Rajdhani Express
| Rajdhani Express | |
|---|---|
 Rajdhani Express departing from New Delhi Railway Station | |
| Overview | |
| Service type | Connecting various state capitals with Delhi |
| Status | Active |
| First service | March 1, 1969 |
| Successor | Tejas-Rajdhani Express |
| Current operator(s) | Indian Railways |
| Website | indianrail |
| Route | |
| Line(s) used | 2500 |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | AC 3 tier Class AC 2 tier Class AC First Class 2 seting |
| Seating arrangements | No |
| Sleeping arrangements | No |
| Catering facilities | On-board catering not available |
| Observation facilities | Large windows, reading light |
| Entertainment facilities | Electric outlets Reading Lights |
| Baggage facilities | Underseat |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | icf rakes |
| Track gauge | 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) meter gauge |
| Operating speed | Maximum 200–380 km/h (120–240 mph) |
| Track owner(s) | Indian Railways |
| Rake maintenance | Indian Railways |
The Rajdhani 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. The word Rajdhani has been derived from the Sanskrit language, which means Capital in English. This series of trains regularly gets the highest priority in the Indian Railways and is considered as its most premium train.[1][2]
The cost of a Rajdhani Express is around Rs. 75 Crore.[3]
History
In the Railway Budget of 1969–70, an introduction of a new superfast train was done which would connect Delhi to Kolkata in less than 18 hours. Until then, the fastest trains between these two cities usually took more than 20 hours. Thus, on 1 March 1969, the first Rajdhani Express left from New Delhi to Howrah at 1730 hrs and arrived at its destination at 1050 hrs on the next day, completing 1450 km in a record time of 17 hours 20 minutes. The return Rajdhani Express left Howrah Junction at 1700 hrs and arrived at New Delhi on its next day at 1020 hrs. The initial maximum speed of the Howrah Rajdhani Express was 120 km/hr. It was the only Rajdhani Express in India until 1972, when Indian Railways introduced another, the Bombay Rajdhani, now Mumbai Rajdhani Express, between Mumbai Central and New Delhi. Later on, with subsequent development of the tracks, other Rajdhani Expresses were introduced gradually, the latest Rajdhani Express as of now being the Mumbai CSMT–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express. However, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Uttrakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Punjab still do not have a Rajdhani Express terminating/originating from any of their major cities.
About
Rajdhani express gets the highest priority on the Indian railway network.[4] They are fully air-conditioned. Passengers are served optional meals (food price included in the train fare) during the journey. Depending on the duration and timings of the journey, these could include morning tea, breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner.[4] All Rajdhani Express trains offer three classes of accommodation: AC First Class (1A) with 2-berth and 4-berth coupès (with locking facility for privacy), AC 2-tier (2T) with open bays (4 berths/bay + 2 berths on the other side of the aisle of each bay), provided with curtains for privacy, and AC 3-tier (3T) with open bays (6 berths/bay + 2 berths on the other side of the aisle of each bay) without curtains.
Currently there are 24 pairs of trains, connecting New Delhi to important cities across the country. These trains have fewer stops than other express trains and halt only at prominent stations. Recently Dynamic pricing has been introduced on all Rajdhani express trains.
