Top News

Indias first private train: The Tejas Express which was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in November last year is Indias first privately-operated train that runs on the Lucknow-Delhi route. “This is the country’s first corporate-run train and I congratulate the passengers embarking on this journey. Such initiatives should extend to other cities promoting eco-friendly public transport” Adityanath had said at the trains launch back in November 2024. The chief minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Railway Minister Piyush Goyal for their support and described he launch of Tejas Express as a milestone in India’s rail history. Rs 25 lakh insurance cover delay compensation for passengers The Tejas Express which is touted as the premium upgrade to the Shatabdi Express has several unique firsts to its name. The train offers a Rs 25 lakh insurance cover for every traveler and a compensation to passengers for delays a first in Indian rail history. The compensation is calculated on an hourly basis. Tejas Express ticket price The fares for the Tejas Express are competitive but subject to dynamic pricing. AC chair car seats cost Rs 1280 while Rs 2450 is charged for Executive Class chair seats. Comparatively the Swarn Shatabdi charges Rs 970 for chair car and Rs 1935 for AC 1A subject to similar dynamic pricing mechanisms. Tejas Express speed The Tejas Express is slightly faster than the Swarn Shatabdi taking 6 hours and 15 minutes to arrive at its destination while the latter takes 6 hours and 40 minutes to complete the journey making the corporate-run train the quickest option for train travelers on the busy Lucknow-Delhi route. Tejas Express schedule The Tejas Express departs Lucknow at 6:10 AM and arrives in Delhi at 12:25 PM. The train begins its return journey from Delhi on the same day at 3:35 PM and arrives in Lucknow at 10:05 PM. There are only two halts for the Tejas Express on the Lucknow-Delhi. The train stops briefly at Kanpur and in Ghaziabad before resuming its journey. Chief Minister Adityanath said the schedule of Tejas Express was designed to offer a solution to travelers who wish to reach Delhi by afternoon and return to Lucknow the same night in order to tackle high cost of air travel and lack of this type of train connectivity. The Tejas Express operates six days a week with Tuesday being the only non-operational day.