Garib Rath Express

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, the first Garib Rath Express service at New Delhi.
Overview
StatusOperating
LocaleAll over india
First service5 October 2006 (2006-10-05)
Last service2023
Current operator(s)Indian Railways
Technical
Rolling stockLHB 3E Coaches (conversion in progress)
Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Operating speed130 Kmph
Track owner(s)Indian Railways

History

The 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 name "Garib" means Poor and "rath" means chariot in Sanskrit and the first service was inaugurated on 5 October 2006 by introduced by the then Rail Minister of India Lalu Prasad Yadav between Saharsa–Amritsar Garib Rath Express

Rolling stock

As Garib rath trains have fully air-conditioned coaches that have to be reserved in advance. While the trains initially had chair car coaches Sleeper and the sleeper coaches in three configurations: first class, two-tier and three-tier. Both trains are hauled by diesel or electric.

Active routes
Train No. Destinations Inaugurated on Rake
12203/04Saharsa Junction–Amritsar Junction[4]5 Oct 2006 ICF
12113/14Pune–Nagpur[5]19 Jan 2009 LHB
12187/88Jabalpur Junction–Mumbai CSMT20 Feb 2009 LHB
12201/02Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Kochuveli1 Feb 2008 LHB
12207/08Kathgodam–Jammu Tawi8 Apr 2008 ICF
12209/10Kanpur Central – Kathgodam16 Sep 2008 ICF
12211/12Muzaffarpur Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal11 Feb 2009 LHB
12215/16Delhi Sarai Rohilla–Bandra Terminus7 Feb 2008 LHB
12257/58Yesvantpur Junction–Kochuveli24 Feb 2009 LHB
12359/60Kolkata–Patna Junction24 Jan 2008 ICF
12501/02Kolkata-Agartala07 July 2024 LHB
12517/18Kolkata-Guwahati Garib Rath Express30 Mar 2008 LHB
12535/36Lucknow Charbagh–Raipur Junction[6]23 Feb 2008 ICF
12435/36Jaynagar–Anand Vihar Terminal29 Sep 2008 LHB
12593/94Lucknow Charbagh–Bhopal Junction19 Nov 2011 ICF
12611/12Chennai Central–Hazrat Nizamuddin21 Feb 2007 LHB
12735/36Secunderabad Junction–Yesvantpur Junction[7]1 Feb 2008 ICF
12739/40Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad25 Oct 2008 ICF
12877/78Ranchi Junction–New Delhi[8]28 Jan 2009 ICF
12881/82Kolkata Shalimar–Puri6 Jan 2009 ICF
12909/10Bandra Terminus–Hazrat Nizamuddin24 Feb 2007 ICF
12983/84Ajmer Junction – Chandigarh14 Feb 2009 ICF
22405/06Bhagalpur Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal10 Feb 2011 LHB
22541/52Banaras–Anand Vihar Terminal3 Mar 2009 ICF
22409/10Gaya Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal3 July 2011 LHB
22883/84Puri–Yesvantpur Junction20 July 2012 ICF

Defunct routes
  • 0655/0656 Chennai CST Garibrath special & Chennai Central Tirunelveli Garibrath Special Rake Sharing With Chennai–Hazrat Nizamuddin Garibrath Express.

See also

References
  1. "Introduction of Garib Rath trains". Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 17 March 2006.
  2. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%AC
  3. https://www.learnsanskrit.cc/translate?search=chariot&dir=au
  4. "All-AC Garib Rath flagged off by Lalu". The Times of India. 5 October 2006.
  5. "Pune-Nagpur Garib Rath from today". The Times of India. 19 January 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  6. Kaiser, Ejaz (23 February 2008). "Union Minister flags-off Garib Rath from Raipur". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  7. "Yesvantpur-Secunderabad 'Garib Rath' flagged off". The Economic Times. PTI. 2 February 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  8. "New Garib Rath Express introduced". The Hindu. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  9. "16474/Puducherry-Yesvantpur Garib Rath Express - Pondicherry to Yesvantpur SWR/South Western Zone - Railway Enquiry". indiarailinfo.com. Retrieved 18 April 2022.

Further reading
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