Sampark Kranti trains can be understood as part of a railway plan to connect states and major cities with the national capital, Delhi, through faster superfast rail services with fewer stoppages. The series was launched in 2004 and later expanded into a group of trains connecting different parts of the country with the national capital.
What is the Sampark Kranti Express?
Sampark Kranti Express is a series of superfast express trains operated by Indian Railways. Their key feature is connecting the capitals or major cities of different states with New Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin station with very few stoppages, with the objective of reducing travel time.
When and why were Sampark Kranti trains started?
Sampark Kranti trains were introduced during the 2004-2005 Railway Budget. The announcement was made by then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar to provide faster connectivity on selected routes.
The idea was also linked to the cost of travelling on trains connecting Delhi. The fare of Rajdhani Express could at times be expensive for ordinary passengers. The government therefore aimed to introduce a train service that could provide the speed and fewer stoppages associated with Rajdhani Express while keeping fares around the level of regular superfast trains.
The objective was to connect passengers from distant parts of different states directly with Delhi in less time. In simple terms, while Rajdhani Express focused on high-speed travel and primarily AC travel, Sampark Kranti was intended to extend faster connectivity between the national capital and states to a larger category of passengers. Sampark Kranti trains have AC as well as sleeper coaches, while several services also have general coaches.
How many types of Sampark Kranti trains are there?
Several Sampark Kranti trains were introduced on different routes at the beginning of the series. At present, dozens of Sampark Kranti trains operate from different parts of the country towards Delhi. New Delhi has remained the main connecting hub for these services, but individual Sampark Kranti trains operate across different parts of the country and do not share one common route.
The terminals and routes of some services have changed over time, meaning their original starting stations and current stations may differ. For example, the West Bengal Sampark Kranti now operates between Sealdah and Anand Vihar Terminal.
The major Sampark Kranti services listed are Bihar Sampark Kranti Express, operating from Darbhanga through Samastipur and Gorakhpur to New Delhi; Uttar Sampark Kranti Express, connecting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra with New Delhi; Madhya Pradesh Sampark Kranti Express, running from Jabalpur to Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi; Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express, connecting Yesvantpur, Bengaluru, with Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi; Gujarat Sampark Kranti Express, operating from Ahmedabad to Hazrat Nizamuddin; Rajasthan Sampark Kranti Express, running from Jodhpur to Sarai Rohilla, Delhi; Maharashtra Sampark Kranti Express, connecting Bandra Terminus, Mumbai, with Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi; Uttar Pradesh Sampark Kranti Express, operating from Khajuraho/Manikpur to Hazrat Nizamuddin; Uttarakhand Sampark Kranti Express, connecting Kathgodam/Ramnagar with Old Delhi; Goa Sampark Kranti Express, running from Madgaon, Goa, to Chandigarh; Northeast Sampark Kranti Express, connecting Silchar, Assam, with New Delhi; Kerala Sampark Kranti Express, operating from Thiruvananthapuram to Chandigarh; Tamil Nadu Sampark Kranti Express, running from Madurai to Hazrat Nizamuddin; and Chhattisgarh Sampark Kranti Express, connecting Durg with Hazrat Nizamuddin.
The Sampark Kranti series was therefore created with a specific objective: to provide faster, low-stop connectivity between the national capital and major cities and distant parts of different states. Its combination of speed, connectivity and accommodation across different passenger categories made it a distinct category within the Indian Railways network.
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