Rajdhani Express

This article is about the passenger train service in India. For the train-service provider in Sri Lanka, see Rajadhani Express. For the film, see Rajdhani Express (film).

The Rajdhani Express (lit. 'Capital Express') is a series of passenger train services in India operated by Indian Railways connecting the national capital New Delhi with the capitals or the largest cities of various states. Rajdhani, derived from the Sanskrit means "capital". Introduced in 1969, the trains are amongst the premium services operated by Indian Railways and regularly get a higher priority on the railway network.

Rajdhani Express
A sample coach of Rajdhani Express
Overview
Service type	Connecting various state capitals with Delhi
Status	Active
First service	1 March 1969; 55 years ago (1969-03-01)
Successor	Tejas-Rajdhani Express
Current operator(s)	Indian Railways
Website	indianrail.gov.in
Route
Line(s) used	25
On-board services
Class(es)	AC 3 tier Class AC 2 tier Class AC First Class
Seating arrangements	Yes
Sleeping arrangements	Yes
Catering facilities	On-board catering services
Observation facilities	Large windows, reading light
Entertainment facilities	Electric outlets Reading Lights
Baggage facilities	Underseat
Technical
Rolling stock	LHB coachs
Track gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Operating speed	110–130 km/h (68–81 mph)
Track owner(s)	Indian Railways
Rake maintenance	Indian Railways

History

In 1960, the Railway Board of India commissioned a study to increase the speed of its trains, which was restricted to 96 km/h (60 mph) on the existent broad gauge lines.^[1] A target of 160 km/h (99 mph) with an intermediate stage of 120 km/h (75 mph) was set for passenger trains. Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) started work on the same in 1962 with field trials commencing in 1967.^[1] The coaches were manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory at Madras and hauled by diesel locomotives.^[1]

Guard S. O. Levi giving the green signal to start the journey of Rajdhani express on 3 March 1969 from Howrah^[2]

On 19 February 1969, the Government of India introduced a new express train capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) as announced in the railway budget.^[3] On 1 March 1969, the first Rajdhani Express with nine coaches was flagged off from New Delhi to Howrah with the return journey commencing on 3 March.^[4] The train completed the 1,450 km (900 mi) trip in 17 hours 20 minutes and was the only such train in operation till 1972, when the second Rajdhani was introduced from Mumbai.^[1]

Rajdhani, derived from the Sanskrit means "capital" and later, with subsequent up-gradation of the tracks, new Rajdhani expresses were introduced connecting major cities with the capital New Delhi.^[5]

Rake

Rajdhani trains have fully air-conditioned coaches that have to be reserved in advance. While the trains initially had chair car coaches, now the trains exclusively have sleeper coaches in three configurations: first class, two-tier and three-tier.^[1] The first class has dedicated coupes, two-tier with open bays containing six berths per bay (four berths in two tiers and two on the side of the aisle) with curtains and three-tier with open bays containing eight berths per bay (six berths in two tiers and two berths on the side of the aisle).^[6] The coaches were exclusively manufactured by Integral Coach Factory at Chennai till 2006, when LHB coaches manufactured by Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala were introduced.^[1] As of 2018^[update], each train-set costs ₹75 crore (US$9.0 million).^[7] While the trains are capable of running at higher speeds, the maximum speed is often limited to 130 km/h (81 mph) with the fastest Rajdhani permitted to reach a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) and average speeds being much lesser due to traffic congestion and lack of supporting tracks.^[8] The Rajdhani express trains are usually hauled by WAP-7 electric locomotives.^[9]

Tejas-Rajdhani express

In July 2021, Indian railways started upgrading the coaches of Rajdhani express to new Tejas coaches with enhanced features.^[10][11] These coaches are equipped with newer air suspensions, bio-toilets, Wi-Fi, fire alarms, CCTVs, reading lights, dedicated power sockets, automatic doors, passenger information system, improved interior and designed exterior.^[12] The trains which are equipped with all new coaches are known as "Tejas Rajdhani" express.^[13] Indian Railways plans to introduce Tejas coaches across all Rajdhani trains in a phased manner.^[14]

Services

The trains are amongst the premium services operated by Indian Railways and regularly gets a higher priority on the railway network.^[15][16] Passengers are served optional meals by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the menu of which could include morning tea, breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner depending on the duration and timing.^[17] These trains have fewer halts than other express trains with stoppages only at prominent stations. Dynamic pricing is applicable on fares across all Rajdhani trains.^[18]

