THIS superfast train completes 56 years, its not Shatabdi, Tejas, Vande Bharat, the name of the train is…

Train Number 12301 Howrah Junction—New Delhi Rajdhani Express departs from Howrah at 4:50 PM and reaches NDLS at 10:05 AM.

Written by: Victor Dasgupta Edited by: Victor Dasgupta

Published: March 2, 2025, 11:06 PM IST

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New Delhi: The Rajdhani Express, one of the premium trains in the Indian Railways network, has completed 56 years since its inception. The inaugural journey of the first Rajdhani Express took place on March 1, 1969, connecting Delhi and Howrah. Even after so many years and a slew of transformational changes in the Indian Railways, the Rajdhani Express remains one of the most liked trains of travellers.

All You Need To Know About The First Rajdhani Express:

• The first Rajdhani Express was operated between Delhi and Howrah on 1st March 1969.
• Train Number 12301 Howrah Junction—New Delhi Rajdhani Express departs from Howrah at 4:50 PM and reaches NDLS at 10:05 AM.
• Train Number 12302 New Delhi-Howrah Junction Rajdhani Express departs from New Delhi at 4:50 PM and reaches Howrah at 9:55 AM.
• En route, the train halts at Asansol Junction, Dhanbad Junction, Parasnath, Gaya Junction, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Prayagraj Junction and Kanpur Central railway stations.
• In 2019, the train turned 50 years.

To mark the 50th anniversary, the railway passengers of the Kolkata Rajdhani Express received greetings message vis SMS. Passengers were also welcomed by brand new linen and disposable napkins with greetings of the 50 Years of the Rajdhani Express train.

The authorities also cut a special cake to mark the occasion. The railway staff deployed on the train were provided with a special badge to wear. Moreover, greeting messages were displayed on the video wall of the railway station and the destination boards of the train and were communicated through the Public Address System at the railway station and in the train.

The PM Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had earlier approved the national transporter’s ambitious project to enable train journeys at a speed of 160 km per hour on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes. The project required an investment of ₹6,806 crore for the Delhi-Mumbai route and Rs 6,685 crore for the Delhi-Howrah route. It was initially projected that the initiative would be completed by the year 2022-23.