If you are making reservations with Indian Railways and the variety of trains is baffling you, you’ve reached the right place. We will try helping you understand the differences in facilities, duration of running and the fare in different types of trains of Indian Railways.
Duronto Express – Duronto Trains are point-to-point rail services with only technical or crew halts. They mostly connect metros and the major state capitals. They are faster than Rajdhani and were introduced for the first time in 2009. They consist of only first AC, two-tier AC and three-tier AC. Painted with splashes of colors, these trains have a pantry car as well. The cost of meals is included in the ticket itself.
Rajdhani Express – They comprise of some of the fastest trains on the Indian railways network. They connect major cities of the country to New Delhi, the capital city. A Rajdhani has very few stoppages but usually runs over medium to long distances. Meals are included in the ticket fare. There was a time when Rajhdhani Express’ were known for the delicious food they serve on board, though that isn’t the case anymore.
Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi – Shatabdi Express trains are a series of superfast trains, which connect metro cities which nearby important cities. They are day trains and return the same day to the point of origin. As against Rajdhanis, they run over small to medium distances.
Jan Shatabdi is a series of lower-priced trains and consist of non-airconditioned coaches as well. Unlike Shatabdis, you have to buy your meals.
Garib rath (Chariot of the poor) – They are superfast trains, competing with Rajdhani and Shatabdi, but have lower fares, hence are more affordable.
Mail/Express – These are the most popular types of trains in India. They are the regular express trains which stop at a large number of stops.
Superfast mail – Superfast mail trains are the faster version of Mail/Express trains, with superfast charge levied over and above the Mail charges. They stop at fewer number of stops, hence, reach faster.
Passenger and Fast Passenger – These trains run at most short and long distance routes, and stop at almost every station on its way. The entire train has only general type of compartment.
Suburban – Suburban trains run in urban areas, connecting parts of a city with outer suburbs and nearby towns. Mumbai Local is one of the most popular example of such trains.
Goods Train – Meant for transporting goods only.
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The fare of Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi trains includes food served in the train, but the fare for other trains does not include food that has to be bought separately.
Hi, thank you for the very informative article. I had a quick question. With the rapid modernization of the railways with emphasis on speed and comfort would there be a hierarchical transfer of the train between coaches. for eg. when Train 18/20 are introduced will shatabdis replace mail, and mail replace passenger. Likewise with newer trains like Tejas and gatimaan will rajdhanis replace shatabdis and durontos replace rajdhanis It would only make sense to replace slower trains with existing trains rather than buying new trains for each class. Please do comment your thoughts. Thanks.