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Famous Trains of India

Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Garib Rath, Duronto and more.

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Famous Trains of India — Core

Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Garib Rath, Duronto and more.

Famous trains of India — Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Vande Bharat and more
Notes

FAMOUS TRAIN CATEGORIES IN INDIAN RAILWAYS:

1. RAJDHANI EXPRESS (premier long-distance trains)

  • Launched: 1969 (Mar 1) — New Delhi to Howrah.
  • Connects capital cities (Rajdhani = capital).
  • Top speed: 130–140 km/h.
  • Fully AC, no general/sleeper coaches.
  • ~24 Rajdhani trains run today.

Notable Rajdhanis:

  • Mumbai Rajdhani (NDLS-BCT, ~16 hr) — flagship.
  • Howrah Rajdhani — first ever.
  • Trivandrum Rajdhani — longest Rajdhani route.
  • Sealdah Rajdhani.
  • August Kranti Rajdhani.

2. SHATABDI EXPRESS (intercity day trains)

  • Launched: 1988 — to mark Jawaharlal Nehru's birth centenary (Shatabdi = "centenary").
  • First service: New Delhi-Jhansi.
  • Day trains — go and return same day.
  • AC chair-car only (no sleeper).
  • Top speed: up to 150 km/h (Gatimaan, but Shatabdi typically 130).
  • ~25 Shatabdi trains.

Notable Shatabdis:

  • Bhopal Shatabdi (NDLS-BPL) — fastest before Gatimaan.
  • Chennai-Bengaluru Shatabdi.
  • Howrah-Puri Shatabdi.

3. DURONTO EXPRESS (non-stop point-to-point)

  • Launched: 2009 — by Mamata Banerjee.
  • "Duronto" = "Quick" in Bengali.
  • Non-stop between origin and destination (technical halts only).
  • Top speed: 130 km/h.
  • ~25 Duronto pairs.

4. VANDE BHARAT EXPRESS (semi-high-speed, indigenous)

  • Launched: February 2019 (NDLS-Varanasi).
  • "Vande Bharat" = "Hail India".
  • Manufactured by: Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.
  • Top speed: 180 km/h (tested 220 km/h); commercial 160 km/h.
  • Train 18 project name during development.
  • ~40+ Vande Bharats by 2026.
  • All-AC chair-car, fully indigenous, made in India.

Recent additions:

  • Mumbai-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat.
  • Mysore-Chennai Vande Bharat.
  • Howrah-NJP Vande Bharat.
  • Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat.

5. TEJAS EXPRESS (premier semi-high-speed)

  • Launched: 2017 (Mumbai-Goa).
  • Top speed: 160 km/h.
  • All-AC, AC1 + AC2 + Chair Car.
  • First private operator in India: IRCTC-run Tejas (Lucknow-NDLS, 2019).

6. GATIMAAN EXPRESS (fastest semi-high-speed regular)

  • Launched: April 5, 2016 (NDLS-Agra).
  • Top speed: 160 km/h (was India's fastest until Vande Bharat).
  • AC Executive Chair Car, AC Chair Car.

7. GARIB RATH (poor man's AC)

  • Launched: 2006 by Lalu Prasad Yadav (then Railway Minister).
  • Affordable AC travel.
  • AC3 tier coaches.
  • "Garib Rath" = "Poor man's chariot."

8. JAN SHATABDI (affordable day train)

  • Launched: 2002.
  • Same concept as Shatabdi but with general + chair-car classes.
  • Cheaper than Shatabdi.

9. SAMPARK KRANTI (state-capital connectivity)

  • Launched: 2004.
  • Connects state capitals to New Delhi quickly.
  • "Sampark Kranti" = "Connection revolution".
  • Notable: Telangana SK, Bihar SK, Jharkhand SK.

10. ANTYODAYA EXPRESS (unreserved, for poor)

  • Launched: 2017.
  • All-unreserved (general) coaches.
  • Long-distance.
  • For working migrants.

11. HUMSAFAR EXPRESS (premium long-distance AC)

  • Launched: 2016.
  • Fully AC 3-tier.
  • LED screens, CCTV, water dispenser, charging points.

12. AMRIT BHARAT EXPRESS (premium long-distance, modern)

  • Launched: 2023.
  • Modern coaches with sleeper + general classes.
  • LED lighting, USB charging, modern toilets.
  • For migrant workers (combining affordability + comfort).

13. KISAN RAIL (refrigerated freight for farmers)

  • Launched: August 2020.
  • First service: Devlali (Maharashtra) to Danapur (Bihar).
  • Refrigerated wagons for perishable goods (fruits, veggies, milk, fish).
  • 50% subsidy on freight for farmers.

14. VIVEK EXPRESS (longest train route)

  • Launched: 2011 (Swami Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary).
  • Route: Dibrugarh (Assam) ↔ Kanyakumari (TN). 4,273 km.
  • India's longest train route.
  • Takes ~80 hours one way.

15. MAHARAJAS' EXPRESS (luxury tourism train)

  • Launched: 2010.
  • Run by IRCTC.
  • Among world's most luxurious trains.
  • Tariff: $1,000–$3,000 per night.

16. PALACE ON WHEELS (Rajasthan tourism)

  • Launched: 1982.
  • 7-night Rajasthan tour.
  • Run by RTDC (Rajasthan Tourism) + IRCTC.

17. GOLDEN CHARIOT (South India tourism)

  • Launched: 2008.
  • South India circuit.
  • Run by KSTDC + IRCTC.

18. DECCAN ODYSSEY (Maharashtra tourism)

  • Launched: 2004.
  • Mumbai-Maharashtra-Goa luxury circuit.

19. VANDE METRO (intercity short-distance)

  • Launched: 2025.
  • Indigenous semi-high-speed for distances <250 km.
  • For Tier-2 connectivity.

RECORD HOLDERS:

Record Train Detail
Fastest Gatimaan / Vande Bharat 160 km/h
Longest route Vivek Express 4,273 km
Shortest route Train 1 from Chhota Udaipur <10 km
Most trains in network Trains numbered 12001-19999
Most popular train Howrah Rajdhani / Mumbai Rajdhani Always full
Most luxurious Maharajas' Express $$$$

EXAM HOOKS:

  • Rajdhani 1969; Shatabdi 1988; Duronto 2009; Vande Bharat 2019.
  • Gatimaan: India's fastest semi-HS commercial (160 km/h).
  • Vivek Express: longest route (Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari).
  • Kisan Rail: refrigerated freight (2020).
  • Garib Rath: Lalu Prasad Yadav's creation (2006).
  • Tejas: first private-operated train (2019, by IRCTC).
  • Train 18 = Vande Bharat (development name).
  • UNESCO mountain railways: Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Kalka-Shimla.