India is famous for being one of the largest railway networks in the country. Since the introduction of trains in India, it is has been a great success. To satisfy the growing population, there are numerous types of trains that were introduced for different types of travelers. There are dead-cheap general category trains and regal luxury trains.

You can find slow running trains and point to point express trains. There are mountain toy trains and underwater trains, and so on. The country’s budget planning always allocates a considerable amount of money for the railway department and with ICF’s in the country, new coaches and trains are not something uncommon in India.

Read More: 15 Incredible Train Routes in India

Here are the 20 different types of trains that you can currently see on the tracks:

1. Mountain Toy Train

Basically, a heritage attraction, these toy trains run through mountains, historic sites and much more. The most common toy trains in the country are the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways and Nilgiri Mountain Railway. Apart from being a heritage site and important tourist activity, these trains are a marvelous engineering development. The train amenities are simple but, the sceneries through which the train passes would add more beauty to the travel.

2. Bullet Train

This is the fastest running trains in the country with many amenities and facilities to satisfy the business crowd. This was a venture to reduce airport traffic and divert them to trains. These trains are high-cost travel options when speed and comfort are of main concern. These trains are seen running between top commercial cities like Mumbai and Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Mysore and so on. These trains main purpose is to reduce the travel speed. There are not many bullet trains in the country.

Read More: Most Epic Train Journeys in the World

3. Regular Passenger Train

The typical passenger trains running from one city to another is the most common type of trains that you could see on the trains. These passenger trains are classified into different styles of accommodations like general compartment, second AC, three-tier AC, first-class AC and so on. Based on the type of amenities and facilities, there are numerous classes of passenger trains.

Also Read: Traveling in an Overnight Train? What You Need to Know

4. Local Trains

These trains are the ones that run within a city. No, do not confuse them with the metro or monorail. These are the same regular passenger trains but without berths. The intra-city trains run within the city and the time taken for the travel would be a maximum of a couple of hours. The trains interior is designed to add more standing passengers. These trains are always crowded and are used by the working population of the land. Many travelers suggest that these local trains are the best way to explore the culture of the land.

5. Semi-High Speed Trains

These trains are a specific style ones, which are named as Gatimaan Express. These are not as fast as bullet trains. The train runs at an average speed of 160 km per hour. These trains run at high traffic routes like between Delhi and Agra and so on.

Also Read: Indian Railways Runs First Private Train – Delhi to Lucknow Tejas Express

6. Express Trains

These are high-speed trains, however not as fast as bullet trains. Some of the top train classes in this category are Shatabdi Express, Rajdhani Express and so on. These trains are designed to stop at very few stations and reach the destination at least 50% faster than other local trains. These trains run inter-city and inter-state.

7. Luxury Trains

All the above-mentioned trains are just modes of transportation. However, luxury trains are vacation elements. The luxury trains have high-end amenities that are not found in any other trains. These trains run in specific itineraries. At each destination, the tourists are taken for city tours and activities via road transportation. There are numerous styles of luxury trains like the Palace on Wheels, Maharajas’ Express, Deccan Odyssey and others. These trains try to re-create a regal style of travel and vacation. Get the complete guide on Luxury Trip to Rajasthan with Palace on Wheels Train.

Know More about Palace on Wheels:

8. Duronto Express

These trains are faster than Express trains. They run between the capital cities of the country and are used for long-distance routes only. These trains usually run point to point and are famous for reducing traveling time by a considerable amount. These trains have many high-end amenities and facilities inside it.

Read More: A Complete Guide on Indian Railways

9. Super-Fast Trains

These trains are speed-oriented trains. They do not stop at any intermediate station. They are point to point trains running at 90 km per hour speed. They are used in high-traffic routes.

Also Read: Attractions Guide for Your Next Trip to India

10. GaribRath

All the above trains are usually not economical. The GaribRath trains are focused on low-income travelers. These trains have lesser fare when compared to superfast trains. However, the speed of GaribRath is similar to the express trains. The travelers can enjoy modern amenities and good speed at a lower cost. These trains are usually crowded with people. These trains run between states and within a state too.

Also Read: Who Invented the First Train in the World ? 

11. Goods Train

As the name indicates, these trains are for transporting goods. Some goods trains will have one or two compartments for passengers. These tickets are very inexpensive and they have bare minimum amenities. Starting from fish to furniture, you can transport numerous items on these goods train. These trains are usually for long-distance travel.

Suggested  Read: 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites You Can Explore by Train

12. Metro Rail

This is one of the most commonly used trains in the country. These trains are designed for intra-city travel. The best part about this mode of transportation is that it keeps passengers away from traffic jams and congestions. The cost of the tickets might be higher than other modes of transportation. But, speed and comfort are guaranteed. Many major cities in the country are now served with metro rail.

Find Here: Train Price

13. Trams

These are the older version of the metro rail. Only a few cities around the country still have trams running on the streets. Now, these trams are heritage articles and tourists try to take a tram ride during their vacation to experience the ancient style of Indian lifestyle. They are best for city sightseeing as they run at low speed and through many ancient regions of the city. These trams are operated electrically on tramways, which are built on the roads.

Check out the Train Schedule

14. Monorail

These trains are the newest style of trains in the country. Monorails require very little space and are usually traveled on elevated bridges, subway tunnels, and others. They are suitable for medium load. Since monorail runs on an elevated pedestal, the tourists usually take the monorail to get a glimpse of the city from the top. The large windows of the train gives a grand view of many landmarks. Monorail is found in top cities like Mumbai, Pune, and others.

Read More: Train Information

15. Suburban Rails

These are quite similar to the local trains, but they run between the suburbs of major cities. Top cities with suburb rails are Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and others.

Also Read: Train History

16. Jan Shatabdi

These are fast trains like the Shatabdi Express, but for short distance. These are chair car trains and run on broad gauge. These trains are common in North India. Top trains under this list are Una Jan Shatabdi, Amritsar Haridwar Jan Shatabdi Raigarh Gondia Jan Shatabdi and others.

17. Heritage Trains

These are similar to luxury trains but, they are not famous for amenities and facilities. These are tourism trains, which have heritage wealth. The heritage trains are olden trains, still running with ancient technology. The interior of the trains are maintained to give the ancient look. They are run through itineraries for a vacation journey. Top heritage trains in India are Royal Orient Train, Fairy Queen Express and others.

Also Read: 8 Trains from Delhi to Udaipur to See the Rich Culture of Rajasthan

18. Circuit Trains

These are normal trains, which are run through an itinerary of specific themes. These trains are commonly run during the tourism season in iconic tourist destinations only. Top circuit trains are Buddhist Circuit Train, Desert Circuit Train, Chardham Yatra Train, Panj Takht Train, and others.

19. Samjhauta Express

This is the inter-country train of India. This train runs between India and Pakistan. The train runs between Amritsar and Lahore since 1976. This is the unique train with immigration and customs check, like an airport. Other similar inter-country trains of India are Maitree Express (Gede to Darshana (Bangladesh), Nepal trains (Raxaul to Sirsiya) and others.

20. Lifeline Express

This is a unique train, which is on the railway track since 1991. This train’s main aim is to provide medical services to patients in the nooks and corners of the country. The train has surgery rooms, recovery rooms, generators, medical inventory cars, pantry cars, and others.

Trains are an integral part of Indian culture. Among the few beneficial things left in India by the British, trains are the most remarkable ones. Since then, India has made enormous efforts to make trains interesting, affordable, beautiful and touristy.

Read More: Top 18 Interesting Facts about Indian Railways

How to Book:

• Book the Palace on Wheels train Online

Related Posts:

• Top 15 Most Expensive Trains in the World
• Belmond Royal Scotsman – Luxury Train Journey to Scotland
• How to Travel to India from Europe by Train
• Rocky Mountaineer: Complete Train Guide
• Top 10 Most Busiest Railway Stations of India
• Best Options for Train Travel Between Delhi and Agra

The post 20 Different Types of Trains in India appeared first on The Palace on Wheels Blog.