Rajdhani Express

Rajdhani Express is the elite passenger train service that connects the capital, “Rajdhani”(Rajdhani is the word for Capital in Hindi) of India , New Delhi with State Capitals of India.

Introduced in 1969 to provide fast and comfortable rail travel between New Delhi and the State Capitals, Rajdhani Express trains opened a new era in rail travel in India. The speed of the trains goes up to 140 kms/hour averaging about 90 kms/hour. Many passenger amenities were introduced to make the journey more comfortable than ever before. Rajdhani Express trains are given the highest priority in the Indian Railways network. They have fewer stops than other Express trains.

Passenger Services

• All Rajdhani Express trains are fully air-conditioned.
• There are 3 classes of accommodation; AC First Class, AC 2-Tier, AC 3-Tier
• Complimentary Meals are served  that may include high tea, dinner, morning tea and breakfast.
• AC First Class has 2 or 4 berth lockable bedrooms, AC 2-Tier has a bay of open 4 berths +2 berths on the side with curtains for privacy and AC 3-Tier has a bay of open 6 berths + 2berths on the side with curtains for privacy.
• Bedding is provided in all classes. 
• Morning Newspaper is complimentary.

At present there are 23 pairs of Rajdhani Express trains connecting New Delhi with the State Capitals. They are:

• New Delhi-Ahmedabad
• New Delhi-Bangalore (2)
• New Delhi-Bhubaneshwar(2)
• New Delhi-Bilaspur
• New Delhi-Chennai
• New Delhi-Guwahati
• New Delhi-Dibrugarh(3)
• New Delhi-Hyderabad
• New Delhi-Ranchi(2)
• New Delhi-Kolkata(3)
• New Delhi-Jammu
• New Delhi-Mumbai(2)
• New Delhi-Patna
• New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram

More than one Rajdhani Express serves some of the State Capitals. Many State Capitals have many Rajdhani Express trains passing through them. E.g. Kanpur has 9 pairs and Bhopal has 5 pairs of of Rajdhani Express trains halting .
Rajdhani Express trains were supposed   to encourage the elite class to opt for rail travel. Yet, this has not been the case because of many reasons. Some of them are:

• Although fast, these trains still take a considerable amount of time as compared to air travel.
• Air fares are sometimes cheaper than high class Rajdhani fares.
• Although providing many passenger amenities, Rajdhani Express trains are below the international standards of luxury.
• With better Highways, road travel is a good option for higher income and business passengers