Shatabdi Express: Timings, Route, Timetable, List, Schedule

Shatabdi Express

What are Shatabdi Express Trains?

Shatabdi Express trains are a series of superfast passenger trains introduced by Indian Railways for the ease and convenience of passengers commuting between major cities. These trains are operated on relatively shorter distances as compared to other fast trains in India like Duronto and Rajdhani Express. Shatabdi Express trains connect Indian metropolitans and also cities that are significant in terms of business, tourism or pilgrimage. 

In Hindi, Sanskrit and many other Indian languages, the word Shatabdi means ‘centenary’ aka the hundredth anniversary. This series was introduced in 1988 to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. The very first Shatabdi Express, introduced by the then Railway Minister Madhav Rao Scindia, operated between New Delhi and Gwalior and was later extended till Jhansi.

Currently, there are 25 pairs of Shatabdi Express trains operating between major Indian metros and cities. 

Features and Facilities of Shatabdi Express Trains

  • Shatabdi Express are day trains. This means, the train starts from the originating station, travels to its destination, and then returns to the originating station on the same day.
  • Like Rajdhani and Duronto, Shatabdi Express trains are also superfast with a maximum speed of 120 km per hour. They count among the fastest trains in the country.
  • Unlike Rajdhani and Duronto trains, these are short-distance trains.
  • Trains in the Shatabdi Express series have fewer stops compared to mail and passenger trains operating on the same routes.
  • These trains have fully air-conditioned coaches.
  • Since Shatabdi trains are for day-travel, the coaches don’t have any berths. They have a seating-only layout.
  • There are two classes of travel in Shatabdi Express trains – AC Chair Car (AC) and Executive Chair Cars (EC). Of late, Indian Railways has introduced a third type of travel class – named Anubhuti – in a few Shatabdi Express trains.
  • Food prices are included in Shatabdi train tickets. Depending on the duration of your journey and the time of your boarding, you will be served breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee/tea, soup, snacks, a bottle of water, etc.
  • Unlike many other express passenger trains in India, Shatabdi trains don’t have Unreserved/General (UR/GEN) class. You can board these trains only with prior reservation.
  • Some of the trains in the Shatabdi series have onboard entertainment and infotainment systems that allow passengers to view movies and other programs during the journey.
  • Since Shatabdi trains are premium superfast trains, they get priority on the railway network.
  • Shatabdi Express trains also have facilities such as power ports to charge mobile phones and laptops and overhead racks to keep your luggage.
  • Currently, Indian Railways follows the dynamic pricing or the flexi fare system in the AC Chair Car (CC) class of many Shatabdi trains. That is, Shatabdi ticket prices are not fixed, but they increase based on demand.

Shatabdi Express Routes

As of now, 25 pairs of Shatabdi trains run on the railway tracks, connecting major cities in the country. These include New Delhi, Howrah, Amritsar, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kanpur, Guwahati, Coimbatore, Puri, Kalka, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Mysore, Ahmedabad, Secunderabad, and Ranchi, to mention a few. Currently, the Shatabdi Express that connects Habib Ganj to New Delhi has the longest route and journey time (705 km). The shortest Shatabdi route is between New Delhi and Chandigarh (244 km).

List of Shatabdi Express Trains

Here’s a complete list of Shatabdi trains running across the country, with timingstimetable, other details, as of July 2019:

