Mahamana Express is a superfast express series trains operated by

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Initially it was started using ICF coaches with substantially improved facilities as compared to other superfast express trains in India. As of June 2025, only one Mahamana Express services use the original upgraded

ICF coaches The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coach is a conventional passenger coach used on the majority of Indian Railways (IR) lines. Between 1955 and 2018, more than 54,000 were produced and some were exported to other countries. History The design of ...

which is the Bhopal Khajuraho Mahamana Express. The others have been converted to regular

LHB coaches Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) coach is a passenger coach of Indian Railways that is developed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch of Germany and produced by rail coach manufacturing units at Kapurthala, Chennai and Raebareli. They have been used since 2000 on ...

as in most other trains in India. This train is named in the honour of

Madan Mohan Malaviya Madan Mohan Malaviya (25 December 1861 — 12 November 1946; ) was an Indian scholar, educational reformer and activist notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress three times and ...

(Mahamana), a freedom fighter and an education reformer who established Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.

Overview

Mahamana Express was launched in 2016 with improved facilities for passengers compared to other superfast express trains in India. The first Mahamana Express connected

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

. The first run saw a 15% hike in fare due to the upgraded facilities.

Model Rake

The train was introduced with Model Rakes modified by

under

Make In India is an initiative by the Government of India to create and encourage companies to develop, manufacture and assemble products in India and incentivize dedicated investments into manufacturing. The policy approach was to create a conducive envi ...

scheme. The coaches contain some modern facilities like: * Toilet: Bigger mirror, platform wash basin, controlled discharged water tap, odour control system, exhaust fans, LED lights, dustbin inside the toilet, All the toilets are fitted with bio-toilets, in line with Indian Railways' vision to make tracks defecation free. * Ladder: Ergonomically designed Ladders for climbing up to upper berths are provided in all coaches. * Side berths: Snack tables are provided for side berth passengers also with innovative design side lower berth arrangement. * Windows: Windows with powered Venetian blinds and roller blinds instead of conventional curtains. * Lighting: LED-based berth indicators for reserved coaches, and all other illumination. * Charging Points: Charging points are made available for every berth. * Safety: Fire extinguishers in all coaches. * Pantry Car: Modular pantry with electric chimneys.

Overview

Model Rake

Active routes

References

See also