Rajdhani Express
Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express at Thiruvananthapuram Central.
Overview
Service type	Connecting various state capitals withDelhi
Status	Active
First service	1 March 1969; 56 years ago (1969-03-01)
Current operator	Indian Railways
Website	indianrail.gov.in
Route
Line used	26
On-board services
Classes	AC 3 tier; AC 2 tier; 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	Indian Railways
Rake maintenance	Indian Railways

TheRajdhani Express (lit. 'Capital Express') is a series ofpassenger train services inIndia operated byIndian Railways connecting the national capitalNew Delhi with the capitals or the largest cities of variousstates. TheSanskrit wordRajdhani 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.

In 1960, theRailway Board of India commissioned a study to increase the speed of its trains, which was restricted to 96 km/h (60 mph) on the existentbroad 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 theIntegral Coach Factory atMadras and hauled bydiesel locomotives.^[1]

On 19 February 1969, theGovernment of India introduced a new express train capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph) as announced in therailway budget.^[3] On 1 March 1969, the first Rajdhani Express with ninecoaches was flagged off fromNew Delhi toHowrah 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 secondRajdhani was introduced fromMumbai.^[1]

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

Rajdhani trains have fullyair-conditioned coaches that have to be reserved in advance. While the trains initially hadchair car coaches, now the trains exclusively havesleeper coaches in three configurations:first class, two-tier and three-tier.^[1] The first class has dedicatedcoupes, two-tier has 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 has open bays containing eight berths per bay (six berths in two tiers and two berths on the side of the aisle).^[6] Thecoaches were exclusively manufactured by Integral Coach Factory at Chennai till 2006, whenLHB coaches manufactured byRail Coach Factory, Kapurthala were introduced.^[1] As of 2018^[update], each train-set costs₹75 crore (US$8.9 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 byWAP-7electric locomotives.^[9]

In July 2021, Indian railways started upgrading the coaches of Rajdhani express to newTejas coaches with enhanced features.^[10][11] These coaches are equipped with newerair 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]

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 optionalmeals byIndian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the menu of which could includemorning tea,breakfast,lunch,high tea anddinner depending on the duration and timing.^[17] These trains have fewerhalts than other express trains with stoppages only at prominent stations.Dynamic pricing is applicable on fares across all Rajdhani trains.^[18]

As of 13 September, 2025, there are currently 26 operational pairs (excluding special services) of Rajdhani Express, including seven with Tejas rakes:^[19][20]

• TheBilaspur Rajdhani Express is the First Rajdhani Express in India that undergoes loco reversal, which happens atNagpur Junction railway station.
• The First Rajdhani Express to operate fromAnand Vihar Terminal railway station isAgartala Tejas Rajdhani Express.
• Anand Vihar Terminal railway station to get its Second Rajdhani Express, the 20507/20508 Mizoram Rajdhani Express. This will also be the Second Rajdhani Express in India that will undergo loco reversal, which will happen atBadarpur Railway Station at Assam.
• 12301/12302 Howrah Rajdhani used to take 16 hrs 50 mins to cover the 1,451 kilometres (902 mi) distance running at 86.22 kilometres per hour (53.57 mph) speed in period from 2006-2016. The train was slowed down by 20 mins due to safety and operational reasons.
• 12951/52 Mumbai Rajdhani is the First Rajdhani Express in India which receivedLHB coach in late 2003.
• OnlyKolkata,Mumbai,Bhubaneswar,Ranchi,Dibrugarh currently has 3 pairs of End to End (E2E) Rajdhani Express Service.

• On 9 September 2002, At least 140 people were killed when theHowrah–New Delhi Rajdhani Expressderailed nearRafiganj,Bihar due to sabotage byNaxalites.^[48]
• 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 nearJhargram inWest Midnapore district ofWest Bengal and demanded the release ofChhatradhar Mahato. TheMaoists fled on the arrival ofCentral Reserve Police Force and all passengers were rescued without any casualties.^[49]
• On 18 April 2011, three coaches ofMumbai Rajdhani Express caught fire, including thepantry car 2:20 hrs at Thuriya nearRatlam inMadhya Pradesh. Three coaches were written off but there were no casualties.^[50]
• On 25 June 2014, at least four passengers were killed and eight injured when theDibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed at Goldin Ganj nearChhapra, Bihar in suspected sabotage by Maoists.^[51]
• On 7 September 2017,Ranchi Rajdhani Express derailed atNew Delhi railway station and no one was injured in the incident.^[52]
• On 14 September 2017,Jammu Tawi Rajdhani Express derailed at the New Delhi railway station when entering the platform and no one was injured.^[53]
• On 18 October 2018, two coaches ofThiruvananthapuram 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.^[54]
• On 3 April 2019, two coaches of Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express uncoupled on theKathajodi river bridge nearCuttack inOdisha. The train was halted and there was no casualties.^[55]
• On 11 May 2019, a fire broke out at thegenerator car of Bhubaneswar Rajdhani nearBalasore in Odisha. There were no casualties and the train continued its journey after a delay of two hours.^[56]

Being one of the most popular trains in India, the train's name featured as a title of aBollywood movie,Rajdhani Express.^[57]Bollywood movie titledThe Burning Train featuringDharmendra,Jeetendra &Vinod Khanna related The Main Theme of the Movie,The Super Express based on Rajdhani Express. Co-incidentally, the 2011 Ratlam incident of the Mumbai Rajdhani Express matched the movie plot of The Burning Train in an eerily manner.

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