Trains Shatabdi Express Details

Shatabdi Express – Indian Railways’ Flagship Day-Train Series

(Railway GK for all RRB NTPC, Group-D, ALP, JE exams)

1. Core Facts – Must Remember Capsule

2. Evolution Timeline – Quick Glance

3. Salient Features – Bullet Points for Exam Revision

• Only sitting accommodation – AC Chair Car (CC) & Executive Chair Car (EC).
• No sleeper / no pantry car; meals loaded on-board through base kitchens.
• Flexi-fare system since 2016: 10% hike after every 10% berths filled (max 50%).
• Dynamic “Amrit” pricing on 25% trains since Sept-2023 (similar to airlines).
• Slip coaches not attached; fully vestibuled LHB rakes.
• Automatic fire suppression system & bio-toilets standard.
• Green rating – 5-star by IGBC for Chennai-Mysuru rake (2022).

4. Zone-wise Shatabdi List (as on 01-04-2024) – RRB Favourite

Note: 12055/56 is the only overnight Shatabdi (day-night-day) and longest.

5. Exam-Friendly Numbers – “Digit Master-List”

• 150 – Max operational speed (km/h)
• 25 – Total Shatabdi pairs (2024)
• 1988 – Inauguration year
• 404 – Inaugural route length (km) NDLS-Jhansi-BPL
• 8 – Number of halts (average)
• 2 – Chair car classes only (CC & EC)
• 0 – Pantry car; 0 – Slip coaches
• 100% – LHB coaches; 100% – Bio-toilets; 100% – Electric traction

6. Frequently Asked Q&A (Theory)

Question:01 Which of the following was India’s first Shatabdi Express and the date it was introduced?

A) New Delhi – Jhansi Shatabdi Express on 1 November 1988 (later extended to Bhopal)

B) Mumbai Central – Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express on 1 October 1989

C) Howrah – New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi Express on 1 December 1990

D) Chennai Central – Bangalore City Shatabdi Express on 1 July 1992

Question:02 Why is the train called “Shatabdi”?

A) It was launched to mark 100 years of Indian Railways.
B) It covers 100 km in exactly one hour.
C) It was named after the 100th rail line laid in India.
D) It was the 100th express train introduced by Indian Railways.

Question:03 Which Shatabdi Express currently holds the record for the highest Maximum Permissible Speed (MPS) of 150 km/h?

A) Mumbai Central–Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express
B) New Delhi–Ludhiana Shatabdi Express
C) New Delhi–Bhopal Shatabdi Express
D) Chennai–Mysuru Shatabdi Express

Question:04 Does the Shatabdi Express have sleeper coaches?

A) Yes, it has both AC and non-AC sleeper coaches.
B) Yes, but only AC 3-tier sleeper coaches.
C) No, it operates only with day sitting coaches (AC Chair Car & Executive Chair Car).
D) No, it has only general second-class sitting coaches.

Question:05 Which of the following pairs is the longest-running Shatabdi Express train in terms of distance?

A) 12001/02 Bhopal–New Delhi

B) 12009/10 Mumbai Central–Ahmedabad

C) 12055/56 DEE–Bandra Terminus

D) 12013/14 Amritsar–New Delhi

Question:06 Which of the following Shatabdi Express pairs covers the shortest distance?

A) New Delhi–Agra Cantt (12035/36)

B) New Delhi–Chandigarh (12045/46)

C) Chennai–Bengaluru (12027/28)

D) Mumbai Central–Ahmedabad (12009/10)

Question:07 Is food served free on Shatabdi trains?

A) No, catering is optional and paid separately.

B) Yes, fare is inclusive of catering.

C) Only breakfast is complimentary; other meals are chargeable.

D) Food is served only on payment of an additional catering fee.

Question:08 [What is the standard LHB coach composition of a 2026 Shatabdi Express?]

