2409:4041:D16:8EC2:0:0:2189:C100 at 09:24, 29 August 2021

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{{Short description|Express train in India}}
{{About|the passenger train service in India|the train-service provider in Sri Lanka|Rajadhani Express|the film|Rajdhani Express (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox rail service
| box_width =
| name = Rajdhani Express
| color = B22222
| image = File:Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani exp.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| caption = Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express at Palanpur Jn.
| type = Connecting various state capitals with [[Delhi]]
| status = Active
| first = {{start date and age|1969|03|03}}
| last =
| successor =
| operator = [[Indian Railways]]
| ridership =
| website = http://indianrail.gov.in
| start =
| stops =
| end =
| total train coaches = 24
|line_used=24| class = Executive Class
Premium Class
| access =
| seating = Yes
| autorack =
| catering = On-board catering
| observation = Large windows
| entertainment = Electric outlets <br> Reading Lights
| baggage = Underseat
| stock = [[LHB coaches|LHB rakes]]
| gauge = {{Track gauge|5ft6in|lk=on}} [[broad gauge]]
| el =
| speed = Maximum {{Cvt|130|-|140|kph}}
| owners = [[Indian Railways]]
| routenumber =
| maintenance =
| map =
| map_state =
}}
The '''Rajdhani Express''' is a series of [[passenger train]] service in [[India]] operated by [[Indian Railways]] connecting the national capital [[New Delhi]] with the capitals or largest city of various states. The word Rajdhani has been derived from the [[Devanagri]] script, which means Capital in English. Apart from that the word Rajdhani means Capital in many languages as spoken in India.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.walkthroughindia.com/walkthroughs/trains/top-10-highest-priority-trains-indian-railways-network/| title=Top 10 Highest Priority Trains of Indian Railways Network| work=WalkthroughIndia.com|access-date=2019-05-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://erail.in/blog/highest-priority-trains-of-Indian-railways/62| title=Highest Priority Trains of Indian Railways| work=erail.in|access-date=2019-05-22}}</ref> This series of trains regularly gets the highest priority in the [[Indian Railways]] network and is considered as its most premium train.

