The Rajdhani Express (lit. 'Capital Express') is a series of passenger train services in India operated by Indian Railways connecting the national capital New Delhi with the capitals or the largest cities of various states. The Sanskrit word Rajdhani means "capital". Introduced in 1969, the trains are amongst the premium services operated by Indian Railways and regularly get a higher priority on the railway network.
On 1 March 1969, the first Rajdhani Express with nine coaches was flagged off from New Delhi to Howrah with the return journey commencing on 3 March.
The train completed the 1,450 km (900 mi) trip in 17 hours 20 minutes and was the only such train in operation till 1972, when the second Rajdhani was introduced from Mumbai.
In July 2021, Indian railways started upgrading the coaches of Rajdhani express to new Tejas coaches with enhanced features.[10][11] These coaches are equipped with newer air suspensions, bio-toilets, Wi-Fi, fire alarms, CCTVs, reading lights, dedicated power sockets, automatic doors, passenger information system, improved interior and designed exterior. The trains which are equipped with all new coaches are known as "Tejas Rajdhani" express.[13] Indian Railways plans to introduce Tejas coaches across all Rajdhani trains in a phased manner.