Shatabdi Express trains (Hindi: शताब्दी एक्सप्रेस) are a series of fast (called superfast in India) passenger trains operated by Indian Railways to connect Metro cities with other cities important for tourism, pilgrimage or business. Shatabdi Express are day-trains and they return to the station of origin the same day.
The Shatabdis are among the fastest trains in India and the Indian Railways considers them as prestigious. The Shatabdi Express trains run over short to medium distances while the Rajdhani Expresses are long-distance trains connecting the nation's capital New Delhi to capitals of states. Both series of trains have a regular speed of 130 to 140 km/h (81 to 87 mph). The 12001 Bhopal Shatabdi express, however, runs at a peak speed of 160 km/h (99 mph), which makes it the fastest train in India.
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The word "Shatabdi" means centenary in Sanskrit, Hindi and several Indian languages. The first Shatabdi train was started in 1988 to commemorate the centenary of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru's Birthday (the First Prime Minister of India) by Madhav Rao Scindia, minister for railways. It operated from New Delhi to Jhansi, later extended to Bhopal. It is now known as the Bhopal Shatabdi Express.
The Bhopal Shatabdi is the fastest train in India and it runs at an average speed of around 98 km/h (61 mph) (Please see : Fastest trains in India) between the origin and the destination though it runs at speeds at 160 km/h (99 mph) on some stretches between Agra and New Delhi stations.These trains are now using latest L.H.B. Rakes to provide extra comfort in the train.
The Shatabdi in certain circumstances, has advantages over the other trains when it comes to receiving priority and berthing at one of the best platforms at the stations it stops at (generally platform number 1 at most of the stations).
The Lucknow - Delhi Shatabdi has a recorded speed of 145 km/h (90 mph) although it lingers in the neighborhood of 130 km/h (81 mph) for most of the cruising distance.
A variant of the Shatabdi Express, Swarna Shatabdi Express, is considered more luxurious by Indian Railway.
Indian Railways later introduced a lower-priced version Jan Shatabdi Expresses, which are nearly all without air-conditioning and much more affordable.
The former railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav had also introduced Garib Rath (chariot of the poor). These are fast trains (like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi), are fully Air-Conditioned and with lower fares. These trains are quite successful and compete with low cost airlines on some long-distance routes.
Shatabdi Express trains offer fast connectivity with only a few intermediate stops. They are fully air-conditioned and of a much higher standard than most Indian trains. Shatabdi Express travelers are provided with snacks, breakfast, meals, coffee or tea, a one-litre water bottle and a glass of canned juice. Travelers are also provided newspapers.
Berths and seats in Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express trains have to be reserved in advance before boarding the train. There is no unreserved accommodation in these trains, unlike most of the other trains in India. A few Shatabdis have a current booking system where tickets can be booked within a couple of hours before departure.
As Shatabdi Express are day-trains and return to the station of origin the same day, most of the coaches on the train have only airconditioned seats (called AC Chair Car or CC) and not berths. All the Shatabdi Express trains have, however, one coach of first class airconditioned seating. These coaches have wider leg room and offer better food compared to the normal Air conditioned seating(CC).
New on board entertainment systems have also been installed on some of these trains where the passengers can view movies and television serials directly via satellite. One of the first services to have this system is the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Shatabdi Express.
Indian Railways operates 14 pairs of Shatabdi Express as on 1 July 2010. These trains are listed here.
| Pair | Train No | Sector | Stoppages | Distance (km) | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12001 - 12002 | Bhopal - New Delhi | Jhansi, Gwalior, Morena, Agra Cantt, Mathura | 701 | Daily |
| 2 | 12033 - 12034 | Kanpur - New Delhi | Ghaziabad | 437 | except Sunday |
| 3 | 12005 - 12006 | New Delhi - Kalka | Kurukshetra, Ambala, Chandigarh | 303 | Daily |
| 4 | 12007 - 12008 | Chennai Central - Mysore | Bangalore City | 500 | except Wednesday |
| 5 | 12009 - 12010 | Mumbai - Ahmedabad | Borivali, Vapi, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Nadiad | 491 | except Sunday |
| 6 | 12011 - 12012 | New Delhi - Kalka | Panipat, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Chandigarh | 303 | Daily |
| 7 | 12013 - 12014 | New Delhi - Amritsar | Sirhind, Ludhiana, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Beas | 448 | Daily |
| 8 | 12015 - 12016 | New Delhi - Ajmer | Delhi Cantt, Gurgaon, Rewari, Alwar, Jaipur | 443 | except Wednesday |
| 9 | 12017 - 12018 | New Delhi - Dehradun | Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzzafarnagar, Saharanpur, Roorkee, Haridwar | 315 | Daily |
| 10 | 12019 - 12020 | Howrah - Ranchi | Durgapur, Raniganj, Asansol, Dhanbad, Chandrapura, Bokaro Steel City, Muri | 423 | except Sunday |
| 11 | 12025-26 | Pune-Secunderabad | Solapur, gulbarga, Wadi, Tandur, vikarabad | 597 | Except Tuesday |
| 12 | 12027 - 12028 | Chennai Central - Bangalore City | Katpadi, Bangalore Cantonment | 362 | except Tuesday |
| 13 | 12029 - 12030 | New Delhi - Amritsar | Ambala, Ludhiana, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Beas | 448 | except Thursday |
| 14 | 12031 - 12032 | New Delhi - Amritsar | Ambala, Ludhiana, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Beas | 448 | Thursday |
| 15 | 12003 - 12004 | Lucknow - New Delhi | Kanpur, Etawah, Aligarh, Ghaziabad | 511 | Daily |
| 16 | 12037-12038 | Ludhiana-New Delhi | Rohtak,Sangrur | 329 | Monday,Tuesday,Friday,Saturday (Soon 7 days) |
Following three New Shatabdi Trains has been announced in 2011 Railway Budget by Mamata Banerjee (Minister of Railways).[1]
Some claim that since there is no competition within the passenger services of Indian Railways, little emphasis is given to the improvement of services.
Furthermore, the Indian aviation sector is offering stiff competition and various airlines are pushing into the low-cost market on domestic routes, which in turn makes it attractive for the upper segment of rail passengers to shift to air travel. This, along with an inability to maintain a high level of service, makes it challenging for the Shatabdi and the Rajdhani Express to keep their customers.[1]