== 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 100 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.<ref name="mmt1">{{cite web|url=http://www.makemytrip.com/railways/list-of-rajdhani_and_duronto-trains.html|title=Rajdhani Express and Duronto Express Trains|publisher=[[MakeMyTrip]]|access-date=4 Sep 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref name="mmt1"/> 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:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://etrain.info/in?PAGE=LIST--RAJ-TRAINS--1|title=List of all Rajdhani Express trains|publisher=etrain.info|access-date=4 Sep 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiantrain.in/rajdhani-express|title=List of Rajdhani Express|publisher=indiantrain.in|access-date=11 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indiarailinfo.com/trains/rajdhani|title=Rajdhani Express Trains - Railway Enquiry|website=indiarailinfo.com|access-date=2019-03-11}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #B22222" | State
! style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #B22222" | Terminal Station in Delhi
! style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #B22222" | Train Name
! style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #B22222" | Train No.
! style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #B22222" | Distance
! style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #B22222" | Average Speed
! style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #B22222" | Inauguration
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[Assam]] || [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express|Dibrugarh Town Rajdhani Express]] (via [[Barauni]])|| 12423/12424 || {{convert|2434|km|abbr=on}}|| {{convert|75|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1996
|-
| [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express|Dibrugarh Town Rajdhani Express]] (via [[Hajipur]]) || 20505/20506 || {{convert|2458|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|68|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1999
|-
| [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express]] (via [[Muzzafarpur]]) || 20503/20504|| {{convert|2452|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|68|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2010
|-
| [[Bihar]] || [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Patna Rajdhani|Patna Rajendra nagar Termius Rajdhani]] || 12309/12310 || {{convert|1005|km|abbr=on|}}|| {{convert|82|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1996
|-
| [[Chhattisgarh]] || [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Bilaspur Rajdhani]] || 12441/12442 || {{convert|1501|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|74|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2001
|-
| [[Goa]] || [[Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station|Hazrat Nizamuddin]] || [[Madgaon Rajdhani Express|Madgaon Rajdhani]] || 22413/22414 || {{convert|2094|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|71|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2015
|-
| [[Gujarat]] || [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani]] || 12957/12958 || {{convert|934|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|68|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1998
|-
| [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] || [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Jammu Tawi Rajdhani Express|Jammu Tawi Rajdhani]] || 12425/12426 || {{convert|582|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|64|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1994
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Jharkhand]] || [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Ranchi Rajdhani Express|Ranchi Rajdhani]] (via [[Bokaro Steel City|Bokaro]]) || 20839/20840 || {{convert|1305|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|74|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2001
|-
| [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Ranchi Rajdhani Express|Ranchi Rajdhani]] (via [[Medininagar|Daltonganj]]) || 12453/12454 || {{convert|1341|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|76|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2006
|-
| [[Karnataka]] || [[Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station|Hazrat Nizamuddin]] || [[Bangalore Rajdhani Express|Bengaluru Rajdhani]] || 22691/22692 || {{convert|2365|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|70|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1992
|-
| [[Kerala]] || [[Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station|Hazrat Nizamuddin]] || [[Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express|Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani]] || 12431/12432 || {{convert|3149|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|68|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1993
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[Maharashtra]] || [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Mumbai Rajdhani Express|Mumbai Rajdhani]] || 12951/12952 || {{convert|1384|km|abbr=on}} km || {{convert|89|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1972
|-
| [[Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station|Hazrat Nizamuddin]] || [[August Kranti Rajdhani Express|August Kranti Rajdhani]] || 12953/12954 || {{convert|1377|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|83|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1992
|-
| [[Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station|Hazrat Nizamuddin]] || [[Mumbai CSMT Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express|Mumbai CSMT Rajdhani]] || 22221/22222 || {{convert|1535|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|86|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2019
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[Odisha]] || [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express|Bhubaneswar Rajdhani]] (via [[Adra, Purulia|Adra]]) || 22811/22812 || {{convert|1723|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|76|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1994<ref>[http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/finance_budget/Previous%20Budget%20Speeches/1994-95.pdf Rail Budget 1994-95]</ref>
|-
| [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express|Bhubaneswar Rajdhani]] (via [[Bokaro Steel City|Bokaro]]) || 22823/22824 || {{convert|1800|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|74|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2003<ref>[http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/finance_budget/Previous%20Budget%20Speeches/2003-04.pdf Rail Budget 2003-04]</ref>
|-
| [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express|Bhubaneswar Rajdhani]] (via [[Rourkela]] )|| 20817/20818 || {{convert|1914|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|71|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2018
|-
| [[Tamil Nadu]] || [[Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station|Hazrat Nizamuddin]] || [[Chennai Rajdhani]] || 12433/12434 || {{convert|2175|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|77|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 1993
|-
| [[Telangana]] || [[Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station|Hazrat Nizamuddin]] || [[Secunderabad Rajdhani Express|Secunderabad Rajdhani]] || 12437/12438 || {{convert|1661|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|76|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2002
|-
| [[Tripura]] || [[Anand Vihar Terminal railway station|Anand Vihar Terminal]] || [[Agartala - Anand Vihar Terminal Rajdhani Express|Agartala Rajdhani]] || 20501/20502 || {{convert|2421|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|59|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2017
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[West Bengal]] || [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Howrah Rajdhani]] (via [[Gaya, India|Gaya]]) || 12301/12302 || {{convert|1447|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|85|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || rowspan=2| 1969
|-
| [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Howrah Rajdhani]] (via [[Patna]]) || 12305/12306 || {{convert|1530|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|79|km/h|0|abbr=on}}
|-
| [[New Delhi railway station|New Delhi]] || [[Sealdah Rajdhani]] || 12313/12314 || {{convert|1453|km|abbr=on}} || {{convert|82|km/h|0|abbr=on}} || 2000
|}

==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 reportedly 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 harmed 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 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-06-25/news/50855820_1_goods-train-derailment-east-central-railway-sabotage|title=Rajdhani Express derails near Chhapra in Bihar; Railway suspects 'sabotage'|work=timesofindia-economictimes|access-date=28 March 2015}}</ref>
*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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rajdhani-express-coach-derails-at-new-delhi-railway-station/articleshow/60506415.cms|title=Rajdhani Express coach derails at New Delhi Railway Station|work=timesofindia-indiatimes|access-date=14 September 2017}}</ref>
*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 manned 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|Bollywood movie]], named as [[Rajdhani Express (film)|Rajdhani Express]].

==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|
* [[AC Express (Indian Railways)|AC Superfast Express]]
* [[Mumbai - Ahmedabad Bullet Train|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]]
* [[Yuva Express]]
* [[Train 19]]
* [[Train 20]]
}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}{{Indian Railways}}
{{Rajdhani Express}}

[[Category:Transport in Delhi]]
[[Category:Rajdhani Express trains|*]]
[[Category:Railway services introduced in 1969]]
[[Category:Named passenger trains of India|*]]

Rajdhani Express - Revision history

2409:4041:D16:8EC2:0:0:2189:C100 at 09:24, 29 August 2021