Superfast Trains Losing Status From 1 January 2027: New Numbers, Fares
Passengers on Kerala's Jan Shatabdis and Central Railway express services must use new train numbers from the new year, and pay less in some classes.
Image: Manorama Archives (file photo)
Several express trains across India will stop being classed as Superfast from 1 January 2027, and will run under new train numbers with the Superfast surcharge removed from the ticket. Railway Board rules require a Superfast train to average at least 55 kmph, and the services affected fell short of that, according to The Week and Business Today. The reports name Kerala’s Jan Shatabdi trains and six pairs of Central Railway expresses; counts of the total differ between outlets.
Cheaper Tickets, New Numbers to Search
Business Today reported that removing the surcharge cuts fares by Rs 30 in sleeper class, Rs 45 in third AC, second AC and AC chair car, and Rs 75 in first AC and executive class, for the 18 services it listed, which mainly connect Delhi with Bihar, Punjab and Uttarakhand. For the two Kerala Jan Shatabdis, The Week reported expected cuts of Rs 15 for non-AC and Rs 45 for AC seats. Schedules and stoppages stay the same, Kerala Kaumudi reported.
Passengers will need the new numbers when booking. The Thiruvananthapuram–Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi becomes 16376/16375 and the Thiruvananthapuram–Kannur service 16380/16379. Free Press Journal listed Central Railway’s six pairs, among them CSMT–Banaras Mahanagari (22177/22178 to 11093/11094) and Vasco da Gama–Hazrat Nizamuddin Goa Express (12779/12780 to 17379/17380).
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Why the Speed Test Decides the Label
A train keeps Superfast status only if its total distance divided by its journey time, across both directions, is 55 kmph or more. Trains that fall below are reclassified as ordinary Express services, which also moves them into the 11xxx, 15xxx or 16xxx number series.
Check Your Booking Before the New Year
The change applies to journeys from 1 January 2027. None of the reports linked a Railway Board circular, and the fare figures are the outlets’ estimates, so passengers with advance bookings should check the final notice on the IRCTC app or National Train Enquiry System. More on the railway network is under the Indian Railways tag.
Source: Based on reporting by The Week, Business Today, Free Press Journal and Kerala Kaumudi. No official Railway Board notice was found.
Image: Manorama Archives (file photo).
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