S.no Train From To Arr. Dep. SMTWTFS
1 Ndls Shatabdi E (12001) Bhopal Junction New Delhi 22:45 14:45 YYYYYYY
2 Bhopal Shtbdi (12002) New Delhi Bhopal Junction 14:05 06:00 YYYYYYY
3 Lko Swran Shtbd (12003) Lucknow Charbagh New Delhi 22:05 15:35 YYYYYYY
4 Lko Swran Shtbd (12004) New Delhi Lucknow Charbagh 12:30 06:15 YYYYYYY
5 Kalka Shtbdi (12005) New Delhi Kalka 21:20 17:15 YYYYYYY
6 Kalka Shtbdi (12006) Kalka New Delhi 10:25 06:15 YYYYYYY
7 Shatabdi Exp (12007) Chennai Central Mysore Junction 13:00 06:00 YYYNYYY
8 Shatabdi Exp (12008) Mysore Junction Chennai Central 21:25 14:15 YYYNYYY
9 Shatabdi Exp (12009) Mumbai Central Ahmedabad Junction 13:10 06:25 NYYYYYY
10 Shatabdi Exp (12010) Ahmedabad Junction Mumbai Central 21:35 14:30 NYYYYYY
11 Kalka Shtbdi (12011) New Delhi Kalka 11:45 07:40 YYYYYYY
12 Kalka Shtbdi (12012) Kalka New Delhi 21:55 17:45 YYYYYYY
13 Amritsar Shtbdi (12013) New Delhi Amritsar Junction 22:35 16:30 YYYYYYY
14 Amritsar Shtbdi (12014) Amritsar Junction New Delhi 11:15 05:00 YYYYYYY
15 Ajmer Shtbdi (12015) New Delhi Ajmer Junction 12:45 06:05 YYYYYYY
16 Ajmer Shtbdi (12016) Ajmer Junction New Delhi 22:40 15:45 YYYYYYY
17 Dehradun Shtbdi (12017) New Delhi Dehradun 12:40 06:50 YYYYYYY
18 Dehradun Shtbdi (12018) Dehradun New Delhi 22:45 17:00 YYYYYYY
19 Satabdi Express (12019) Kolkata Howrah Junction Ranchi Junction 13:10 06:05 NYYYYYY
20 Shatabdi Expres (12020) Ranchi Junction Kolkata Howrah Junction 21:10 13:45 NYYYYYY
21 Shatabdi Express (12025) Pune Junction Secunderabad Junction 14:20 05:50 YYNYYYY
22 Pune Shatabdi (12026) Secunderabad Junction Pune Junction 23:10 14:45 YYNYYYY
23 Shatabdi Exp (12027) Chennai Central Bangalore City Junction 22:30 17:30 YYNYYYY
24 Shatabdi Exp (12028) Bangalore City Junction Chennai Central 11:00 06:00 YYNYYYY
25 Swarna Shtbdi (12029) New Delhi Amritsar Junction 13:35 07:20 YYYYNYY
26 Swarna Shtbdi (12030) Amritsar Junction New Delhi 23:05 16:55 YYYYNYY
27 Amritsar Shtbdi (12031) New Delhi Amritsar Junction 13:35 07:20 NNNNYNN
28 Amritsar Shtbdi (12032) Amritsar Junction New Delhi 23:05 16:55 NNNNYNN
29 Cnb Ndls Sht (12033) Kanpur Central New Delhi 11:15 06:00 NYYYYYY
30 Ndls Cnb Sht (12034) New Delhi Kanpur Central 20:50 15:55 NYYYYYY
31 Jp Af Shatabdi (12035) Jaipur Junction Agra Fort 10:35 07:05 YYYYNYY
32 Af Jp Shatbdi (12036) Agra Fort Jaipur Junction 22:20 18:00 YYYYNYY
33 Ndls Ldh Shatabdi (12037) New Delhi Ludhiana Junction 12:25 07:00 YNYYYYN
34 Ldh Ndls Shatabdi (12038) Ludhiana Junction New Delhi 22:10 16:40 YNYYYYN
35 Kgm Anvt Shatabdi (12039) Kathgodam Delhi Anand Vihar Terminal 21:15 15:45 YYYYNYY
36 Anvt Kgm Shatabdi (12040) Delhi Anand Vihar Terminal Kathgodam 11:50 06:15 YYYYNYY
37 Shatabdi Express (12041) Kolkata Howrah Junction New Jalpaiguri 22:20 14:15 NYYYYYY
38 Njp Hwh Shatabd (12042) New Jalpaiguri Kolkata Howrah Junction 13:35 05:35 NYYYYYY
39 Ndls Moga Shatabdi (12043) New Delhi Moga 14:05 07:00 NYNNNNY
40 Ndls Shatabdi (12044) Moga New Delhi 22:10 15:00 NYNNNNY
41 Ndls Cdg Shatabdi (12045) New Delhi Chandigarh Junction 22:35 19:15 NYYYYYY
42 Cdg Ndls Shatabdi (12046) Chandigarh Junction New Delhi 15:20 12:00 NYYYYYY
43 Shatabdi Express (12243) Chennai Central Coimbatore Main Junction 14:05 07:15 YYNYYYY
44 Shatabdi Express (12244) Coimbatore Main Junction Chennai Central 22:15 15:20 YYNYYYY
45 Satabdi Express (12277) Kolkata Howrah Junction Puri 22:10 14:25 YYYNYYY
46 Satabdi Express (12278) Puri Kolkata Howrah Junction 13:45 06:00 YYYNYYY
47 Hwh Dgha Duront (12847) Kolkata Howrah Junction Digha Flag Station 14:15 11:15 YYYYYYY
48 Dgha Hwh Duront (12848) Digha Flag Station Kolkata Howrah Junction 18:35 15:35 YYYYYYY
49 Maitree Express BR (13107) Dhaca Cantt. Kolkata Chitpur 18:10 08:30 NNYNNYN
50 Maitree Express (13108) Kolkata Chitpur Dhaca Cantt. 18:00 07:10 NNNNNNY
51 Maitree Express (13109) Kolkata Chitpur Dhaca Cantt. 18:00 07:10 NNYNNNN
52 Maitree Express IR (13110) Dhaca Cantt. Kolkata Chitpur 18:10 08:30 YNNNNNN
53 Kcg Double Deck (22119) Tirupati Main Hyderabad Kacheguda 17:15 05:45 YNNNYNN
54 Tpty Double Dec (22120) Hyderabad Kacheguda Tirupati Main 18:15 06:45 NNNYNNY

Jan Shatabdi Express

Jan Shatabdi Express, which means common man’s Shatabdi Express, is another series of fast passenger trains introduced by Indian Railways. This is a variant of Shatabdi, but Jan Shatabdi trains are more affordable for passengers. They offer travel in three classes (both AC and Non-AC), namely AC Chair Car (CC), Executive Chair Car (EC), and Second Seating (2S). As mentioned earlier, Shatabdi trains don’t offer travel in 2S classes. Likewise, Jan Shatabdi train tickets don’t include food, but you can avail onboard catering services to order food. Currently, there are 23 pairs of Jan Shatabdi trains operating across India, connecting many major cities and towns.

