Latest news with #GaribRath
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Demeaning, disrespectful for poor, middle-class': Amritsar MP objects to name of Garib Rath trains in LS
Asserting that the nomenclature 'Garib Rath', translating to 'poor people's chariot' was against the 'dignity and self-respect of the poor and middle-class people who work hard to fulfil their dreams and aspirations', Congress's Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla Wednesday questioned the railways if they were aware of the 'public sentiment' and if there was any plan to rename these trains. Garib Rath Express trains — operated by the Indian Railways — offer affordable travel with air-conditioned coaches, connecting several cities across states. In his question to the Ministry of Railways, Aujla wrote: 'Whether the (central) government is aware of the increasing public sentiment/appeals to change the name of the Garib Rath Express due to concerns regarding the dignity and self-respect of passengers'. He further asked the ministry: 'Whether the government acknowledges that the term Garib Rath, once symbolic of affordable AC travel, now risks being perceived as patronising and inconsistent with the aspirations of the emerging middle class especially the hardworking population of Amritsar who frequently use this service'. The Amritsar MP further asked: 'Whether there is any proposal to rename the train in a way that better reflects values of empowerment, inclusion and national pride'. Speaking to The Indian Express, Aujla said that he had only tried to convey the on-ground public sentiment on the name of these Express trains. 'The name Garib Rath is disrespectful and demeaning for the poor and middle-class people who work hard to fulfil their aspirations and dreams. They are the primary beneficiaries of this service. Somehow, this terminology is not correct to convey that affordable services are being provided to poor and middle-class people. A delegation also met me to convey their resentment against this name so I decided to raise it in Lok Sabha. The word 'Garib' and 'Rath' do not match and there were several other names which might have been opted for to befittingly convey that these were economical trains to provide AC facility at affordable prices,' the MP said. Responding to Amritsar MP's query, the Ministry of Railways said that there was no plan as of now to rename Garib Rath trains. Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw in his reply said: 'Bharatiya Rail is focussed on providing affordable, good quality services to all sections of society. No requests have been received to rename Garib Rath trains'. The minister further wrote: 'Indian Railways have introduced Vande Bharat services which are semi-high speed trains and are aimed to provide better travel experience and improved safety to the passengers. To provide affordable means of transportation to the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have introduced Amrit Bharat services that are fully non-AC modern trains. Already 14 services are in operation'. Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on 'Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers' had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab. ... Read More
India.com
22-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Indian Railways: Engineer who designed Vande Bharat Express is unhappy with Amrit Bharat Train due to….
Indian Railways: Engineer who designed Vande Bharat Express is unhappy with Amrit Bharat Train due to…. Indian Railways is planning to run 100 Amrit Bharat trains on major routes of the country. The government is promoting it heavily as a low-cost high speed train. By Joy Pillai Edited by Joy Pillai Advertisement Indian Railways: Engineer who designed Vande Bharat Express is unhappy with Amrit Bharat Train due to.... The Indian Railways has inducted its newest Amrit Bharat trains into its fleet. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently flagged off four non-AC Amrit Bharat trains, giving the gift of high-tech trains to the people after the Vande Bharat trains. The Railways is planning to run as many as 100 Amrit Bharat trains on major stations. It is a non-AC sleeper class train which has 12 sleeper class coaches and 8 general class coaches. However, former General Manager of the Integral Coach Factory, Sudhanshu Mani, the person who made the Vande Bharat Express, is not happy with the Amrit Bharat trains. According to Mani, there should be no place for such non-AC trains in developed India. According to media reports, Mani said that the time has come to decommission non-AC sleeper class trains as they do not match the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's developed India. Advertisement === 'Earlier such things were being said that the railways will make only AC trains. I liked this idea because with this, even a poor man can travel in AC. It was like Garib Rath. Today the poor do not have money, so they should be given the facility of traveling in AC at a low fare. Tomorrow, when the country develops and the poor also have money, then you can raise the rent,' he said, How Will The Loss Of Railways Be Compensated? As per Mani, poor people also deserve better facilities. Now it is shameful to talk about non-AC trains in developed India. He advocated for government intervention to improve the travel experiences of marginalised people, suggesting that the government can give the poor a chance to travel in Garib Rath or at a lower fare. Talking about the loss to Railways, he suggested that it can be compensated by trains like Vande Bharat. Advertisement === Increase Vande Bharat Trains Speed The former railway official suggested that passengers can pay a higher fare if the speed of Vande Bharat trains is increased. Currently, the average speed of Vande Bharat trains is 70 to 90 km, which can be increased to 100 to 150 km. The Amrit Bharat train is a push-pull train. This means these trains have engines on both the front and back sides. The Railway Ministry promotes Amrit Bharat trains as low-cost, high-speed trains.
