Gatimaan express flagged off: India’s new fastest train saves you 15 minutes.

The Gatimaan express is here Image credit: Twitter
Rahul Warrier Rahul Warrier folomojo staff

Over 2 years in the making, India’s faster train, or the ‘semi-bullet train’ as it has been modestly dubbed is all set to take to the tracks this week. The train will be faster than the current speed king, the Shatabdi express by full 15 minutes. It will achieve speeds up to 160 kmph in this pursuit.

The service will connect Delhi (Hazrat Nizamuddin) to Agra and passengers will be whisked from the station of origin to their destination in 100 minutes flat. The train is to be flagged off on 5th April, and commercial operations might commence only on the 6th.
The train is scheduled to depart Delhi at 8:10 am, and arrive at Agra at 9:50 am. On its way back, it will depart Agra at 5:50 pm and reach Delhi at 7:30 pm. There will not be any mid-way stoppages, and the train will operate on all days except Friday. The inaugural run may or may not have commuters, as the govt. may decide to open up bookings only from the following day onwards.

An enthusiastic flag off happened via remote control from the Rail Bhavan at 10:00 am this morning, in the presence of Railway minister Suresh Prabhu and various other dignitaries.

The train has modern coaches with all manner of facilities for passengers – including sliding doors, passenger information systems and in-train backseat entertainment . A ticket on the Gatimaan will be 25% more expensive than the Shatabdi – the executive class will be around Rs. 1500, and the AC chair car will cost about Rs. 600 per ticket. While the speed alone will not prove to be much of an upside (given it only gains 15 minutes on the Shatabdi), the Railways are promising to offer exceptional on-board services to ensure an unmatched customer experience. According to sources, there will be ‘train hosts and hostesses’ in blue uniforms attending to the passengers. Free Wi-Fi, video on demand, bio-toilets and coaches painted with prominent landmarks from  Delhi and Agra are all attempts to ensure great service levels for passengers. There will also be a wide variety of food options to choose from.

The Gatimaan express will hit speeds of up to 160 kmps Image credit: Twitter
The Gatimaan express will hit speeds of up to 160 kmps
Image credit: Twitter

 

The government hopes to introduce many more such faster services on crowded commercial routes, making the railways a significant contributor to transport in India. The train is a result of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, and was indigenously built at the Kapurthala rail coach factory at a cost of about 50 crore rupees.

 

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