Operational trains

There are currently 25 operational pairs of Rajdhani express including seven with Tejas coaches:^[19][20]

S.No.	Train name	Tr.No.	Rake	Origin station	Terminal station	Zone	Halts	Freq.	Distance	Travel time	Speed		Inaugural run	Ref
											Max	Avg
1	Howrah Rajdhani Express (via Gaya)	12301/ 12302	LHB	Howrah	New Delhi	ER	7	6 days/wk	1,451 km (902 mi)	17h 15m	130 km/h (81 mph)	84 km/h (52 mph)	3 March 1969	[21]
2	Mumbai Tejas Rajdhani Express	12951/ 12952	Tejas	Mumbai Central	New Delhi	WR	6	Daily	1,386 km (861 mi)	15h 32m	130 km/h (81 mph)	89 km/h (55 mph)	17 May 1972	[22]
3	August Kranti Tejas Rajdhani Express	12953/ 12954	Tejas	Mumbai Central	Hazrat Nizamuddin	WR	10	Daily	1,378 km (856 mi)	16h 33m	130 km/h (81 mph)	83 km/h (52 mph)	1 January 1992	[23]
4	Bangalore Rajdhani Express	22691/ 22692	LHB	KSR Bengaluru	Hazrat Nizamuddin	SWR	13	Daily	2,367 km (1,471 mi)	33h 30m	130 km/h (81 mph)	71 km/h (44 mph)	1 November 1992	[24]
5	Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express	12431/ 12432	LHB	Trivandrum Central	Hazrat Nizamuddin	NR	19	Tri-weekly	2,844 km (1,767 mi)	41h 15m	130 km/h (81 mph)	69 km/h (43 mph)	3 July 1993	[25]
6	Chennai Rajdhani Express	12433/ 12434	LHB	MGR Chennai Central	Hazrat Nizamuddin	NR	8	Bi-weekly	2,175 km (1,351 mi)	28h 25m	130 km/h (81 mph)	77 km/h (48 mph)	3 July 1993	[26]
7	Howrah Rajdhani Express (via Patna)	12305/ 12306	LHB	Howrah	New Delhi	ER	7	Weekly	1,531 km (951 mi)	20h 00m	130 km/h (81 mph)	77 km/h (48 mph)	3 July 1993	[27]
8	Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express (via Adra)	22811/ 22812	Tejas	Bhubaneswar	New Delhi	ECoR	13	Bi-weekly	1,730 km (1,070 mi)	23h 20m	130 km/h (81 mph)	74 km/h (46 mph)	1 April 1994	[28]
9	Bhubaneswar Tejas Rajdhani Express (via Tatanagar)	22824/ 22823	Tejas	Bhubaneswar	New Delhi	ECoR	13	4 days/wk	1,801 km (1,119 mi)	24h 30m	130 km/h (81 mph)	74 km/h (46 mph)	1 April 1994	[29]
10	Dibrugarh - New Delhi Rajdhani Express	12423/ 12424	LHB	Dibrugarh	New Delhi	NR	9	Daily	2,432 km (1,511 mi)	37h 55m	130 km/h (81 mph)	65 km/h (40 mph)	6 July 1994	[30]
11	Jammu Tawi Rajdhani Express	12425/ 12426	LHB	Jammu Tawi	New Delhi	NR	3	Daily	577 km (359 mi)	8h 20m	130 km/h (81 mph)	69 km/h (43 mph)	10 July 1994	[31]
12	Patna Tejas Rajdhani Express	12309/ 12310	Tejas	Rajendra Nagar Terminal	New Delhi	ECR	4	Daily	1,001 km (622 mi)	12h 30m	130 km/h (81 mph)	80 km/h (50 mph)	1 September 1996	[32]
13	Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express	12957/ 12958	LHB	Sabarmati Jn.	New Delhi	WR	9	Daily	929 km (577 mi)	12h 25m	130 km/h (81 mph)	74 km/h (46 mph)	1 January 1998	[33]
14	Secunderabad Rajdhani Express	12437/ 12438	LHB	Secunderabad Jn.	Hazrat Nizamuddin	NR	5	Weekly	1,661 km (1,032 mi)	21h 40m	130 km/h (81 mph)	77 km/h (48 mph)	21 January 1998	[34]
15	Diburgarh Rajdhani Express (via Bogibeel)	20505/ 20506	LHB	Dibrugarh	New Delhi	NFR	23	Bi-weekly	2,294 km (1,425 mi)	39h 38m	110 km/h (68 mph)	58 km/h (36 mph)	11 January 1999	[35]
16	Sealdah Rajdhani Express	12313/ 12314	LHB	Sealdah	New Delhi	ER	6	Daily	1,458 km (906 mi)	18h 00m	130 km/h (81 mph)	81 km/h (50 mph)	1 July 2000	[36]
17	Ranchi Rajdhani Express (via Bokaro)	20839/ 20840	LHB	Ranchi	New Delhi	SER	6	Bi-weekly	1,307 km (812 mi)	17h 00m	130 km/h (81 mph)	77 km/h (48 mph)	17 October 2001	[37]
18	Bilaspur Rajdhani Express	12441/ 12442	LHB	Bilaspur Jn.	New Delhi	NR	8	Bi-weekly	1,505 km (935 mi)	20h 40m	130 km/h (81 mph)	73 km/h (45 mph)	28 October 2001	[38]
19	Ranchi Rajdhani Express (via Japla)	20407/ 20408	LHB	Ranchi	New Delhi	NR	6	Weekly	1,251 km (777 mi)	16h 45m	130 km/h (81 mph)	75 km/h (47 mph)	11 June 2006	[39]
20	Ranchi Rajdhani Express (via Chopan)	12453/ 12454	LHB	Ranchi	New Delhi	NR	7	Weekly	1,244 km (773 mi)	17h 55m	130 km/h (81 mph)	69 km/h (43 mph)	11 June 2006	[40]
21	Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (via Moranhat)	20504/ 20503	LHB	Dibrugarh	New Delhi	NFR	22	5 days/wk	2,471 km (1,535 mi)	41h 15m	110 km/h (68 mph)	59 km/h (37 mph)	6 March 2010	[41]
22	Madgaon Rajdhani Express	22414/ 22413	LHB	Madgaon Jn.	Hazrat Nizamuddin	NR	9	Bi-weekly	1,909 km (1,186 mi)	24h 54m	130 km/h (81 mph)	77 km/h (48 mph)	20 November 2015	[42]
23	Agartala Tejas Rajdhani Express	20501/ 20502	Tejas	Agartala	Anand Vihar Terminal	NFR	14	Weekly	2,424 km (1,506 mi)	39h 50m	130 km/h (81 mph)	59 km/h (37 mph)	28 October 2017	[43]
24	Bhubaneswar Tejas Rajdhani Express (via Sambalpur)	20817/ 20818	Tejas	Bhubaneswar	New Delhi	ECoR	14	Weekly	1,914 km (1,189 mi)	26h 40m	130 km/h (81 mph)	72 km/h (45 mph)	10 February 2018	[44]
25	Mumbai CSMT Rajdhani Express	22221/ 22222	LHB	Mumbai CSMT	Hazrat Nizamuddin	CR	7	Daily	1,537 km (955 mi)	17h 55m	130 km/h (81 mph)	86 km/h (53 mph)	19 January 2019	[45]