Shatabdi Trains FAQs:

Q: Can I travel in Shatabdi trains without prior reservation?

A: No. Shatabdi trains don’t have any unreserved or general classes in which you can travel without prior reservation. However, some Shatabdi trains have a current booking system that allows you to book tickets until 2 hours prior to the departure time. Even the ticket booked on the current booking system will have your seat number mentioned on it.

Q: What is the difference between CC and EC classes in Shatabdi trains?

A: CC stands for AC Chair Car while EC stands for Executive AC Chair Car. While both these are AC coaches, EC coaches are more spacious and offer passengers more legroom as compared to CC. Moreover, CC coaches have a 2×3 seating (with five seats in a row) arrangement while EC coaches have a 2×2 seating arrangement (with four seats in a row). The quantity and quality of food and the quality of services in these two travel classes are also different.

Q: Do I have to pay extra for food in Shatabdi trains?

A: No. The price of the food served on board is included in the ticket charges.

Q: Can I choose my food preference in Shatabdi trains?

A: Yes, when you book your Shatabdi train tickets, you can choose vegetarian or non-vegetarian as your food preference. However, you cannot decide the menu as the food will be served to you according to a pre-decided menu.

Q: Do I get all three meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – when I travel in Shatabdi trains?

A: No. Depending on your boarding time and journey duration, you will be served one or more of these. For instance, in the Bangalore-Chennai Shatabdi that starts at 6:00 am and reaches its destination at 11, you will be served morning coffee and breakfast. On the other hand, in the Chennai-Bangalore Shatabdi that departs at 5:30 pm, you will be served high tea and dinner.

Q: Do I get food if I boarded from an intermediate station?

A: The onboard catering services in Shatabdi Expresses have fixed timings for serving food. So depending on your time of boarding, you will be served one or more meals. Catering charges (which is included in the ticket) also differ for passengers boarding from intermediate stations.

Q: What is Anubhuti Class? Is it available in all Shatabdi trains?

A: Anubhuti (EA) is a new travel class introduced by Indian Railways in Shatabdi trains. This is a luxury Chair Car class, more like the business class in flights, with more space and legroom. Each seat is equipped with an infotainment screen, just like in flights. Anubhuti coaches also have plush upholstery, seats with better ergonomics, reading lights, and a call button for attendants. Currently, this class is available on select routes like Delhi-Chandigarh, Chennai-Mysuru, etc.

Q: Will there be a difference in price if I choose to forgo meals?

A: Yes. You can choose to skip the food by opting for the ‘No Food’ option while booking tickets. The charges for onboard catering will be deducted from the total ticket cost, in that case.

Q: Can I book Shatabdi train tickets on Tatkal or Premium Tatkal quota?

A: Yes.

Q: Is Tatkal quota available for EC and EA coaches?

A: Yes. Indian Railways has brought the executive classes in Shatabdi trains – EC and EA – under the Tatkal scheme.

Q: Can I avail senior citizen concession in Shatabdi trains?

A: Yes. Senior citizens can avail concession in Shatabdi trains. The concession, however, is not applicable when you book your tickets through Tatkal or Premium Tatkal quota. 

Q: Why is the ticket fare different yesterday and today on the same Shatabdi train and for the same route?

A: Indian Railways has introduced the system of dynamic pricing in a few Shatabdi trains on an experimental basis. As per this system, the ticket prices increase by 10% with every 10% of the tickets booked. That is, if a train has 100 seats, the first 10 seats can be booked at the original price and then, the price starts increasing with every 10% of the bookings till 50% of the seats are booked. If you see a difference in Shatabdi prices, it means that the seats are filling fast.

Q: Is dynamic pricing or the flexi fare system applicable to all travel classes in Shatabdi?

A: No. It is applicable only to the AC Chair Car (CC) class. Other travel classes like EC and EA have fixed fare.

Q: How is the Tatkal charge calculated in trains with dynamic pricing system? Do I have to pay Tatkal charges as well as dynamic price charges?

A: There is no separate Tatkal fee in Shatabdi coaches where the dynamic or flexi fare system is applied. The seats in these coaches under the Tatkal Quota will be assigned to passengers with 50% of the base fare added as dynamic price charges. For instance, if the base fare is ₹500 for CC class, then ₹250 will be added as dynamic price charges at the time of Tatkal reservation. No Tatkal charges will be levied from you additionally. However, since the dynamic pricing system is not applicable to EC and EA classes of Shatabdi trains, Tatkal booking in these coaches will attract Tatkal fee that is 30% of the base fare or ₹400, whichever is the lowest.  

Q: Are there any special quotas – like Ladies Quota – available in Shatabdi Expresses?

A: Yes. Ladies Quota is available on the CC class of Shatabdi expresses. This, however, is not applicable to EC and EA classes.