Interesting Indian Train Names Inspired by Literary Works
Trains are an integral part of our lives, and so are literary works. Considering this, Indian Railways have christened various trains after the names of novels, poems, and books. These names add value to the train journeys and signify the country’s rich literary heritage.
Here, we have compiled a list of trains named after literary works and their route. Read it with us to learn these interesting train names.
Trains Named After Novels or Books
From Rabindra Tagore’s Gitanjali to Mushi Premchand’s Godan, India holds several masterpieces that deserve to be celebrated. To pay tribute to these literary works, Indian Railways have renamed or named some trains’ names so that people recognise these novels, poems, and books. These train names sound interesting and, at the same, let travellers remember popular works by novelists or poets.
Tutari Express
Tutari Express is a long route train that covers a distance of 496 kilometres, taking approximately 10 and a half hours. It runs between Dadar Central to Sawantwadi Road in the Konkan region and halts at 17 stations, including Sindhuurg, Ratnagiri, Panvel Junction etc. The train Tutari Express is named after revolutionary Marathi poet Krishnaji Keshav Damle’s Marathi poem ‘Tutari’. The word ‘Tutari’ means a trumpet-like instrument. Krishnaji Keshav wrote this poem during British rule, which inspired several Indians to fight back against the Angreji Hukumat.
- Tutari Express, 11003- Dadar Central to Sawantwadi Road
- Tutari Express, 11004- Sawantwadi Road to Dadar Central
Godan Express
Named after the renowned Hindi Novel, Godan by Munshi Premchand, Godan express runs between Lokmanya Tilak and Gorakhpur. The train route covers a distance of 1729 kilometres in approximately 34 hours. The passenger train halts at 22 stations. Major stations include Kalyan Junction, Itarsi, Jaunpur, Azamgarh etc. The train is known for its punctuality.
- 11055- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Gorakhpur Junction
- 11056- Gorakhpur Junction-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus
Gitanjali Express
Running between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to Howrah, Gitanjali Express is named after Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘a collection of poems’ Gitanjali. Gitanjali Express covers the distance of 1963 kilometres in 30 hours and 30 minutes by halting at 24 stations. Major stations where Gitanjali express halts are Nasik Road, Badnera Junction, Durg Junction, Rourkela junction, Kharagpur etc. It is the top choice train for passengers travelling between Mumbai to Kolkata.
- 12859- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Howrah Junction
- 12860- Howrah Junction to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
Hate Bazare Express
Hate Bazare Express is a train named after the award-winning Bengali novel Hatey Bazare or Hate Bazare. It is a masterpiece literary work that tells the story of a doctor who spends his retirement providing medical help to the poor in a small town of Bihar. The book is the literary work of Bolai Chand Mukhopadhyay, also known as Bonophul. Hate Bazare express runs between Sealdah and Saharsa, covering a distance of 590 Km in 15h 30m, halting at 27 stations, including Bandel Junction, Azimganj Junction, Narayanpur, Mansi etc.
- 13163- Sealdah – Saharsa Junction
- 13164- Saharsa Junction – Sealdah
Aranyak Express
Aranyak Express is named after one of the famous Bengali Novels, “Aranyak” by Bibhutibhushan Bandhopadhyay. It is a mail express train that runs between Shalimar to Bhojudih Junction, by covering a distance of 281 km in 4hr 30 minutes. The train stops at 9 railway stations, including Paskura, Kharagpur, and Adra. Though the train has no pantry car, passengers can order food online through e-catering services. E-catering facility is available in almost all long and short route trains.
- 12885- Shalimar-Bhojudih Junction
- 12886- Bhojudih Junction- Shalimar
Kaifiyat Superfast Express
The Kaifiyat express is a comfortable passenger train running from Old Delhi Junction to Azamgarh. The express train covers a distance of 800 kilometres with a speed of 55 kilometres per hour. Its Train route’s intermediate stations include Aligarh, Kanpur, Shahganj junction etc. The train’s name, Kaifiyaat, came from the Urdu poetry book Kaifiyat by Kaifi Azmi. Kaifi Azami is a well-known Urdu poet and lyricist.
- 12225 – Azamgarh – Old Delhi Junction
- 12226 – Old Delhi Junction – Azamgarh
Ganadevta Express
Ganadevta express is named after a renowned novel Ganadevta to recognise the work of one of the leading Bengali novelists, Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, ‘s work ‘Ganadevta’, a novel that tells the story of lives of villages, poverty, and ignorance. There is also a movie based on the novel with the same name. Ganadevta express runs between Howrah junction to Azimganj by covering a distance of 249 kilometres and halting at Bandel, Barddhaman, Sainthia, Nalhati etc.
- 13017 – Azimganj- Howrah
- 13018 – Howrah – Azimganj
Kamayani Express
Easing travel from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to Varanasi, Kamayani Express is an important train. The train is named after Kamayani, an epic poem about a flood written by the most famous modern Hindi literature, Jaishankar Prasad. An express train runs daily, covering a distance of 1635 kilometres. Its train route covers Prayagraj Junction, Satna Junction, Rani Kamlapati junction along with other 40 stations.
- 11072 – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus – Banaras
- 11071 – Banaras – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus
Agnibina Express
Another train example, whose name is inspired by literary work, is Agnibina express. The train is named after a collection of poems called Agniveena, written by Bengali revolutionary, philosopher, musician and poet Kazi Nazrul. The poetry collection is the published book of a renowned Bengali poet. Agnibina express runs between Howrah junction to Asansol by talking halt at 7 railway stations in India. The train route goes through Panagarh, Durgapur, Raniganj, etc.
- 12341 – Howrah Junction – Asansol Junction
- 12342 – Asansol Junction – Howrah Junction
Hope you find this blog interesting, like the names of trains. Have you ever travelled by these trains, or do they pass by your nearest station? If yes, let’s know through our social media presence. We are active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and youtube. You just need to search for ‘RailMitra’.
Also Read-Top Railway Stations in India Named After People
On which basis, the train is named?
Indian Railways names the train on several bases, such as the train’s origin and destination stations, mountains the train crosses, river that it passes, popular personalities, literary works, important places and other major factors that keep value for the nation and citizens.
How does the name of trains matter?
Unique names of trains let the passengers memorise the train name. It also lets the travellers distinguish between different trains. Passengers can see train names on their tickets, on the display board of railway stations, and on trains. They can also see the train name while checking the train schedule, live train running status, trains between stations, PNR status etc. Passengers can use RailMitra to check this information. It is a rail enquiry app developed with artificial intelligence that helps people to check PNR status online, train live running status, timetable, and live train arrival and departure. Moreover, this app also facilitates ordering food in train. With this app, Passengers can get varieties of food, including veg, nonveg, regional, vegan, and Jain, while travelling by train.