The Hindu
20-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Hundreds of ICF-made coaches running in special trains to be withdrawn
Hundreds of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) designed coaches running in special trains operated across the railway network will be withdrawn and condemned. According to railway sources, a majority of these coaches were earlier used for operating 62 Garib Rath Express trains on various routes. LHB rakes The production of ICF-designed coaches for Garib Rath trains was stopped last year and replaced with Linke Hoffman Busch (LHB) air-conditioned economy rakes. The old coaches were used to run special trains. However, several complaints were received from senior officials in different Zonal Railways about multiple maintenance issues, including electrical and mechanical problems, and non-availability of spare parts. With increasing number of complaints from the travelling public and railway officials in the recent months, the Railway Board has directed that erstwhile ICF-designed Garib Rath Express coaches be withdrawn from passenger service with immediate effect, the sources said. Read more:Old coaches turn death traps 'Zonal Railways have reported a number of issues in maintenance of electrical and mechanical sub-assemblies of ICF Garib Rath coaches, which include overdue mid-life rehabilitation and difficulty in procurement of spares. It has been decided to discontinue these coaches from passenger service,' a railway official said. About 900 coaches were expected to be withdrawn. Though a policy decision was taken to replace all ICF-designed coaches, most of which are at least 20-years old, hundreds of trains were being operated with the old rakes. In Southern Railway alone, 154 rakes comprising the ICF-designed coaches were still in passenger service on several routes and officials had planned to replace them with LHB rakes by 2028, the sources said.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Time of India
3 summer special trains giving much relief to migrants from UP, Jharkhand
1 2 3 Chandigarh: Northern Railways has brought major relief to migrant workers and families in the Tricity area by operating three summer special trains. The trains— Chandigarh-Dhanbad Garib Rath, Chandigarh-Patna Garib Rath, and Chandigarh-Gorakhpur-Dibrugarh Express — are running at full capacity, significantly easing travel during the summer rush. The move has boosted direct connectivity from Chandigarh to key cities such as Lucknow, Varanasi, Bareilly, and Dhanbad. Officials say the trains have emerged as a lifeline for hundreds of migrants who otherwise struggled to secure bookings in regular long-distance trains, which were already overbooked well before the start of the vacation season. Senior divisional commercial manager (DCM) Naveen Kumar confirmed that the decision to run these summer specials was made in response to rising demand. "Three special trains were sanctioned to cater to the needs of migrants and travellers from the region. These trains are running packed and have brought much-needed relief to passengers," he said. Train number 03311, running from Dhanbad to Chandigarh, operates every Tuesday and Friday. It departs at 11:50 pm and reaches Chandigarh at 4:30 am on the third day. The return service, train number 03312, leaves Chandigarh every Thursday and Sunday at 6 am and reaches Dhanbad at 9 am the following day. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Sunteck Sky Park, Mira Road - 2 & 3 BHK @ ₹1.33 Cr* Sunteck Sky Park Learn More Undo The route passes through major junctions including Varanasi, Lucknow, Bareilly, Moradabad, and Ambala. This Garib Rath train includes 16 third AC coaches. Train numbers 04504/04505, connecting Chandigarh to Patna, are also running as Garib Rath summer specials. The train from Chandigarh leaves every Thursday at 11:35 pm and reaches Patna at 10:10 pm the next day. The return train departs every Friday night from Patna and reaches Chandigarh late the following evening. With halts at Lucknow, Sultanpur, Varanasi, Buxar, and Ara, this service has become an important corridor for passengers from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Additionally, the Chandigarh-Gorakhpur-Dibrugarh Express (train numbers 15904/15903) departs from Chandigarh every Sunday night at 11:35 pm. It reaches Gorakhpur the next morning and continues onward to Dibrugarh, reaching by the third day. The return train from Dibrugarh runs every Monday morning and arrives in Chandigarh two days later. All three trains have seen high demand since their announcement. Bookings are open both online and at railway ticket counters. Officials have urged passengers to travel responsibly and make early reservations due to limited seat availability. With these services in place, migrants from UP and Jharkhand can now travel home for summer with far less hassle.
India.com
13-05-2025
- India.com
This is India's cheapest train, fare of fully AC coaches starts at just 68 Paise/km, it connect major cities in…, competes with Vande Bharat, Rajdhani Express, name is…
This train of Indian Railways charges just 68 paisa per km, not Vande Bharat, Namo Bharat, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Tejas Express, train is... In India, train ticket prices change depending on the type of train and the comfort it offers. Air-conditioned (AC) coaches usually cost much more than sleeper or general coaches. In fact, in trains that are fully air-conditioned, the fare for an AC seat can be more than double that of a sleeper seat. Because of this, passengers often pick their coach based on what they can afford. We often hear about luxury trains like the Vande Bharat Express, Namo Bharat, Rajdhani, and Shatabdi. These are known for their fast service, modern amenities, and comfortable travel experience. They're so popular that they're usually booked out in advance. Plus, their prices go up with demand sometimes they can cost as much as a flight ticket. But there's one train that stands out for being extremely budget-friendly, despite having AC coaches. It's often referred to as the 'Poor Man's Rajdhani Express.' This nickname comes from the fact that it offers an air-conditioned journey at a fraction of the usual cost. And don't think that its low price means it's slow, this train is surprisingly fast. In fact, when it comes to speed, it can give even the Vande Bharat and Rajdhani trains a run for their money. India's most affordable AC train: The Garib Rath India is home to several high-end trains like the Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Vande Bharat, known for their luxury and speed. But not every traveler can afford the high fares these trains charge. That's where the Garib Rath Express comes in, a train that offers full AC comfort at a fraction of the cost, making it the cheapest AC train in India. The Garib Rath was introduced with the vision of providing air-conditioned travel to the common man without burning a hole in their pocket. While luxury trains charge hefty fares, Garib Rath allows passengers to travel in AC coaches for just 68 paise per kilometer, cheapest than any other AC train in the country. In terms of speed, it holds up quite well. While the Vande Bharat Express can hit top speeds of 160 km/h, its average runs between 66 to 96 km/h. The Garib Rath isn't far behind, clocking an average speed of 70 to 75 km/h, making it both affordable and fast. The longest-running Garib Rath route connects Chennai to Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi), covering a distance of 2075 kilometers in about 28 hours and 30 minutes. And guess what? The fare for this entire journey is just Rs. 1,500. Launched in 2006, the first Garib Rath train ran between Saharsa (Bihar) and Amritsar. Today, the service has expanded to 26 different routes, linking major cities like Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Chennai, and Patna-Kolkata. Thanks to its popularity, the train is almost always packed, and getting a confirmed ticket often requires early booking.
