Shatabdi Express

The name "Shatabdi" means centenary in Sanskrit. The first Shatabdi Express train was introduced in 1988, by then Railways Minister Madhavrao Scindia to commemorate the birth centenary of Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India, between New Delhi and Jhansi Junction.

Shatabdi Express trains offer fast connectivity with only a few intermediate stops. They are fully air-conditioned and of a much higher standard than most Indian trains. Shatabdi travelers are provided with bottled water, juice, coffee or tea, and meals relevant to the time of day of the journey.

Shatabdi trains are also further distinguished from other trains, in terms of convenience in boarding and disembarking. Most stations give them priority berthing at the better platforms, such as ones located close to the station building or waiting halls (generally platform number 1 at most of the stations).

Berths and seats in Shatabdi Express, Duronto Express and Rajdhani Express trains have to be reserved in advance before boarding the train. There is no unreserved accommodation in these trains, unlike most of the other trains in India. A few Shatabdis have a current booking system where tickets can be booked within a couple of hours before departure.

As Shatabdi Express are day-trains and return to the station of origin the same day, coaches (AC Chair Car) on the train have only seats and not berths. All the Shatabdi Express trains have, however, one or two coaches of Executive Class seating. Recently, Indian Railways have started offering Anubhuti Class seating also. These coaches have a wider legroom and offer better food compared to the normal Air conditioned seating (CC).

New onboard entertainment systems have also been installed on some of these trains where the passengers can view movies and television serials directly via satellite. One of the first services to have this system is the Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express.

Indian Railways operates 23 pairs of Shatabdi Express as of October 2019. These trains are listed here.

A variant of the Shatabdi Express, Swarna Shatabdi Express, is considered more luxurious by Indian Railway. Indian Railways later introduced a lower-priced version Jan Shatabdi Expresses, which are nearly all without air-conditioning and much more affordable.

The former railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav had also introduced Garib Rath (chariot of the poor) in 2005. These are fast trains (like the Rajdhani and Shatabdi), which are fully Air-Conditioned and with lower fares. These trains are quite successful and compete with low-cost airlines on some long-distance routes.

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  Trainboard of 12027 Banglore Shatabdi Express
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  Commonwealth Games livery coach of 12018 Dehradun Shatabdi Express
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  Electronic Coachboard of 12017 Dehradun Shatabdi Express
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  ex 12007 Mysore Shatabdi Coach E1 of 12026 Shatabdi Express
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  Coachboard of 12010 Shatabdi Express
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  Nameboard of 12010 Shatabdi Express
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  Interior view of the new Executive AC Chair Car coaches (EC) on the Chennai-Mysore line
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  Interior view of the new AC Chair Car coaches (CC) on the Chennai-Mysore line
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  Puri Shatabdi express at Balasore railway station
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  The Chennai Mysore Shatabdi at the Mysore Junction
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  12025 Shatabdi Express crossing Bharathnagar MMTS station, Hyderabad

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shatabdi Express.

• Complete list of Shatabdi Express trains
• List of all Shatabdi Express trains
• "'Shatabdi is the heart of Indian railways'". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
• "No halts, new Shatabdi Express to fly to Delhi". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 May 2014.