Finally its here ! Operational and making a sector that has long suffered poor rail connectivity – The Shatabdi Express, connecting Agra and Jaipur. Flagged off from Jaipur on a maiden run on November 29th, the long overdue Express train arrived in perfect time at the historical Agra Fort Railway Station. Agra to Jaipur will now be a short and comfortable journey. This also makes the coveted “Golden Triangle” entirely doable by train, connecting Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, back to Delhi, all the way by Shatabdi Expresses.
12035 UP Shatabdi Express will depart from Jaipur at 7:05 AM to reach Agra at 10:35 AM and
on return stretch 12036 DN Shatabdi Express will depart Agra 4:20 PM to arrive in Jaipur
at 7:50 PM.T he train is set to cover a distance of over 230 Km (143 miles) in just over three
hours and will operates six days a week with the exception of Thursdays. The only stop on
this stretch will be a two minute stop at Bharatpur, famous for the Keoladeo Bird Sanctaury.
All Shatabdi Express Trains of Indian Railway provide catering services and serve three
meals, tea and snacks depending on the timing of the journey. The Agra – Jaipur Shatabdi
Express is fully air-conditioned and operates with a passenger capacity of 344 seats including
one Executive class coach with 41 seats and six Chair Car coaches with 304 seats.
The beautiful colonial structure of the Agra Fort Railway Station is a visual treat for travellers
on the Agra – Jaipur – Agra Shatabdi Express. Located opposite Agra Fort, a World Heritage
Site , the Agra Fort Station is also close to the famous Jama Masjid. Noted as one of the oldest
stations in the country, this station had both broad gauge and narrow gauge rails until the
line to Jaipur was converted to broad gauge.
Railway Trivia : Shatabdi Express trains are a series of express trains (also called superfast
in India) operated by Indian Railways to connect Metro cities with other cities with short to
medium distance that are important for tourism, pilgrimage or business. These are passenger
day-trains and return to the station of origin the same day. The first Shatabdi was flagged off
in 1998 on the eve of Jawaharlal Nehru’s ( India’s first Prime Minister ) centenary celebrations.
This was the 12001 Bhopal Shatabdi Express which originates in Delhi and travels to Bhopal
and back traversing through Agra, Gwalior and Jhansi. Running at an optimum speed of 150
km/h (93 mph), the Bhopal Shatabdi Express is the fastest train in India.
The much awaited train connection between Agra and Jaipur gives a new dimension to travel on this sector. The 160 Km Yamuna Expressway between Delhi to Agra has considerably reduced travel time between these two cities. With the Shatabdi Express starting operations between Agra and Jaipur, it makes travel on this sector more convenient.