Shan-E-Bhopal - The Bhopal Express

The Bhopal Express is a train plying between New Delhi and Bhopal. This train – also known as Shan-E-Bhopal, is the first ISO 9001 certified train of India. It has a Pizza Hut outlet in one of the bogies. The coupes are usually spic and span. The higher class compartments have indicating light to display the status of toilet - whether occupied or not, like in all aircraft. There are sockets for cell-phone charging. Drinking water vending machines, charging Rs. 1/- litre, has also been installed. All these facilities are provided and withdrawn from time to time, may be the train is being used by “powers that be” as test case. The berth numbers on the train are in Braille and the toilets have been designed to suit the physically challenged. Sometime back, there was news that the train would provide WiFi connectivity!

The starting station of this train, Habibganj, is also ISO 9000 certified. Habibganj, serves as the railway station for new Bhopal. The forms of city gates inspire this long, narrow, three-storey building. Designed by Uttam C. Jain, the station is a series of open vaulted concrete structures built at each of the three levels through which platforms and ramps pass. The building contains ticket offices, a waiting hall, a restaurant, and arrival and departure platforms.

Another feature of this station are the ramps that connect the platforms with the overbridge and there is special parking for the physically challenged. In fact, the station does not have a single staircase. Even the water taps have been redesigned to suit the differently enabled people. There is a railway timetable at main entrance in Braille.

The train Bhopal Express has been so popular that even the State tourism corporation wants a share in it's fame. In a bid to pro

mote tourism in the State, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) is constructing a unique restaurant. They have acquired an unused rake of a railway train into a special food joint. To be located at Hotel Ashoka Lakeview in the state capital Bhopal, the officials claim, “a complete atmosphere of a railway compartment as well as railway platform will be created to woo the food lovers.” The authorities claim that it will be the world's first-ever stationary restaurant of a broad gauge rake, and is being named, what else – Bhopal Express.

The timings of this train is such that a person can work the entire day at Bhopal and then leave for Delhi at night and vice-versa. Timings also have a share in making Bhopal Express such a huge success, which are as follows:

From Habibganj (Bhopal) to Delhi (Nizamuddin)

SNo Stn Name Arrival Time Dep. Time Distance

1 HABIBGANJ Source 21:05 0

2 BHOPAL JN 21:17 21:22 7

3 VIDISHA 22:03 22:05 60

4 GANJ BASODA 22:33 22:35 99

5 BINA JN 23:30 23:35 145

6 JHANSI JN 01:35 01:45 297

7 GWALIOR 03:03 03:05 395

8 MORENA 03:32 03:34 433

9 AGRA CANTT 04:38 04:40 513

10 H NIZAMUDDIN 08:05 00:00 700

From Nizamuddin (Delhi) to Habibganj (Bhopal)

SNo Stn Name Arrival Time Dep. Time Distance

1 H NIZAMUDDIN Source 21:00 0

2 AGRA CANTT 23:37 23:40 188

3 MORENA 00:35 00:37 266

4 GWALIOR 01:06 01:11 306

5 JHANSI JN 02:30 02:40 403

6 BINA JN 04:35 04:37 556

7 GANJ BASODA 05:08 05:10 601

8 VIDISHA 05:38 05:40 641

9 BHOPAL JN 06:42 06:45 694

10 HABIBGANJ 07:05 00:00 700