From August 19, the Lucknow–Delhi Tejas Express will be announced at stations by its sponsor's name — the first time a corporate brand has become part of an Indian train's official identity.
Indian Railways just crossed a line it has never crossed before — quite literally branding it. Starting August 19, the Lucknow–Delhi Tejas Express (Train 82501/82502) will officially operate as the 'Sprite Tejas Express' at stations across its route, making it the first train in Indian railway history to carry a corporate brand name as part of its official identity.
IRCTC awarded the naming rights to Coca-Cola India's Sprite brand for a three-month campaign running from August 19 to November 11, 2026. The train will be announced by its sponsored name at Lucknow Junction, New Delhi, and all en-route stations on both up and down journeys. Sprite has also secured rights to wrap the exterior of coaches with its branding — turning one of India's most premium trains into a rolling billboard.
More than a sticker on a coach
Indian Railways has allowed exterior advertising wraps on coaches before — it has been a non-fare revenue initiative for years. But those were visual ads on the outside of trains that kept their official names intact. This is different. When the station announcer calls out your train and it begins with a soft-drink brand, that is a fundamentally new relationship between Indian Railways and commercial sponsorship.
The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed by either IRCTC or Coca-Cola India. But the choice of train is telling. The Tejas Express is IRCTC's flagship product — India's first 'corporately managed' train, launched in 2019 with airline-style service, reclining seats, Wi-Fi, and meal service included in the fare. It is the train Indian Railways points to when it wants to show it can compete with airlines on the Delhi–Lucknow route. Branding it with a consumer product says IRCTC sees more value in sponsorship revenue than in keeping its premium train's identity unblemished.
Why this matters for India's rail economy
Indian Railways carries over 8 billion passengers annually and operates roughly 13,000 trains daily. If the Sprite Tejas experiment generates meaningful revenue, expect train naming rights to become a new revenue category across the network. Station naming rights — already common in metro systems worldwide, including Delhi Metro — could follow for mainline railways.
Metro systems have been ahead of this curve. Delhi Metro has sold station naming rights (Huda City Centre became 'Millennium City Centre Gurugram' in 2018). Bengaluru's Namma Metro stations already carry branding in their announcements and signage. The difference is that metro naming rights tend to be long-term institutional deals, while this Tejas branding is a short-term consumer campaign — more like a stadium sponsorship than a station renaming.
What Bengaluru commuters should know
If train branding proves profitable, it could show up closer to home. IRCTC also operates the Bengaluru–Dharwad Vande Bharat Express and the Bengaluru–Chennai Vande Bharat — both premium services with the kind of aspirational brand image that attracts sponsors. And Namma Metro's own non-fare revenue (station naming, in-train advertising, property development at stations) is an area BMRCL has been exploring as ridership grows past the 11-lakh-per-day mark hit earlier this month.
For now, it is just one train on one route for three months. But 'Sprite Tejas Express' rolling into New Delhi station is the kind of moment that changes what feels normal — and once corporate-branded trains feel normal, they will be everywhere.
Sources
- BusinessToday — Fizz on the tracks: Tejas Express adopts corporate brand title (Aug 13, 2026)
- Media4Growth — IRCTC's Tejas Express to operate as Sprite Tejas Express (Aug 13, 2026)
- InsightsOnIndia — The Sprite Tejas Express (Aug 13, 2026)
- Explurger News — India's First Privately Branded Train (Aug 13, 2026)