A set of high quality, express passenger trains, the Rajdhani Express is run by the Indian Railways. It connects the capital of India, New Delhi, with several other capital cities in different states. The name ‘Rajdhani’ literally means ‘The Capital’ in several languages of India. These trains are some of the quickest trains in all of India. Few others that match the quality of this top-class train in India are the Shatabdi Express, the Tejas Express, the Duronto Express, and the Gaitmaan Express.
Features of the Rajdhani Express
The Rajdhani has the maximum priority in the railway network of India. There are 23 sets of trains at the moment, and they span across New Delhi to several cities all over India. These trains are completely air-conditioned. The Rajdhani Express has very few stops, even when compared to other top trains, making it truly ‘express’. These trains stop only in major stations. The Rajdhani Express has also adopted the recent trend of dynamic pricing. Lip smacking meals are served to all the passengers, and they are free of cost. Based on the timing of the journey, or its duration, the meal can include tea in the morning, breakfast, lunch in the afternoon, high tea in the evening, and even dinner at night. There are three classes in every Rajdhani Express. They are: AC First Class, AC 2-tier and AC 3-tier.
The Rajendra Nagar Patna Rajdhani Express
One of the quickest Delhi to Patna trains, the Rajendra Nagar Patna Rajdhani Express is a major connection between Delhi, Bihar, and Patna. The introduction of this train to the Indian Railways was done in the period 1996 to 1997, during the Annual Railway Budget. Its initial route was from Delhi to Patna, traveling through Lucknow. Its route was altered to make it run through Allahabad instead. Another significant change in this train was the addition of the Pantry Car Service in 1997. It has a whopping 22 coaches, making it the longest Rajdhani in India. It also boasts 7 AC tier 2 coaches, making it the train with the most of them.
The Rajendra Nagar Patna Rajdhani Express runs every day. Based on which direction it is traveling, it uses a different train number. When it goes from Patna to New Delhi; it uses the number 12309. When it goes in the opposite direction that is from New Delhi to Patna, it uses the train number 12310.
The train has 4 stops either way:
- Patna Junction
- Allahabad Junction
- Mughalsarai Junction
- Kanpur Central
In both directions, the total distance covered one-way is the same that is 1001 km. However, it travels slightly faster from Patna to Delhi, at the speed of 81 kmph. This results in train duration of 12 hours and 15 minutes. When returning, it travels slightly slower, at a speed of 80 kmph, which results in a duration of 12 hours and 25 minutes. This train is pulled by a Ghaziabad locomotive, a WAP 7, from September 2013.
