The Garib Rath Express, a low-cost AC train service, was introduced by the Indian Railways in 2006. A superfast train with speeds similar to the Rajdhani and Duronto, it became a boon for travellers who needed to cover long distances on a tight budget.
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However, in 2019, media reports suggested that the Garib Rath Express would slowly be phased out by the Rail Ministry, and that no new coaches would be built for it. Indeed, many of the original trains are no longer operational. But for the active Garib Rath routes, train bookings and searches have remained consistently high till today.
How is the Garib Rath train?
In one word? Efficient.
Garib Rath trains have distinctly lower fares, because the coaches can fit more passengers than a normal AC express train. To allow this extra space, the distance between each seat and berth is less than other AC services, and the berths and seats are narrower too. Along with this, no free bedding or food is provided for passengers. As you can tell, comfort may not be the top priority here. But speed sure is!
The fastest Garib Rath train, no. 02909 from Bandra Terminus (Mumbai) to Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi), covers 1366 kilometres within a whopping 16 hours and 40 minutes.
Which Garib Rath trains are still running?
We’re glad you asked. At least 12 Garib Rath Express services are running on high-demand routes in 2021, and you can book them directly using the ixigo trains app or by going to ixigo.com/trains.
Here’s a quick list of the Garib Rath train schedules:
> 06163 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus – Kochuveli every Monday and Friday
> 06164 Kochuveli – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus every Sunday and Thursday
> 06151 Dr MGR Chennai Central – Hazrat Nizamuddin every Saturday
> 06152 Hazrat Nizamuddin – Dr MGR Chennai Central every Monday
> 02740 Secunderabad – Visakhapatnam on all days of the week
> 02739 Visakhapatnam – Secunderabad on all days of the week
> 02215 Delhi Sarai Rohilla – Bandra Terminus every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
> 02216 Bandra Terminus – Delhi Sarai Rohilla every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
> 02063 Puri – Yesvantpur every Friday
> 02064 Yesvantpur – Puri every Saturday
> 02910 Hazrat Nizamuddin – Bandra Terminus every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday
> 02909 Bandra Terminus – Hazrat Nizamuddin every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
To view the full Garib Rath train timetable and stoppage details for each of these trains, you can use the ‘Trains by Name/No.’ option on the homescreen of the ixigo trains app, or go to ixigo.com/trains > ‘Search by Name/Number’.
Before booking any tickets, we strongly advise you to check the latest interstate train travel guidelines here to make your trip smooth and hassle-free.
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Feature image credit: abhinavnfr/Flickr
