First semi-high speed train to hit the rails.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Tuesday flagged off the maiden trip of Gatimaan Express, which is touted as the fastest train to be inducted into the Indian Railway, from the Nizamuddin Railway station in Delhi.
Gatimaan Express is the first among the semi-high speed trains to hit the rails.
A passenger traveling in a normal express train usually spends close to 2-3 hours on commuting between Hazrat and Agra, but traveling at a speed of 160 KM/Hour the Gatimaan Express will cover 184 KM in just 100 minutes.
Speaking at the flagging of ceremony the Union Minister said “Launching of Gatimaan Express is an important step for railways. Our drive to scale new heights continues unabated.”
The newly inducted train will run six days a week. The completely air-conditioned train has two executive AC Chair cars and eight AC Chair car coaches. The fare between the stations has been set at Rs. 750 for a single AC Chair Car and Rs. 1,500 for an executive AC Chair Car.
The Gathimaan Express will also feature on-board entertainment facilities and free internet connectivity using WiFi.
Adding to this the Railway has also come up with two sets of menu for Gatimaan passengers – one for the vegetarians and the other for those who prefer non-vegetarian food. The vegetarian food is further divided into South Indian and Punjabi foods, whereas the non-vegetarian menu will have continental dishes and sausages for the passengers to choose from.
The train leaves Nizamuddin station at 8:10am and reaches Agra at 9:50am. From Agra, the train starts the return journey at 5:50pm and reaches Nizamuddin at 7:30pm.
The coaches of the semi-high speed Gatimaan Express has been built at Kapurthala Railway Coach Factory in the Punjab and bio-toilets inside the train are developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The total estimated cost of building the train is Rs. 50 crores.
Social Media updates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34SMACM5EMs
Shri Suresh Prabhu flagged off #GatimaanExpress 2give Gati/speed 2 development&economy reached Agra in 90/100 mint pic.twitter.com/ExAesXNinC
— Meenakashi Lekhi (@M_Lekhi) April 5, 2016
At the launch of #GatimaanExpress, India's fastest train with Hon'ble Railway Minister Shri @sureshpprabhu. pic.twitter.com/hXhErvvD1O
— Swami Maheish Girri (@MaheishGirri) April 5, 2016
India's fastest train Gatimaan Express all set to make its debut journey shortly from Delhi to Agra in 100 minshttps://t.co/h7CQL2Qp5W
— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 5, 2016