Kerala Has (12431/12432) Thiruvanthapuram Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express via Konkan
Karnataka had previously 2 Rajdhani Express Earlier
(22691/22692) KSR Bengaluru Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express via Raichur Secunderabad (slightly longer Route)
& (22693/22694) KSR Bengaluru Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express via Kurnool, Secunderabad (shorter route)
The train no. 22693/22694 service via Kurnool was discontinued on July 1, 2017
and 22691/22692 made as permanent daily service,
Tamilnadu has (12433/12434) MGR Chennai Central Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express
Former Andhra Pradesh State (Before Seperation of Telangana) has 1 Rajdhani Train 12437/12438) Secunderabad Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express
So when Telangana State formed, Andhra Pradesh do not have it's own Rajdhani Express, instead it operates as Premium Ac train named as Andhra Pradesh AC Express, later added Non AC sleeper coaches, by renaming as AP Express.
because Indian Railways has not found sufficient demand or operational justification to introduce a dedicated Delhi-Andhra Rajdhani after the state's bifurcation in 2014.
Andhra Pradesh currently has a complex capital-city arrangement, with Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, and Kurnool assigned different roles. Since the state does not yet have a single, universally established capital city, it does not have its own Rajdhani Express. Indian Railways might consider a dedicated Andhra Pradesh Rajdhani Train once the capital issue is fully settled.
So, South Indian States is not lacking Rajdhani Train service, most major South Indian states have Rajdhani Connectivity to New Delhi/ Hazrat Nizamuddin
However the number and frequency of Rajdhani services are lower than in some part of North India because Indian Railways also provide alternative premium train like Duronto Express, Humsafar Express & Sampark Kranti Express service and other long-distance express services on these routes.
Therefore, Indian Railways considers the total volume of passenger traffic, whether the additional Rajdhani Service needed or not
So There are fewer Rajdhani Express trains in South India mainly because of historical, operational, and demand-related reasons—not because South India is being ignored.
Some key reasons are:
1. Rajdhani trains were originally introduced to connect New Delhi with state capitals or major cities. Many of the earliest Rajdhanis were started on high-demand routes in North, East, and Central India.
2. South India already had several prestigious long-distance trains such as the Tamil Nadu Express, Karnataka Express, Kerala Express, and others that provided fast connectivity to Delhi and major cities. In some corridors, these trains were already serving the demand effectively.
3 Very long distances connectivity For example, from Trivandrum to Delhi is over 2,800 km. Running additional Rajdhani services on such long routes requires more rakes, crews, maintenance resources, and train paths. Operational feasibility is one factor Railways considers before introducing new Rajdhanis.
This Trivandrum Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express runs three days in a week, so imagine if it is made as Daily Operation,
4. Track capacity constraints on busy routes also limit the introduction of new premium trains. Indian Railways often faces path and infrastructure limitations on major corridors.
5. Due to Expensive Fare Ticket Of Rajdhani Train, many passengers those who are looking for budget friendly relies on Superfast/Express train.
Rajdhani Train ticket cost Rs 4000 approx whereas Non AC sleeper train is Rs 1000
6. For those passengers who are looking for faster connectivity Flight offers similar comfort, can reach Delhi/Kerala within 2–3 hours instead of 3 days journey, unevenly demand of flight increase, So Rajdhani Express seat will remain vacant depending upon Non-peak time, so it will be loss for Railway to run service as Daily.
So Most Non AC sleeper gets booked within a couple of minutes.