Jan Shatabdi trains in Kerala lose superfast status; ticket fares may come down
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Railways has withdrawn the superfast status of Jan Shatabdi trains operating in Kerala due to their failure to maintain the required speed. The superfast status of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode Jan Shatabdi Express trains has been withdrawn. They will now operate as regular express trains.
The new train numbers and other changes will come into effect from January 1, 2027. The Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur Jan Shatabdi will operate under the new numbers 16380/16379, while the Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode service will be renumbered 16376/16375.
The decision to downgrade the trains was taken as they fail to meet the average speed requirement of 55 kmph prescribed for superfast trains.
The Lokmanya Tilak-Thiruvananthapuram Garib Rath and Ernakulam-Patna trains will also be converted into regular express services in January. In addition, six trains, including the Lokmanya Tilak-Thiruvananthapuram North bi-weekly and Yesvantpur-Thiruvananthapuram North services, have already been downgraded from superfast to express status.
Meanwhile, the Southern Railway has decided to upgrade six express trains operating under its other divisions to superfast status.
The removal of the superfast surcharge is expected to bring down ticket fares, offering relief to passengers. However, commuters have expressed concern that trains which already arrive late at several stations could face further delays after being reclassified as express services.