Routes
There are currently 24 operational pairs of Rajdhani Express:[5][6]
| State | Terminal Station in Delhi | Terminal Station in the respective states | Train Name | Train No. | Distance | Maximum Speed | Average Speed | Inauguration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assam | New Delhi | Dibrugarh Town | Dibrugarh Town Rajdhani Express (via Barauni) | 12423/12424 | 2,432 km (1,511 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 75 km/h (47 mph) | 1996 |
| Dibrugarh | Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (via Bogibeel Bridge) | 20505/20506 | 2,294 km (1,425 mi) | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 58 km/h (36 mph) | 1999 | ||
| Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (via Moranhat) | 20503/20504 | 2,472 km (1,536 mi) | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 60 km/h (37 mph) | 2010 | |||
| Chhattisgarh | New Delhi | Bilaspur Junction | Bilaspur Rajdhani | 12441/12442 | 1,506 km (936 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 73 km/h (45 mph) | 2001 |
| Goa | Hazrat Nizamuddin | Madgaon Junction | Madgaon Rajdhani | 22413/22414 | 1,911 km (1,187 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 74 km/h (46 mph) | 2015 |
| Gujarat | New Delhi | Ahmedabad Junction | Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani | 12957/12958 | 935 km (581 mi) | 110 km/h (68 mph) | 73 km/h (45 mph) | 1998 |
| Jammu and Kashmir | New Delhi | Jammu Tawi | Jammu Tawi Rajdhani | 12425/12426 | 577 km (359 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 69 km/h (43 mph) | 1994 |
| Jharkhand | New Delhi | Ranchi Junction | Ranchi Rajdhani (via Bokaro Steel City) | 20839/20840 | 1,307 km (812 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 76 km/h (47 mph) | 2001 |
| Ranchi Rajdhani (via Chopan) | 12453/12454 | 1,244 km (773 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 69 km/h (43 mph) | 2006 | |||
| Ranchi Rajdhani (via Japla) | 20407/20408 | 1,251 km (777 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 74 km/h (46 mph) | 2006 | |||
| Karnataka | Hazrat Nizamuddin | KSR Bengaluru | Bengaluru Rajdhani | 22691/22692 | 2,367 km (1,471 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 71 km/h (44 mph) | 1992 |
| Kerala | Hazrat Nizamuddin | Thiruvananthapuram Central | Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani | 12431/12432 | 3,149 km (1,957 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 76 km/h (47 mph) | 1993 |
| Maharashtra | Hazrat Nizamuddin | Mumbai CSMT | Mumbai CSMT Rajdhani | 22221/22222 | 1,537 km (955 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 86 km/h (53 mph) | 2019 |
| Tamil Nadu | Hazrat Nizamuddin | MGR Chennai Central | Chennai Rajdhani | 12433/12434 | 2,175 km (1,351 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 77 km/h (48 mph) | 1993 |
| Telangana | Hazrat Nizamuddin | Secunderabad Junction | Secunderabad Rajdhani | 12437/12438 | 1,661 km (1,032 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 76 km/h (47 mph) | 2002 |
| West Bengal | New Delhi | Howrah Junction | Howrah–New Delhi Rajdhani Express (via Gaya) | 12301/12302 | 1,451 km (902 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 84 km/h (52 mph) | 1969 |
| Howrah–New Delhi Rajdhani Express (via Patna) | 12305/12306 | 1,531 km (951 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 76 km/h (47 mph) | 1993 | |||
| Sealdah | Sealdah Rajdhani | 12313/12314 | 1,458 km (906 mi) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 83 km/h (52 mph) | 2000 |
Tejas-Rajdhani Express
Indian Railways started to upgrade Rajdhani Coaches to Tejas coaches. These trains are called the Tejas-Rajdhani Express This replaced its traditional LHB Rajdhani coaches.Soon all Rajdhani express will get brand new LHB Tejas Rakes.
| State | Terminal Station in Delhi | Terminal Station in the respective states | Train Name | Train No. | Distance | Average Speed | Conversion and Inauguration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bihar | New Delhi | Rajendra Nagar Terminal | Rajendra Nagar-New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani Express | [Bhatinda jaipur pasenger special]| | 1,001 km (622 mi) | 83 km/h (52 mph)[7] | 1 September 2021 |
| Maharashtra | New Delhi | Mumbai Central | Mumbai Tejas-Rajdhani Express | 12951/12952 | 1,386 km (861 mi) | 89 km/h (55 mph) | 19 July 2021 |
| Hazrat Nizamuddin | Mumbai Central | August Kranti Tejas Rajdhani Express | 12953/12954 | 1,378 km (856 mi) | 83 km/h (52 mph) | 12 December 2021 | |
| Odisha | New Delhi | Bhubaneswar | Bhubaneswar Rajdhani (via Adra) | 22811/22812 | 1,723 km (1,071 mi) | 76 km/h (47 mph) | 1994[8] |
| New Delhi | Bhubaneswar Rajdhani (via Bokaro) | 22823/22824 | 1,802 km (1,120 mi) | 74 km/h (46 mph) | 2003[9] | ||
| New Delhi | Bhubaneswar Rajdhani (via Rourkela ) | 20817/20818 | 1,914 km (1,189 mi) | 71 km/h (44 mph) | 2018 | ||
| Tripura | Anand Vihar Terminal | Agartala | Agartala Tejas Rajdhani Express | 20501/20502 | 2,424 km (1,506 mi) | 60 km/h (37 mph) | 15 February 2021 |
Accidents
- On 9 September 2002, At least 130 people were killed in an accident when the Howrah New Delhi Rajdhani derailed near Rafiganj, which was due to sabotage by a local Maoist terrorist group, the Naxalites. This is first Rajdhani train accident and one of the worst accident in Indian Railway.
