The Rajdhani Express is a series of express passenger train services in India operated by Indian Railways connecting the national capital New Delhi with the capital and/or largest cities of various states. Rajdhani means “The Capital” in many Indian languages. The Rajdhanis are one of the fastest trains in India along with Vande Bharat Express being the fastest Tejas Express, Gatimaan Express, Shatabdi Express and Duronto Express and get the highest priority on the Indian railway network. I did many journeys on many Rajdhani Express since my childhood and had seen the evolution of LHB Coaches from old ICF Coaches.
The first Rajdhani Express was Howrah Rajdhani Express which was introduced on March 3, 1969, that run from Howrah to New Delhi, covering 1,450 km (900 mi) in just 17 hours and 20 minutes
The Rajdhani was the first Fully Air conditioned train in India which was introduced for providing fast connections (up to 180 km/h or 110 mph, speed variation depending upon the particular track section) from New Delhi to the capital cities of various states in India
Until 1988, with the introduction of the Bhopal Shatabdi Express at 140 km/hr, the Rajdhani was the fastest train in India reaching speeds of 115–120 km/h (71–75 mph).
Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttrakhand, Haryana and Punjab are the only states without having a Rajdhani express terminating/originating from any of its major cities.
