Why are there few Rajdhani trains running in South India?

 Who said that South Indian states has fewer Rajdhani Trains, Total 4 states Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Telugu States (Former Andhra Pradesh) state has Rajdhani Train Service such as

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.

Which states does not have Rajdhani Express trains in Indian Railways?

 As of now 2026, 12 Indian states do not have a Rajdhani Express originating or terminating within their borders.

Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,

Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,

Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya,

Nagaland

Punjab

Rajasthan

Sikkim

Uttarakhand

⭐Additionally Uttar Pradesh previously had the Lucknow Rajdhani Express, but it was later converted into an AC Superfast Express, so it no longer has its own Rajdhani.

Several of the states do not have Rajdhani Express because Rajdhani Express connectivity supposed to be long distance (1000 km plus), other states…destination is providing less coverage.

Many States are already near by distance, for Example Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh which is close to Delhi, so Alternative premium trains already serve the route, like Shatabdi Express Vande Bharat Express

already other Rajdhani Express passes through major station like New Delhi Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express via Lucknow, Guwahati, Dimapur (Nagaland)

Sabarmati-New Delhi Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express via Ajmer, Jaipur,

Hazrat Nizamuddin-Secunderabad Rajdhani Express via Bhopal, Nagpur

Recently Mizoram State got its Rajdhani Express, after the completion of railway project Bairabi-Sairang (Near Aizawl)

The Sairang- Anand Vihar Terminal Rajdhani Express was inaugurated in September 2025.

Andhra Pradesh use to have Rajdhani Express before the seperation of Telangana State, now after the Seperation, Telangana State holds Rajdhani Express and Andhra Pradesh State holds AC Train, Visakhapatnam-New Delhi AP AC Express.

Assam do have Rajdhani Express called New Delhi Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express, 3 services operates,

Even Though Assam Capital Place is Dispur, But Major RailHub is Guwahati which serves the capital region and additional benefit of connecting to Eastern Part of Assam Near Myanmar Border.

What are the functions of the brake van generator in the Rajdhani Express?

 You mean Generator Car (End on Genarator Car) In Rajdhani Express.

The following functions of Brake Van Generator Car in Rajdhani Express:

Power Supply:-As you know, Generator Car is very important for Electricity supply to the coach for passengers to travel, it provides connectivity for Lights, Fan, AC, Charging Points. LHB coaches don't have self powered technology like in ICF coach.

Backup option:-If one Generator Car disrupts it's supply then another one works without any uninterrupted service especially for premium train like Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Humsafar Express and it makes long distance travel very comfortable

If the locomotive fails inbetween the journey, end on generator car acts as a back up option to run electricity, even if railways shift to HOG ( head on generation). Technology

Power Distribution:-It distributes the generated electricity through a cable connected throughout the train, ensuring seamless flow.

Brake van acts as Guard/Luggage Van, during emergency time smooth parcel delivery and Guard Operations.

Weight Distribution and improve stability at higher speed:- By placing Two Generator Car, improve balance and the heavy weight is seperated from Passenger coach,

Better stability during high-speed travel, especially when negotiating curves, as the passenger area is not overloaded.

preventing from becoming too heavy and reduce the axle load on coaches, maintain high speed without damaging the track, example speed:-140–160 km/h

Strong Communication between Guard and loco pilot:-to Ensure the safe movement of the train and indicates signal to depart from the station.

Miracle is it may reduce the small amount of crowd of people especially peak time who are sitting in SLR-Cum luggage van coach by eliminating, Except Disabled Person.

I have observed this, lot of people enter in hurry which create rush scene,,good option from the point of view of reducing crowd.

In Recent times, End on Genarator Car is must in LHB coach be it Rajdhani or Superfast Train

What are some amazing facts about the Rajdhani Express?

 Rajdhani express gets the highest priority on the Indian railway network. They are fully air-conditioned. The Rajdhani Express is a series of express passenger train services in India operated by Indian Railways connecting the national capital New Delhi with capital and/or largest cities of various states. Rajdhani means “The Capital” in many Indian languages.

Here are some cool facts about Rajdhani Express:

1. Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express is the longest running Rajdhani Express train, connects New Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram. The 12431 Rajdhani Express runs the longest nonstop run between Kota Junction to Vadodara Junction.

2. Rajdhani Express runs at speed of 140 km/h.

3. The first Rajdhani Express left New Delhi station for Howrah station to cover a distance of 1,445 km in 17 hours 20 mins.

4. Are the first train of Indian Railways in which onboard Wi-Fi system is available. Howrah Rajdhani with onboard WI-Fi.

5. Howrah Rajdhani is the oldest Rajdhani Express, followed by Mumbai Rajdhani and Bangalore Rajdhani Express.

6. Assam and West Bengal are the only states with three Rajdhani Express.

7. Jharkhand, Odisha, and Maharashtra are the only states with two Rajdhani Express

8. West Bengal and Maharashtra are the only states with two Daily running Rajdhani Express. Sealdah Rajdhani and Howrah Rajdhani from West Bengal and Mumbai Rajdhani and August Kranti Rajdhani from Mumbai.

