Has your favourite Rajdhani, Shatabdi Express been upgraded to Gold standard? This is Indian Railways big plan
Indian Railways has launched an initiative – Operation Swarn – to upgrade several premium Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains at a cost of Rs 50 lakh per rake. The idea is to revamp them and offer better passenger experience, especially given the fact that people pay extra for the premium category of trains.
Operation Swarn: Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains for long and short journeys respectively were launched as a premium train services by Indian Railways. But over years the quality of passenger comfort has deteriorated. Keeping that in mind, Indian Railways has launched an initiative – Operation Swarn – to upgrade several premium Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains at a cost of Rs 50 lakh per rake. The idea is to revamp them and offer better passenger experience, especially given the fact that people pay extra for the premium category of trains. The plan to upgrade trains to ‘Gold Standard’ includes 15 Shatabdi Express trains and 14 Rajdhani Express trains.
Operation Swarn aims to upgrade major Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains on 10 parameters. These include; onboard entertainment, safety and security, punctuality, modular toilets with plush fittings, onboard cleanliness, swanky interiors. In late 2017, the New Delhi-Kathgodam Shatabdi Express and the Sealdah Rajdhani became the first few trains to be upgraded under Operation Swarn. Another notable facelift under this project was given to the Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani Express with introduction of disposable toilet covers etc.
As of date, Operation Swarn is in advanced stages, with several rakes already upgraded and only 5 trains left to be given a facelift. Informed sources told Financial Express Online that by the end of August 2018, all the chosen Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains will be upgraded! The list also includes Gatimaan Express – Indian Railways’ fastest train. Gatimaan Express runs between Delhi and Agra at a maximum speed of 160 kmph and after that at 130 kmph to Jhansi.
Here is the full list of Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains that are being upgraded under Operation Swarn:
| Train number | Train name | Status |
| 12025/26 | Pune-Secunderabad Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12309/10 | Patna-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 22811/12 | Bhubaneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 22823/24 | Bhubaneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 12277/78 | Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12301/02 | Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 12305/06 | Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 12313/14 | Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 12019/20 | Howrah-Ranchi Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12033/34 | Kanpur-New Delhi Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12041/42 | Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12085/86, 12087/88 | Guwahati-Dibrugarh Shatabdi ExpressNaharlagun-Guwahati Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12305/36 | Jaipur-Agra Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12439/40 | Ranchi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | Target 31.08.2018 |
| 12441/42 | Bilaspur-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | Target 31.08.2018 |
| 12453/54 | New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express | Target 31.08.2018 |
| 12039/40 | Kathgodam-Anand Vihar Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12045/46 | New Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12047/48 | New Delhi-Firozpur Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12049/50 | Gatimaan Express (Delhi-Jhansi) | Target 31.08.2018 |
| 22691/92 | Bangalore-Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 22693/94 | Nizamuddin-Bangalore Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 12027/28 | Bangalore-Chennai Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12007/08 | Chennai-Mysore Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12243/44 | Chennai-Coimbatore Shatabdi Express | Complete |
| 12951/52 | Mumbai (BCT)-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 12953/54 | August Kranti (Mumbai-Delhi) Rajdhani Express | Complete |
| 12957/58 | Ahmedabad-New Delhi Rajdhani Express | 2 rakes by 31.07.2018 |
| 12009/10 | Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express | Complete |
A railway ministry official told FE Online that a plan to upgrade all major Shatabdi and Rajdhani Express trains under Operation Swarn is being considered. The task of the upgrade has been handed over to the respective zonal railways and the revamp and facelift of all trains has been carried out without hampering the schedule. Apart from the above mentioned list of trains, some zones are also upgrading other Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains that fall under them. For example, earlier this year, Northern Railway upgraded the 12029/12030 New Delhi–Amritsar Swarn Shatabdi Express.
Meanwhile, keeping in mind common man’s comforts Indian Railways is also carrying out Project Utkrisht under which as many as 140 rakes of Mail/Express trains are getting a facelift. The first stage of the project is likely to be complete by March 2019.