Trivia

• The Bilaspur Rajdhani Express is the only Rajdhani Express in India that undergoes loco reversal and loco reversal happens at Nagpur Junction railway station.

• Only Rajdhani Express to operate from Anand Vihar Terminal railway station is Agartala Tejas Rajdhani Express.

Gallery

Ahmedabad - New Delhi Rajdhani Express

Secunderabad–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express with a WAP-7 at Moula Ali

Accidents and incidents

• On 9 September 2002, At least 140 people were killed when the Howrah–New Delhi Rajdhani Express derailed near Rafiganj, Bihar due to sabotage by Naxalites.^[46]
• On 27 October 2009, Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express was hijacked by hundreds of armed activists of the Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) who forced the train to stop at Banshtala near Jhargram in West Midnapore district of West Bengal and demanded the release of Chhatradhar Mahato. The Maoists fled on the arrival of Central Reserve Police Force and all passengers were rescued without any casualties.^[47]
• On 18 April 2011, three coaches of Mumbai Rajdhani Express caught fire, including the pantry car 2:20 hrs at Thuriya near Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. Three coaches were written off but there were no casualties.^[48]
• On 25 June 2014, at least four passengers were killed and eight injured when the Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed at Goldin Ganj near Chhapra, Bihar in suspected sabotage by Maoists.^[49]
• On 7 September 2017, Ranchi Rajdhani Express derailed at New Delhi railway station and no one was injured in the incident.^[50]
• On 14 September 2017, Jammu Tawi Rajdhani Express derailed at the New Delhi railway station when entering the platform and no one was injured.^[51]
• On 18 October 2018, two coaches of Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express derailed at the staffed level crossing near Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh when a speeding truck collided with train due to brake failure. There were no injuries to the passengers in the train but the truck driver was killed due to the collision and the train continued the journey after delay of seven hours.^[52]
• On 3 April 2019, two coaches of Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express uncoupled on the Kathajodi river bridge near Cuttack in Odisha. The train was halted and there was no casualties.^[53]
• On 11 May 2019, a fire broke out at the generator car of Bhubaneswar Rajdhani near Balasore in Odisha. There were no casualties and the train continued its journey after a delay of two hours.^[54]

