Mumbai – New Delhi Rajdhani Express Tuesday completed 50 glorious years since its maiden run on 17th May 1972. To celebrate this Golden Jubilee celebration, Western Railway organised a commemorative event at Mumbai Central station & flagged off the train in a befitting grand honour.
A special postal cover and a VIP album were also released to mark the occasion. Shri. Ashok Kumar Mehta, Principal Chief Commissioner, Mumbai CGST, was the Chief Guest of the ceremony and Smt. Veena R Srinivas, Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra Circle was invited as the guest of honour. Shri G V L Satyakumar, Divisional Railway Manager of Mumbai Central Division and other senior railway were also present during this occasion.
Shri Satyakumar, DRM, Mumbai Central, welcomed the chief guest, guest of honour and dignitaries present at this momentous occasion. The Special Postal Cover & VIP album was released by the dignitaries. This was followed by a Flash Mob skit performance by members of the Rotaract Club of HR College.
Two of the WR staff who retired from railway service working in this prestigious train and one serving employee shared their memorable experiences. Souvenir tickets & mementoes were also presented to the travelling passengers.
It is noteworthy to mention that Shri Qamruzzaman Sarang, a 90-year-old passenger, who took his maiden trip in Rajdhani Express, is also undertaking his journey on this historic day. He was the first person to receive the souvenir ticket from chief guest Ashok Kumar Mehta.
The Rajdhani Express offers impeccable services, the fastest speed, punctuality and sumptuous catering services.
The Mumbai – New Delhi Rajdhani Express covers a distance of 1383 km in 15 hrs 32 min, traversing through seven states.
In 1972, Indian Railways introduced the second Rajdhani Express over Indian Railways connecting the national capital, Delhi, to the financial capital, Mumbai. However, the first Rajdhani Express was introduced between Howrah-Delhi was in 1969.
Notably, in the next two years, the Rajdhani Express is expected to run as Vande Bharat trains. This is what the Railways announced on May 17 when Mumbai – Delhi Rajdhani completed 50 years. The WR is aiming to run trains at 160kmph for which tracks and signalling systems are being upgraded now. The FPJ met a few passengers who shared a few anecdotes of their journey in Rajdhani Express.
On May 17, Free Press Journal reported exclusively about Mumbai being a hub for futuristic next-generation Vande Bharat AC Sleeper Trainsets. On Tuesday, the WR announced their plans to upgrade the Rajdhani Express trains to Vande Bharat which will be a big boost for Mumbaikars.
At a public event held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express trains; not only did the rail authorities announce the plans for future train rides but also conducted a grand celebration where they felicitated passengers for whom India's premium train is close to their heart.
At present, the Western Railway has upgraded the Rajdhani with Tejas Smart Sleeper Coaches replacing the older version. These upgraded trains with Tejas rakes have new features such as automatic entrance doors, passenger announcement and passenger information system, fire and smoke detection system, fire suppression system, CCTV cameras and LED lights.
However, two years hence, there are chances that these will be replaced by more advanced versions of Vande Bharat trains. Confirming the same, GVL Satyakumar, Divisional Railway Manager (Mumbai), Western Railway, said: “In the next two years, we intend to replace the existing Tejas type rakes with Vande Bharat trains. For this, we are working at improving the tracks and signalling system”.
Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani milestones:
17/05/72: 151 Dn/152 Up Rajdhani Exp introduced on Mumbai-Delhi Route
This train comprised Four Chair cars, One AC First Class, and Two AC Sleeper coaches and was run twice a week.
1975: Frequency increased to three days a week.
02/10/81: The number of coaches increased to 18, hauled by two engines called Double-headed Rajdhani.
19/11/82: Rajdhani Express started running four days a week.
1985: Frequency increased to 5 days a week.
01/11/89: Made six days a week and renumbered as 2951/2952.
01/07/91: August Kranti Rajdhani Exp (2953/2954) introduced between Mumbai and Delhi.
15/05/92: Chair Car coaches replaced with 3AC coaches in Rajdhani Express.
02/10/2000: Rajdhani Express started running on a daily basis.
15/12/2003: LHB coaches introduced.
19/07/2021: Tejas Type Sleeper coaches (First in Indian Railways) introduced in 12951/52 Mumbai - New Delhi Rajdhani.
