anand Vihar Terminal | 11 Feb 2009 | ~1050 | ~20 hrs | Hajipur, Chhapra, Ballia |
| 12983/84 | Ajmer Junction – Chandigarh | 14 Feb 2009 | ~800 | ~14 hrs | Jaipur, Delhi |
| 12187/88 | Jabalpur Junction–Mumbai CSMT | 20 Feb 2009 | ~1000 | ~18 hrs | Itarsi, Bhusaval, Kalyan |
| 12257/58 | Yesvantpur Junction–Thiruvananthapuram Kochuveli | 24 Feb 2009 | ~730 | ~14 hrs | Palakkad, Coimbatore, Salem |
| 22541/52 | Banaras–Anand Vihar Terminal | 3 Mar 2009 | ~800 | ~14 hrs | Prayagraj, Kanpur |
| 22405/06 | Bhagalpur Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal | 10 Feb 2011 | ~1200 | ~22 hrs | Jamalpur, Kiul, Patna |
| 22409/10 | Gaya Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal | 3 July 2011 | ~1000 | ~18 hrs | Dehri-on-Sone, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay |
| 12593/94 | Lucknow Charbagh–Bhopal Junction | 19 Nov 2011 | ~700 | ~12 hrs | Kanpur, Jhansi |
| 22883/84 | Puri–Yesvantpur Junction | 20 July 2012 | ~1500 | ~26 hrs | Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Renigunta |
| 12501/02 | Kolkata - Agartala | 5 July 2024 | ~1600 | ~32 hrs | Malda Town, Guwahati, Lumding |
Defunct routes
- 12255/56 Yesvantpur–Puducherry Garib Rath Express service converted to ordinary service[5]
- 02709 Gudur-Secunderabad Garibrath Express special Rake Sharing With Secunderabad Yesvantpur Garibrath Express
- 0655/0656 Chennai CST Garibrath special & Chennai Central Tirunelveli Garibrath Special Rake Sharing With Chennai–Hazrat Nizamuddin Garibrath Express..
- 06511/06512 Jaipur - Yesvantpur Garibrath Express is now replaced by Superfast Express on same route
See also
- Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor
- Vande Bharat Express
- Double Decker Express
- Duronto Express
- Vivek Express
- Yuva Express
- Rajdhani Express
- Shatabdi Express
- Gatimaan Express
- Jan Shatabdi Express
- Jan Sadharan Express
- Sampark Kranti Express
- Rajya Rani Express
- Kavi Guru Express
- Ramayana Express
- Tejas Express
- Uday Express
- Humsafar Express
- Mahamana Express
- Antyodaya Express
