Garib Rath Express Explained

Garib Rath Express
Color:008000
Status:Operating
Locale:All over india
Operator:Indian Railways
Stock:LHB 3E Coaches (conversion in progress)
Gauge: broad gauge
Speed:130 Kmph
Owners:Indian Railways

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.

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

Garib rath trains have fully air-conditioned coaches that have to be reserved in advance. The ICF rakes, which are being removed from service, have a modified AC 3-Tier coach with side middle berth. The LHB rakes, run with 3 AC Economy coaches without the side middle berth.

Active routes

Train No.DestinationsInaugurated onRake
12203/04Saharsa Junction–Amritsar Junction5 Oct 2006LHB
12113/14Pune–Nagpur[5] 19 Jan 2009 LHB
12187/88Jabalpur Junction–Mumbai CSMT20 Feb 2009ICF
12201/02Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Kochuveli1 Feb 2008 LHB
12207/08Kathgodam–Jammu Tawi8 Apr 2008LHB
12209/10Kanpur Central – Kathgodam16 Sep 2008LHB
12211/12Muzaffarpur Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal11 Feb 2009 LHB
12215/16Delhi Sarai Rohilla–Bandra Terminus7 Feb 2008LHB
12257/58Yesvantpur Junction–Kochuveli24 Feb 2009LHB
12359/60Kolkata–Patna Junction24 Jan 2008LHB
12501/0207 July 2024LHB
12517/1830 Mar 2008LHB
12535/36Lucknow Charbagh–Raipur Junction[6] 23 Feb 2008LHB
12435/36Jaynagar–Anand Vihar Terminal29 Sep 2008LHB
12593/94Lucknow Charbagh–Bhopal Junction19 Nov 2011LHB
12611/12Chennai Central–Hazrat Nizamuddin21 Feb 2007LHB
12735/36Secunderabad Junction–Yesvantpur Junction[7] 1 Feb 2008 ICF
12739/40Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad25 Oct 2008LHB
12877/78Ranchi Junction–New Delhi[8] 28 Jan 2009 ICF
12881/82Kolkata Shalimar–Puri6 Jan 2009LHB
12909/10Bandra Terminus–Hazrat Nizamuddin24 Feb 2007 ICF
12983/84Ajmer Junction – Chandigarh14 Feb 2009LHB
22405/06Bhagalpur Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal10 Feb 2011LHB
22541/52Banaras–Anand Vihar Terminal3 Mar 2009LHB
22409/10Gaya Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal3 July 2011LHB
22883/84Puri–Yesvantpur Junction20 July 2012LHB

Defunct routes

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Introduction of Garib Rath trains. Press Information Bureau. 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. News: All-AC Garib Rath flagged off by Lalu . . 2006-10-05.
  5. News: Pune-Nagpur Garib Rath from today . 2023-05-23 . . 2009-01-19.
  6. News: Kaiser . Ejaz . Union Minister flags-off Garib Rath from Raipur . 2023-05-23 . . 2008-02-23.
  7. News: Yesvantpur-Secunderabad 'Garib Rath' flagged off . 2023-05-23 . . PTI . 2008-02-02.
  8. News: New Garib Rath Express introduced . 2023-05-23 . . 2009-01-31.
  9. Web site: 16474/Puducherry-Yesvantpur Garib Rath Express - Pondicherry to Yesvantpur SWR/South Western Zone - Railway Enquiry . 2022-04-18 . indiarailinfo.com.