- October 27, 2009, Bhubaneswar Rajdhani was hijacked by hundreds of armed activists of the Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) who clambered on to the rail track waving red flags and forcing the train to stop at Banshtala halt near Jhargram in West Midnapore district. They didn't harm the passengers and demanded the immediate release of their leader Chhatradhar Mahato. Almost five hours of drama came to an end with the Maoist-backed activists who had stalled the train, fleeing on the arrival of the CRPF.
- On 18 April 2011, three coaches of Mumbai Rajdhani caught fire, including the pantry car. The accident happened at 2:20 am near the Thuriya station between Aalot and Vikramgarh near Ratlam. There were no casualties among the 900 passengers.
- On 25 June 2014, at least four passengers were killed and eight injured when the New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed at Goldin Ganj station near Chapra in suspected sabotage by Maoists. The train was heading towards Dibrugarh.[10]
- On the morning of 7th Sept 2017, at around 6.00 a.m. IST, a coach of the New Delhi-Ranchi Rajdhani Express derailed at the New Delhi station. According to railway spokesperson, no one was injured in the incident.[11]
- A week later after Ranchi Rajdhani accident, On 14th Sept 2017, another Rajdhani derailed. It was reported that a coach of Jammu Tawi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express derailed on Thursday at the New Delhi Railway Station. But no one was injured in the incident. The incident took place around 6.00am when the train was entering the platform.
- On October 18, 2018, 2 coaches of Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani derailed at the staffed level crossing near Ratlam when a speeding Truck collided with train due to brake failure. There were no injuries to train passengers but the truck driver was killed due to the collision. The Train continued journey after delay of 7 hours towards New Delhi.
- On 3 Apr 2019, Two Coaches of Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Uncoupled on the Kathjodi river bridge which is 2.5 km away from Cuttack. Immediately the loco pilot stopped the train, No one was hurt when the bogies separated. Senior officers from the Bhubaneswar coach maintenance depot thoroughly checked the bogies at Cuttack railway station. The affected bogies, B/3 and B/4, were joined and the train resumed its onward journey towards New Delhi having an hour delay but reached right on time.
- On 11 May 2019, A Fire Broke out at Generator Car of Bhubaneswar Rajdhani nearby Balasore, immediately railway staffs kept fire in under control, no casualties reported. The train continued journey having two hours delay.
Popular culture
Being one of the most popular train of India, the train saw its name featured as a title of a Bollywood movie, named as Rajdhani Express.
See also
- AC Superfast Express
- Bullet train (Mumbai-Ahmedabad)
- Vande Bharat Express
- Gatimaan Express
- Humsafar Express
- Tejas Express
- Double Decker Express
- Mahamana Express
- Duronto Express
- Shatabdi Express
- Jan Shatabdi Express
- Garib Rath Express
- Antyodaya Express
- Uday Express
- Kavi Guru Express
- Vivek Express
- Sampark Kranti Express
- Yuva Express
- Rajya Rani Express
- Mountain railways of India
- Intercity Express
- Train 20
References
- ^ "Top 10 Highest Priority Trains of Indian Railways Network". WalkthroughIndia.com. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ "Highest Priority Trains of Indian Railways". erail.in. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ https://news.abplive.com/news/india/on-the-cost-of-one-bullet-train-india-can-afford-to-have-800-rajdhani-trains-707353 [bare URL]
- ^ a b "Rajdhani Express and Duronto Express Trains". MakeMyTrip. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "List of all Rajdhani Express trains". etrain.info. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ "Rajdhani Express Trains - Railway Enquiry". indiarailinfo.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ Aryan. "12309/Rajendra Nagar Terminal - New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani Express - Patna to New Delhi ECR/East Central Zone - Railway Enquiry". indiarailinfo.com. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ Rail Budget 1994-95
- ^ Rail Budget 2003-04
- ^ "Rajdhani Express derails near Chhapra in Bihar; Railway suspects 'sabotage'". timesofindia-economictimes. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ "Rajdhani Express coach derails at New Delhi Railway Station". timesofindia-indiatimes. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
External links
Tejas Rajdhani Express trains are also listed here | |||||
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