Garib Rath to turn into Express train; the poor hit once again by Modi govt

Garib Rath Express will be discontinued soon. Modi Government is planning a change in this train. Garib Rath was an initiative of former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in 2006 to make Air-conditioned trains accessible to the poor. Modi government is now planning to convert all Garib Rath into Superfast train, CNBC Awaaz reported it on the basis of sources.

Apart from converting it into a superfast train, there is a plan to make changes in its coaches too. At present, the Garib Rath has 12 coaches, all air-conditioned, while the new train will now have 16 coaches. It will also include General, Sleeper and AC coach.

According to the report, the reason behind this decision by the government is that the production of this kind of bogies has been stopped. The bogies in these trains are quite old. These bogies will be replaced by modern ones. Therefore, Garib rath will be converted into Express train.

In the year 2006, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav started the Garib Rath to make AC train accessible to the poor . The first train was Saharsa-Amritsar Garib Rath Express, which runs from Saharsa in Bihar to Amritsar of Punjab. This train had AC 3 and chair carrier. This train is a better option for people who are not financially strong. Travelling in Garib Rath as compared to express trains is about 40 percent cheaper.