The words
Sampark and
Kranti are borrowed from
Sanskrit. Sampark(
Devanagari:-
सम्पर्क) means Contact and Kranti(
Devanagari:-क्रान्ति ) means Revolution. The combined name denotes the steps taken by Indian Railways to provide high speed train connections from cities around
India with the National Capital through the provision of non-
air conditioned express trains with few stops and operating at high speeds. A similar capability had been introduced earlier on the Rajdhani express. However, these trains were completely
air-conditioned and hence quite
expensive. The Rajdhani and Shatabdi series are the fastest trains in India in terms of average journey speeds. The Sampark Kranti trains operate at slower average speeds than the Rajdhani and Shatabdi series yet still provide high speed options at normal prices due to their few stops and relatively faster speeds compared with other non-
Rajdhani Express express trains and non-
Shatabdi Express express trains although initially they ran non stop once they left their respective states. They don't provide any extra facilities than the other express trains only just a quick fast connection to the country's capital from the state. The
Railway Minister (India) at the time
Nitish Kumar in the interim
Railway Budget of 2004-05 announced the launch of Sampark Kranti Express. The trains in the Sampark Kranti series connect the Indian states to the national capital city of
New Delhi. Sampark Kranti trains charge the same fare as regular/superfast trains on the
Indian Railways rail network and do not provide any special facilities not available in regular
Express trains. The initial decision of non-stop run of this Express series of trains was cut short and was given way to commercial stopping outside the states. The trains aim at reducing travel time without compromising on passenger comfort. Initially eighteen trains were launched and the count was later increased. The Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express from Delhi
Hazrat Nizamuddin to
Yesvantpur was the first train which was launched on 8 February 2004. Uttar Pradesh Sampark Kranti Express link from Khajuraho got terminated with the introduction of
Gita Jayanti Express and extension of the same to
Khajuraho in
Madhya Pradesh. == Active services ==