Overview | |||||
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Service type | Rajdhani Express | ||||
Status | Operating | ||||
Locale | West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh & Delhi | ||||
First service | 3 March 1969 | ||||
Current operator(s) | Eastern Railways | ||||
Route | |||||
Start | Howrah Junction (HWH) | ||||
Stops | Dhanbad (DHN), Parasnath (PNME), Gaya (GAYA), Mughalsarai (MGS), Allahabad Junction (ALD), Kanpur Central (CNB) | ||||
End | New Delhi (NDLS) | ||||
Distance travelled | 1,447 km (899 mi) | ||||
Average journey time | 16 hrs 55 mins (for 12302) , 17 hrs 5 mins(for 12301) , 19hrs 55 mins(for 12305), 19 hrs 20 mins(for 12306) | ||||
Service frequency | Daily | ||||
Train number(s) | 12301/12302; 12305/12306 | ||||
On-board services | |||||
Class(es) | AC 1st Class, AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier | ||||
Seating arrangements | No | ||||
Sleeping arrangements | Available | ||||
Auto-rack arrangements | No | ||||
Catering facilities | Available (included in the ticket)(IRCTC) | ||||
Observation facilities | Large Windows | ||||
Entertainment facilities | Onboard WiFi Service | ||||
Baggage facilities | Available | ||||
Technical | |||||
Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||
Operating speed |
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Route map | |
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Howrah Rajdhani is the most prestigious Rajdhani class train in India which connects New Delhi to Howrah, Kolkata. The Howrah Rajdhani was the first Rajdhani Express in India, thereby becoming the first fully air-conditioned train in the country. The train is one of the fastest in India with an average speed of 88 km/h (55 mph). Howrah Rajdhani gets highest priority on Howrah-Delhi Grand Chord Line. It connects two big metropolis of India.
The Howrah Rajdhani Express began operations on March 3, 1969. The train departed from the New Delhi railway station to reach the Howrah Junction railway station in 17 hours 20 mins, covering a distance of 1,451 km (902 mi) .The express train reduced the travel time from Delhi to West Bengal from an earlier 24 hours to 17 hours. The Howrah Rajdhani is amongst few trains which are fully served by IRCTC, while others are Sealdah Duronto, Mumbai Rajdhani Express and Ahmedabad Rajdhani. Howrah Rajdhani is affectionally called the King by Railfans. Howrah Rajdhani is also the country's first WiFi enabled Rajdhani
The idea of introducing Rajdhani express as a set of superfast express trains met with consternation and criticism due to both political reasons and the fear of the proposed speed leap from the then maximum permissible speed of express trains of 100 km/h (62 mph) to 140 km/h (87 mph) for trial runs of the train. The planning team behind the idea of such express trains made proposals to the zonal railways whose territories the Rajdhani express would be crossing but was met with opposition. The team was however, able to materialise its plan. The civil aviation in India was back then at its inception which made it was necessary to introduce high speed railway connectivity between metropolitan cities to allow faster travel. The introduction of such fast passenger express trains in the country was an important step for the Indian Railways to take the railway network in India closer to the advanced and high speed railways around the world.