A) 1 EC + 15 CC + 2 EOG = 18 coaches
B) 2 EC + 14 CC + 2 EOG = 18 coaches
C) 3 EC + 13 CC + 2 EOG = 18 coaches
D) 2 EC + 12 CC + 4 EOG = 18 coaches

Question:09 Which of the following Shatabdi Express trains was the first to be upgraded and run with the “Swarn” rake?

A) New Delhi–Kalka Shatabdi Express (12005/06)

B) New Delhi–Lucknow Swarn Shatabdi Express (12003/04)

C) New Delhi–Amritsar Swarn Shatabdi Express (12013/14)

D) New Delhi–Bhopal Shatabdi Express (12001/02)

Question:10 Which zone operates the maximum number of Shatabdi trains?

A) Western Railway
B) Northern Railway
C) Central Railway
D) Southern Railway

7. 15 MCQs – Practice Set

Instructions: Choose the most appropriate option.

1. The first Shatabdi Express was flagged off between
   A) Mumbai-Pune
   B) New Delhi-Jhansi
   C) Howrah-Ranchi
   D) Chennai-Bangalore
   Ans: B

2. Shatabdi Expresses were introduced to commemorate
   A) 50 years of Indian Independence
   B) 100 years of Indian Railways
   C) 50 years of Railways in India
   D) Birth centenary of Jawaharlal Nehru
   Ans: B

3. Maximum permissible speed of Shatabdi trains is
   A) 130 km/h
   B) 140 km/h
   C) 150 km/h
   D) 160 km/h
   Ans: C

4. Which of the following does NOT belong to Shatabdi features?
   A) AC Chair Car
   B) Flexi-fare
   C) Pantry car
   D) Bio-toilets
   Ans: C

5. The longest running Shatabdi (distance wise) is
   A) New Delhi-Bhopal
   B) Howrah-Ranchi
   C) Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Bandra
   D) Chennai-Mysuru
   Ans: C

6. The shortest Shatabdi route is
   A) NDLS-Kalka
   B) NDLS-Agra Cantt
   C) NDLS-Chandigarh
   D) Mumbai-Ahmedabad
   Ans: B

7. Shatabdi trains are hauled by
   A) WDM3A only
   B) WAP-5/WAP-7 only
   C) Both WDM & WAP
   D) WDG4
   Ans: B

8. How many total Shatabdi pairs are running as on April 2024?
   A) 20
   B) 22
   C) 25
   D) 28
   Ans: C

9. The only overnight Shatabdi is
   A) 12005 Kalka-NDLS
   B) 12055 DEE-Bandra
   C) 12001 Bhopal-NDLS
   D) 12051 Madgaon-Mumbai
   Ans: B

10. Shatabdi coaches are manufactured by
    A) BEML
    B) ICF
    C) LHB design at RCF Kapurthala
    D) CLW
    Ans: C

11. Which Shatabdi was upgraded as “Swarn” first?
    A) NDLS-Lucknow
    B) NDLS-Amritsar
    C) NDLS-Bhopal
    D) NDLS-Kalka
    Ans: A

12. The fare of Shatabdi includes
    A) Only seat rent
    B) Seat + superfast charge only
    C) Seat + superfast + catering
    D) Seat + GST only
    Ans: C

13. Executive Chair Car (EC) has seating arrangement of
    A) 2×2
    B) 2×3
    C) 1×2
    D) 3×3
    Ans: C

14. The first Shatabdi of South India was introduced between
    A) Chennai-Bangalore
    B) Chennai-Mysuru
    C) Thiruvananthapuram-Madurai
    D) Hyderabad-Chennai
    Ans: A

15. Head-on-Generation (HOG) system in Shatabdi means
    A) Generator car at front
    B) Power drawn from loco instead of EOG
    C) Battery bank under every coach
    D) Solar panels on roof
    Ans: B

Use this sheet for daily 10-minute revision – ensure 100% accuracy in Shatabdi questions under “Trains” category of RRB NTPC/Group-D/JE/ALP exams.