Know About History of Shatabdis Express Trains

Know About History of Shatabdis Express Trains



When were Shatabdis Express trains introduced? Which was the first one?

The Shatabdi Express trains are fast inter-city express trains which aim to provide daytime service noticeably faster than the other "superfast" trains over medium distances, generally providing for a same-day return (leave early in the morning, and return late at night). They are aimed primarily at businessmen and tourists. The Shatabdis have airconditioned rakes and two classes of accommodation: executive chair car and ordinary chair car. The price of meals and refreshments is included in the fare.

"Shatabdi" indicates a century in Hindi; the service was started to commemorate the Nehru centenary in 1989. The first Shatabdi between New Delhi and Jhansi was flagged off in July 1988. In 1989 it was extended to Bhopal. In 1989 another Shatabdi was started between New Delhi and Kanpur, and later extended to Lucknow.

The Bhopal Shatabdi is booked to run at a speed of 140km/h between New Delhi and Agra, and at 130km/h between Agra and Bhopal, making it the fastest train in the country. It was also the first train to cover the New Delhi - Agra section in under two hours, taking 115 minutes, handily beating the Taj Exp. which was the previous speed record holder on that section (it takes around 2.5 hours for the same stretch).

Later Shatabdis have in general not been as fast as the Bhopal Shatabdi, but they do normally achieve speeds of 120-130km/h. Some Shatabdis (including the Bhopal one) use WAP3 locos, others use WAP1's and also WDM2's in unlectrified sections. One of the newer Shatabdis, the Swarna Shatabdi Exp. between Amritsar and New Delhi has a dedicated rake with several new features. The new [5/01] fast train between New Delhi and Lucknow with Alstom-LHB coaches capable of running at 160km/h is also called a Swarna Shatabdi Express.

Source - IFRCA.org