Facts about Shatabdi Express in Indian Railway: Shatabdi Express trains are a series of fast (called Superfast in India) passenger trains operated by Indian Railways to connect Metro cities with other Major cities for tourism, pilgrimage & business purposes. Shatabdi Express are day-trains and they return to the station of origin the same day. Indian Railways considers Rajdhani and Shatabdi as prestigious. Click here to join whatsapp/telegram study group →
Fastest Shatabdi Express in India
The 12001 Bhopal Shatabdi express runs at a peak speed of 155 km/h (96 mph), which makes it the fastest shatabdi express and fourth fastest train in India after the Tejas Express, Gatimaan Express and Vande Bharat Express.
Facts about Shatabdi Express Trains in India
- The name “Shatabdi” means centenary in Sanskrit.
- The first Shatabdi Express train was introduced on 10 July 1988, by then Railways Minister Madhavrao Scindia to commemorate the birth centenary of Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India, between New Delhi and Gwalior Junction.
- It was later extended to Jhansi Junction and then to Bhopal Junction.
- At present, 20 pairs of Shatabdi Express Trains are operational.
Why Shatabdi Express does not have berths?
As Shatabdi Express are day-trains and return to the station of origin the same day, coaches (AC Chair Car) on the train have only seats and not berths. All the Shatabdi Express trains have, however, one or two coaches of Executive Class seating. Recently, Indian Railways have started offering Anubhuti Class seating also. These coaches have a wider legroom and offer better food compared to the normal air conditioned seating (CC).
Shatabdi Express Facilities
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 travelers were provided with bottled water, juice, coffee or tea, and meals relevant to the time of day of the journey but now they don’t including the Rajdhani Express. Travelers have to pay for food at an extra cost. All these new changes happened after the COVID-19 situation in India.
New onboard 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 Shatabdi Express and also Vistadome coach is also given to it