The Lucknow-Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express will now have a distinctly commercial identity for almost three months and it will be the first train in India to be branded with a private brand name under an advertising arrangement. From August 19 to November 11, 2026, the train will be called the ‘Sprite’ Tejas Express, according to railway sources quoted by The Hindu.
The branding will be applied to Train Nos. 82501 and 82502, which operate between Lucknow and Delhi. The agreement comes after the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) awarded advertising rights to M/s Sprite through a Letter of Acceptance. The idea is the new approach of monetising railway assets with commercial branding and the train's existing operating structure.
During the branding period, the North Eastern Railway will be instructed to announce the Lucknow-Delhi-Lucknow IRCTC Tejas Express as ‘Sprite’ Tejas Express. The brand identity will be used at the train’s originating and en-route stations on both sides of the journey to give visibility to the commercial partnership throughout the route.
The development is significant because it is the first time that an Indian train has been named after a company. Although advertisements and commercial promotions have already been carried out on railway assets, the formal use of the private brand as part of a train’s identity is a significant step in the railway advertising direction.
The branding does not mean that the train is being handed over to the private company for operation. The Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express is operated by IRCTC, which pays Indian Railways for the use of railway facilities such as tracks and stations. The private branding arrangement is therefore primarily a commercial and advertising initiative rather than a transfer of railway infrastructure or ownership.
The Tejas Express itself was opened as a premium passenger service with fully air-conditioned coaches and several features for travel in the comfort of passengers. The Lucknow-Delhi service offers food and beverage services and infotainment facilities. It is a premium train that can also be a commercial advertising platform for high-visibility advertisements.
Another feature of the service is the fact that it provides group booking. All groups such as corporate groups, wedding parties, and passengers traveling for social events can book an entire AC Chair Car coach. Each coach has 78 seats and will allow larger groups to travel together on the premium service.
The Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express was flagged off by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on December 3, 2021. The launch was part of the Indian Railways' experiment with privately operated passenger train services. IRCTC manages the train operations and pays haulage charges to Indian Railways for the railway infrastructure.
The introduction of the ‘Sprite’ branding adds another commercial dimension to that experiment. Rather than just a premium passenger service, the train will temporarily carry a recognizable consumer brand as part of a dedicated advertising arrangement.
For passengers, the branding is expected to change the train’s commercial identity and promotional appearance rather than its core operation. The train service will run on the Lucknow-Delhi route under the existing railway system and this branding will be in place for approximately 85 days from August 19 to November 11.
The arrangement also reflects how the railway business is becoming more and more advertising and commercial partnerships are becoming more common. In the Indian Railways and its related organizations seeking more revenue streams, trains, stations, and so on provide companies enormous opportunities to connect with travelling consumers.
The ‘Sprite’ Tejas Express could therefore become a prime example of how railway services can be used as commercial advertising platforms without changing their underlying ownership or infrastructure arrangements. If this model works out, similar branding partnerships could become more common across premium railway services in the future.
For now, passengers traveling between Lucknow and Delhi will see a new name attached to one of India’s most popular premium train services. From August 19 to November 11, 2026, the Lucknow-Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express will temporarily carry the ‘Sprite’ identity, providing a first-of-its-kind combination of railway travel and commercial train branding in India.
