# Garib Rath Express

The Garib Rath (lit. Poor Chariot) trains are a series of no-frills trains operated by Indian Railways to provide air-conditioned train travel at a cheaper rate compared to regular trains. Garib Rath Express trains primarily operate on long-distance routes, connecting major cities and important railway stations across different states in India. These trains are designed to cover extensive distances, often traversing several hundred kilometers in a single journey.

## History

The term "Garib Rath" translates to "Poor Man's Chariot" or "Chariot of the Poor" in English. These trains were primarily aimed at providing affordable transportation for economically weaker sections of society. The name "Garib" means Poor and "rath" means chariot in Sanskrit and the first service was inaugurated on 5 October 2006 by introduced by the then Rail Minister of India Lalu Prasad Yadav between Saharsa–Amritsar Garib Rath Express

## Rolling stock

Garib rath trains have fully air-conditioned coaches that have to be reserved in advance. The originally used ICF rakes, which have been removed from service, consisted of modified AC 3-Tier coaches with side middle berths. The new LHB rakes consist of AC 3-Tier Economy coaches without side middle berths.

## Active routes

| Train No. | Destinations | Inaugurated on |
| 12203/04 | Saharsa Junction–Amritsar Junction | 5 Oct 2006 |
| 12113/14 | Pune–Nagpur | 19 Jan 2009 |
| 12187/88 | Jabalpur Junction–Mumbai CSMT | 20 Feb 2009 |
| 12201/02 | Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Kochuveli | 1 Feb 2008 |
| 12207/08 | Kathgodam–Jammu Tawi | 8 Apr 2008 |
| 12209/10 | Kanpur Central – Kathgodam | 16 Sep 2008 |
| 12211/12 | Muzaffarpur Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal | 11 Feb 2009 |
| 12215/16 | Delhi Sarai Rohilla–Bandra Terminus | 7 Feb 2008 |
| 12257/58 | Yesvantpur Junction–Kochuveli | 24 Feb 2009 |
| 12359/60 | Kolkata–Patna Junction | 24 Jan 2008 |
| 12501/02 | Kolkata-Agartala | 07 July 2024 |
| 12517/18 | Kolkata-Guwahati Garib Rath Express | 30 Mar 2008 |
| 12535/36 | Lucknow Charbagh–Raipur Junction | 23 Feb 2008 |
| 12435/36 | Jaynagar–Anand Vihar Terminal | 29 Sep 2008 |
| 12593/94 | Lucknow Charbagh–Bhopal Junction | 19 Nov 2011 |
| 12611/12 | Chennai Central–Hazrat Nizamuddin | 21 Feb 2007 |
| 12735/36 | Secunderabad Junction–Yesvantpur Junction | 1 Feb 2008 |
| 12739/40 | Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad | 25 Oct 2008 |
| 12877/78 | Ranchi Junction–New Delhi | 28 Jan 2009 |
| 12881/82 | Kolkata Shalimar–Puri | 6 Jan 2009 |
| 12909/10 | Bandra Terminus–Hazrat Nizamuddin | 24 Feb 2007 |
| 12983/84 | Ajmer Junction – Chandigarh | 14 Feb 2009 |
| 22405/06 | Bhagalpur Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal | 10 Feb 2011 |
| 22541/52 | Banaras–Anand Vihar Terminal | 3 Mar 2009 |
| 22409/10 | Gaya Junction–Anand Vihar Terminal | 3 July 2011 |
| 22883/84 | Puri–Yesvantpur Junction | 20 July 2012 |

## Defunct routes

* 12255/56 Yesvantpur–Puducherry Garib Rath Express service converted to ordinary service
* 02709 Gudur Secunderabad Garibrath Express special Rake Sharing With Secunderabad Yesvantpur Garibrath Express
* 0655/0656 Chennai CST Garibrath special & Chennai Central Tirunelveli Garibrath Special Rake Sharing With Chennai–Hazrat Nizamuddin Garibrath Express..