Which was the first Rajdhani and when was it introduced?

June 28, 2019, 3:32 PM

The first Rajdhani was introduced between Howrah and New Delhi on March 1, 1969. It was initially a bi-weekly 8 car train – Brake/Luggage/Generator, AC I, AC Pantry, AC Chair, AC Chair, AC Chair, AC Chair, Brake/Luggage/Generator – hauled by a single WDM-4. It left Howrah on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and left New Delhi on Mondays and Fridays. The first return journey from New Delhi was March 3. The booked speed for the route was 115 km/h and the maximum permissible speed was 120 km/h. (At the time, the only train allowed this speed.) Later it ran 5 days a week, and also had a mid-train generator car. Still later it became a daily train, with two runs (Tuesday and Friday) going via Patna. After 1993, the train reverted to having just two generator cars at either end, although some reporters say they have seen it with the mid-train generator car on occasion since then.

Initially, the Rajdhani covered the 1441km route in 17 hours and 20 minutes but this was later speeded up to 16 hours 35 minutes (from Delhi) and 16 hours 55 minutes (return). The New Delhi – Kanpur time was 268 minutes, and the Mughalsarai to Dhanbad time was 240 minutes, which compare very favourably with the timings of fast trains today!

The ticket issued for the journey was Rs. 280 for AC sleeper and Rs. 90 for AC Chair car. The train offered a true express service between New Delhi and Howrah with no booking of passengers for any station enroute. It ran on the Grand Chord with intermediate halts were restricted to Kanpur Central, Mughalsarai and Gomoh, for service requirements like refilling of overhead water tanks and replenishing of catering stores.

Two years later (July 1971), Kanpur Central was converted to a passenger halt when ten seats in the AC Chair car were set apart for Kanpur residents. On Nov. 1971, the train’s speed was increased to 120/130 booked/max. resulting in a reduction of 30/45 minutes in the Up/Dn journey times. In a few years, Mughalsarai and Dhanbad became passenger halts and the Gomoh halt was removed.

It continued to be hauled by a WDM-4 even after the complete electrification of the Howrah – N. Delhi route (via the Grand Chord). These WDM-4s had a superior bogie design which meant that the train could accelerate faster and brake at higher speeds. They were also rated at 130 km/h, a little above the 120 km/h of the WAM-4 locos. Mughalsarai had workshop facilities to handle the maintenance of these locos.; this explained the 12-minute halt there (sometimes the loco was changed there as well).

IR introduced the higher speed WAP-1 AC electric locomotive some time in 1983, which could haul an 18 coach Rajdhani at a max. speed of 120 km/h. A single Ghaziabad WAP-1 usually hauled the train through the late 1980s, although occasionally twin WAP-1 locos were also used. Later WAP-2’s were occasionally used. In 1986 it changed to using air-braked stock and was allocated the first air-braked WAP-1 locos, from Ghaziabad shed. After 1985 WAG-5 locos were sometimes used if the allocated WAP-1 had a problem, since WAG-5’s were among the few locos then that had air train brakes. Since then various WAP models have been used to haul Rajdhanis. It was also the first train to be hauled by a WAP-5 loco. In the early days of the WAP-5 locos, the train was hauled by WAP-1 locos on Tuesdays and Fridays (when it went through Patna) and dual WDM-2 locos hauled it from Mughalsarai onwards. On occasion, even until recently, it was hauled by Kanpur or Howrah WAP-4 locos. It is now also occasionally hauled by a WAP-7 from Ghaziabad.

In 2009, at the time of its 40th anniversary, the Howrah Rajdhani took 17 hours and 10 minutes for its run, and had passenger stops at Dhanbad, Parasnath, Gaya, Mughalsarai, Allahabad, and Kanpur Central. It uses a rake of 18 LHB coaches.

Source – IFRCA.org

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