Sampark Kranti Express: Feature, Routes, List of Trains, Time

What are Sampark Kranti Express Trains?

Sampark Kranti Express trains are a series of high-speed trains that connect India’s national capital, New Delhi with the capital of a particular state or one of its important cities. The words Sampark and Kranti are Sanskrit terms that mean contact and revolution, respectively. The name of the train is an indication of the efforts undertaken by the Indian Railways to ensure superfast connectivity between various Indian cities and New Delhi. This series of trains was launched as an alternative to the Rajdhani Express trains that provide high-speed connectivity to New Delhi. Since Rajdhani Express is a fully air-conditioned train, it is an expensive travel option. Sampark Kranti trains were introduced to offer the option of high-speed travel at low fares.

The Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express was the first train of this series and it ran on 8 February 2004 from New Delhi to Yesvantpur. Currently, there are 23 pairs (46 in total) of Sampark Kranti trains that operate between various state capitals or important cities to the national capital.   

Features and Facilities of Sampark Kranti Express

• Sampark Kranti falls under the category of superfast trains operated by the Indian Railways.
• These trains run at a maximum speed of 110 km/hour.
• While Sampark Kranti trains are not as fast as Rajdhani or Shatabdi, they are relatively faster than other ordinary express trains and also have fewer stops. This ensures high-speed connectivity between source and destination stations.
• Sampark Kranti trains ticket charges are almost similar to other regular or superfast express trains in India.
• Initially, Sampark Kranti Expresses were non-stop trains with no stoppages between the source and the destination station. However, commercial stops were later allowed.
• These are express trains that provide frills-free travel. This means they do not provide any special facilities that you may find in some other superfast or premium trains.
• Many Sampark Kranti trains have seats in five travel classes – 1 AC, 2 AC, 3 AC, Sleeper Class (SL), and General/Unreserved. (GEN/UR). However, some Sampark Kranti trains do not have 1 AC coaches while some others have additional AC Chair Car coaches. The Uttarakhand Sampark Kranti Express has only two travel classes, namely AC Chair Car and Chair Car.
• The ticket fares of Sampark Kranti trains do not include food prices. Most long-distance Sampark Kranti trains have pantries from where passengers can order food.
• Basic facilities like mobile charging points and hooks to hang bags are available on this series of trains. Bed-rolls are provided for passengers traveling in the AC coaches.

Sampark Kranti Express Routes

As of now, Sampark Kranti trains run between the national capital and most state capitals or important cities in India, including Margao (Goa), Tirupati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jabalpur, Darbhanga, Mumbai, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Jodhpur, Madurai, Silchar, Khajuraho, and Kolkata. Kerala Sampark Kranti Express is one of the longest-running Sampark Kranti trains. This train covers a distance of around 3415 km on one way and connects Thiruvananthapuram to Chandigarh via New Delhi.

List of Sampark Kranti Express Trains

Here’s a complete list of Sampark Kranti trains running across the country, with timings, timetable, other details, as of July 2019: