The Garib Rath (lit. Poor Chariot) trains are a series of no-frills trains operated by Indian Railways to provide air-conditioned train travel at a cheaper rate compared to regular trains. Garib Rath Express trains primarily operate on long-distance routes, connecting major cities and important railway stations across different states in India. These trains are designed to cover extensive distances, often traversing several hundred kilometers in a single journey.
The term "Garib Rath" translates to "Poor Man's Chariot" or "Chariot of the Poor" in English. These trains were primarily aimed at providing affordable transportation for economically weaker sections of society. The name "Garib" means Poor and "rath" means chariot in Sanskrit and the first service was inaugurated on 5 October 2006 by introduced by the then Rail Minister of India Lalu Prasad Yadav between SaharsaâÂÂAmritsar Garib Rath Express
Garib rath trains have fully air-conditioned coaches that have to be reserved in advance. The originally used ICF rakes, which have been removed from service, consisted of modified AC 3-Tier coaches with side middle berths. The new LHB rakes consist of AC 3-Tier Economy coaches without side middle berths. Earlier some Garib Rath Express trains get an diesel traction like WDM-3A , WDM-3D and WDP-4 or WDG-4, and nowadays with LHB coach upgrade and route fully electtrified they pulled by electric traction like WAP-4 , WAP-5 and popular of all WAP-7
This is the list of all currently operating Garib Rath Express services, in order of their date of inauguration.