The Indian Railways is set to withdraw the Superfast status of two Shatabdi Express trains operating in Kerala from January 1, 2027. The affected trains are 12075/12076 Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode and 12081/12082 Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur Jan Shatabdi services.
According to ground reports, both trains will be reclassified as ordinary Express trains from the beginning of next year, under newly assigned numbers. The Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode service will then operate under 16376/16375, and the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur service will operate under 16380/16379.
These reclassifications came shortly after the Central Railways announced its decision to strip the Superfast status of two other trains too. From Jan 1, the 22113/22114 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Thiruvananthapuram North Superfast will become the 11073/11074 Express, which runs in the same Kerala strip. The other affected train is the 22157/22158 Mumbai CSMT–Chennai Egmore Superfast, which will then become the 11063 Express.
While the reclassification is expected to reduce ticket fares, it also means that the services do not pass the Centre’s mandated speed requirement to be called a Superfast.
For the Kerala-based Jan Shatabdi trains, it is expected that the non-AC fares could be slashed by ₹15 and the AC fares by ₹45 following the removal of the Superfast charge.
Ground reports also say that the reclassification will not affect the current existing schedules or stops.
However, the reclassification will not affect the existing schedules or stoppages of the trains, according to reports. Passengers can continue to travel at the same timings, with the main changes being the revised fares and train numbers.
The Railway Board's minimum threshold for Superfast trains is 55kmph. After the two Vande Bharat trains, the Jan Shatabdi rakes were the fastest in Kerala, one of the few places in the country where there is at least one stop every hour.
