By IANS
New Delhi : Encouraged by the response to the eight Garib Rath Express trains that have air-conditioned coaches but lower charges, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Tuesday announced introduction of 10 more such trains.
Presenting the railway budget for 2008-09, Lalu Prasad said Garib Raths will link every state capital in the coming years and more such trains would be added in phases.
He announced six tri-weekly Garib Raths namely Jaipur-Chandigarh, Secunderabad-Vishakhapatnam, Varnasi-Delhi, Bangalore-Kochuveli, Yashvantpur-Puducherry and Pune-Nagpur. Three bi-weekly Garib Raths will also run between Ranchi-Delhi, Jabalpur-Mumbai and Delhi-Jaynagar via Patna. The Jammu Tawi-Kathgodam Garib Rath will run weekly.
The Garib Rath trains were first announced in the 2005-06 railway budget and were launched in the following fiscal to provide comfortable travelling to those who could not afford the fares air-conditioned coaches in regular trains.
Garib Rath trains charges are only 25 to 30 percent higher than second-class sleeper tickets of express trains.