SSC
Which was India's first 'private' train, run by the IRCTC from October 2019?
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Answer: Option A — Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas Express
Detailed Solution
The Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas Express was flagged off on 4 October 2019 by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. It became India's first train to be operated by a corporate entity rather than directly by Indian Railways. It is run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways. Because it is not run directly by the railways, it is commonly described as India's first "private" or "corporate" train.
Features of the Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas Express:
- It provides airline-style services, such as meals served at the seat and hostesses (train attendants).
- Passengers get free travel insurance of Rs 25 lakh.
- If the train is delayed by more than an hour, passengers get compensation (Rs 100 for a delay of over an hour and Rs 250 for over two hours).
- Fares are dynamic, like those of airlines.
- The second IRCTC-run Tejas Express was started between Ahmedabad and Mumbai in January 2020.
Other milestones of Indian Railways:
The first passenger train in India ran from Bori Bunder (Bombay) to Thane on 16 April 1853, covering 34 km.
Vande Bharat Express (Train 18): India's first indigenous semi-high-speed train, made at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. The first Vande Bharat ran between New Delhi and Varanasi from 15 February 2019.
Gatimaan Express (2016): India's first semi-high-speed train (160 km/h) between Delhi and Agra.
Tejas Express was first launched in 2017 between Mumbai and Goa (Karmali) by Indian Railways.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (bullet train) project is being built with Japanese technology.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express was India's first semi-high-speed indigenous train (2019), run by Indian Railways.
- ✗The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express was the second IRCTC-run train (2020).
- ✗The Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express is run by Indian Railways.
Quick tip
Remember: First "private" (corporate) train = Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas Express, run by IRCTC (4 October 2019); first Vande Bharat = New Delhi-Varanasi (2019); first train = Bombay-Thane (1853).
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Firsts in India & World — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Firsts in India & World, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the first persons and events in India and the world: the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize, the first woman to hold major offices, the first to climb Everest or reach space, and India's first institutions, newspapers, railways and satellites. It also covers the largest, longest, highest and smallest records in India and the world. These are pure memory questions, so revise them as short lists by theme: first women, first in sports, first in science and space, and first in governance. Be careful with the exact wording, such as 'first Indian' versus 'first person of Indian origin', or 'first woman President' versus 'first woman Prime Minister', since options are often designed to exploit this. Practise the firsts in India and the world questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.