The Garib Rath (lit. Poor Chariot) 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. 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 originally used ICF rakes, which have been removed from service, consisted of modified AC 3-Tier coaches with side middle berths. The new LHB rakes consist of AC 3-Tier Economy coaches without side middle berths.
Active routes
Defunct routes
- 12255/56 Yesvantpur–Puducherry Garib Rath Express service converted to ordinary service
- 02709 Gudur Secunderabad Garibrath Express special Rake Sharing With Secunderabad Yesvantpur Garibrath Express
- 0655/0656 Chennai CST Garibrath special & Chennai Central Tirunelveli Garibrath Special Rake Sharing With Chennai–Hazrat Nizamuddin Garibrath Express..
See also
References
Further reading
- "Two key sectors of the Garib Rath Express is set to be back on track on 04 August". Firstpost. 30 July 2019.
- "Garib Rath: an ordeal on wheels". The Times of India. 25 November 2008.
- "Yesvantpur-Secunderabad 'Garib Rath' flagged off". The Economic Times. PTI. 2 February 2008.
- "Inauguration of the Kolkata-Guwahati Garib Rath Express". The IRFCA Photo Gallery. Indian Railways Fan Club. 2008.
- "7-yr-old dead as Bodo militants target Assam train". NDTV. 8 July 2010.
- "Garib Rath Express: Timings, Routes, Ticket Fare". TheQuint. 29 April 2021.
- Nag, Devanjana (4 September 2018). "Humsafar Express premium AC-3 tier train to replace Garib Rath on Delhi-Chennai route of Indian Railways". Financial Express. The Indian Express.
External links
- Garibrath & Yuva Train Names (archived from Indian Railways website)