In popular culture

Being one of the most popular trains in India, the train's name featured as a title of a Bollywood movie, Rajdhani Express.^[55]

References

1. "Railways golden girl: 50 years of the Rajdhani story". Hindustan Times. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
2. "The Giant Leap of". Eastrailindia. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
3. Railway Budget of 1969–70 (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
4. "Kolkata loses last connect to first Rajdhani". The Times of India. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
5. "How did Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto Express get their names? Know here". Business Standard. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
6. "Accommodation Classes in Indian Railways". Indian Railways. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
7. "At the cost of one bullet train, India can afford to have 800 Rajdhani trains". ABP News. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
8. "Fastest trains of Indian railways". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
9. "Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains to get faster! Railways rolls out semi high-speed locomotive WAP-7HS". Times Now. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
10. "Rajdhani runs with new Tejas rakes". Deccan Herald. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
11. Tyagi, Harshita (19 July 2021). "Western Railway runs Mumbai–New Delhi Rajdhani Express with new Tejas-like smart sleeper coaches". Times Now. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
12. "Western Railway starts to run Rajdhani Express with New Upgraded Tejas Rakes" (Press release). Indian Railways. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
13. "All the rakes of Rajdhani will run with Tejas coaches" (Press release). Indian Railways. August 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
14. "How Railways is giving Rajdhani express a makeover with modern Tejas coaches". Mint. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
15. "These are high-priority trains in India. All other trains are bound to give them the pass. Know what is so special about them". Zee news. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
16. "Rajdhani Express and Duronto Express Trains". MakeMyTrip. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
17. "IRCTC menu for Rajdhani". Financial Express. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
18. "New fare scheme for Rajdhani". Mint. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
19. "List of Rajdhani Express trains". etrain.info. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
20. "Rajdhani Express Trains - Railway Enquiry". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
21. "Howrah Rajdhani Express (via Gaya)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
22. "Mumbai Tejas Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
23. "August Kranti Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
24. "Bangalore Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
25. "Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
26. "Chennai Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
27. "Howrah Rajdhani Express (via Patna)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
28. "Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express (via Adra)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
29. "Bhubaneswar Tejas Rajdhani Express (via Tatanagar)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
30. "Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
31. "Jammu Tawi–New Delhi Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
32. "Patna Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
33. "Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
34. "Secunderabad Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
35. "Dibrugarh–New Delhi Rajdhani Express (via Bogibeel)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
36. "Sealdah Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
37. "Ranchi Rajdhani Express (via Bokaro)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
38. "Bilaspur Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
39. "Ranchi Rajdhani Express (via Japla)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
40. "Ranchi Rajdhani Express (via Chopan)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
41. "Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (via Moranhat)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
42. "Madgaon Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
43. "Agartala Tejas Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
44. "Bhubaneswar Tejas Rajdhani Express (via Sambalpur City)". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
45. "Mumbai CSMT Rajdhani Express". Indiarailinfo. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
46. "Odisha Train Accident:Deadliest train crashes in the history of Indian Railways". The Economic Times. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
47. "West Bengal: NIA files chargesheet in 2009 Bhubaneswar-Rajdhani hijacking". The Times of India. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
48. "Fire on Mumbai Delhi Rajdhani". NDTV. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
49. "Rajdhani Express derails near Chhapra in Bihar; Railway suspects 'sabotage'". The Economic Times. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
50. "Rajdhani Express coach derails at New Delhi Railway Station". The Times of India. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
51. "Coach of Rajdhani Express derails at New Delhi Railway Station". The Times of India. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
52. "Truck rams into Trivandrum Rajdhani Express, 1 killed, 2 coaches derailed". India Today. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
53. "Coaches of Rajdhani Express separated while passing Kathajodi river". The Times of India. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
54. "Bhubaneswar: Rajdhani Express catches fire in Odisha's Balasore". The Times of India. 11 May 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
55. "Leander Paes takes to the Bollywood court". Indian Express. 14 August 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2013.

External links