9. All Rajdhani Express trains offer three classes of accommodation: AC First Class with 2-berth and 4-berth lockable bedrooms, AC 2-tier with open berths (bays of 4 berths + 2 berths on the other side of the corridor) with curtains for privacy, and AC 3-tier (bays of 6 berths + 2 berths on the side) without curtains.Currently, there are 23 pairs of trains, connecting New Delhi to important cities across the country. These trains have fewer stops than other express trains and halt only at prominent stations.

10. Passengers are served complimentary meals during the journey. Depending on the duration and timings of the journey, these could include morning tea, breakfast, lunch, high tea, and dinner.

Why do all south going Rajdhani Express departs from Nizamuddin instead of the new Delhi railway station?

 In Delhi, there are 5 main railway stations. They are :-

• New Delhi (NDLS).
• Old Delhi Junction (DLI).
• Delhi Sarai Rohilla (DEE).
• Hazrat Nizamuddin (NZM).
• Anand Vihar Terminal (ANVT).

All these 5 main railway stations in Delhi are made as per the routes for different cities in India like trains halting, originating and terminating at New Delhi railway goes to every routes of Indian Railways i.e. Kanpur, Jhansi, Kota, Jaipur, Ludhiana etc.

Similarly, trains originating and terminating at Anand Vihar Terminal goes towards North East side and eastern part of India via Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Trains going towards Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan like Jodhpur, Bikaner etc goes from Delhi Sarai Rohilla railway station and trains going towards Central India and Southern India cities like Bhopal, Nagpur, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai etc goes from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station.

Hence, in this way the train travel routes are made for different cities.

In Indian Railways, there are currently 24 operational pairs of Rajdhani Express for all capital cities of different states.

• Rajdhani Express for Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal originates and terminates at New Delhi.

All these Rajdhani Express originating and terminating at New Delhi passes via Kanpur, Jhansi, Kota, Jaipur, Ludhiana i.e. in different routes of Indian Railways. New Delhi railway station holds the record for the largest route interlocking system in the world i.e. 48.

• Rajdhani Express for Agartala originates and terminates at Anand Vihar Terminal.
• Rajdhani Express for Goa, Karnataka, Kerela, Tamil Nadu, Telangana originates and terminates at Hazrat Nizamuddin.

There are 3 Rajdhani Express for Maharashtra state in which one originates and terminates at New Delhi and the other two trains originates and terminates at Hazrat Nizamuddin.

On a conclusion point, there are 3 railway stations which are originating and terminating stations for Rajdhani Express.

• New Delhi (NDLS).
• Hazrat Nizamuddin (NZM).
• Anand Vihar Terminal (ANVT).

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Now, coming to the main question why do all south going Rajdhani Express departs from Nizamuddin instead of the New Delhi railway station ?

The basic reason behind all south going Rajdhani Express departs from Nizamuddin instead of New Delhi railway station is to cut down the travel time.

But how ?

Suppose, all south going Rajdhani trains are leaving for different capital cities from Delhi, they depart on time and reaches their respective destination like Chennai, Goa, Bangalore etc.

In the return journey, when those Rajdhani Express departs from those capital cities for Delhi, they are terminated at Hazrat Nizamuddin instead of New Delhi. This is done to cut down the extra travel time of 40 to 45 minutes between Hazrat Nizamuddin and New Delhi.

• The distance between Hazrat Nizamuddin and New Delhi is 7 kilometers.

The time taken to travel between these two stations is approximately 40 to 45 minutes due to not getting line clearance on time. There are heavy traffic of trains at New Delhi railway station. Nizamuddin railway station lies on New Delhi - Mumbai main line and New Delhi - Bhopal section.

All south going Rajdhani Express passes via Kota and Jhansi, based on the destination point of Rajdhani Express. Kota falls between New Delhi and Mumbai whereas Jhansi falls between New Delhi and Bhopal.

• The Thiruvananthapuram and Madgaon Rajdhani Express passes via Kota to their destination station.
• The Chennai, Bangalore and Secunderabad Rajdhani Express passes via Jhansi to their destination station.

Not only Rajdhani Express, all other superfast and mail express trains running between Delhi and South cities departs from Hazrat Nizamuddin like Dakshin Express, Mangala Lakshadweep Express, Kongu Express, Thirukkural Express etc.

Out of 7 pairs of Rajdhani Express, 2 pairs of Rajdhani Express goes to Mumbai from Hazrat Nizamuddin. Both Rajdhani Express for Mumbai travels via different routes from Hazrat Nizamuddin.

• The August Kranti Rajdhani Express (12953/54) passes via Kota whereas the CSMT Rajdhani Express (22221/22) passes via Jhansi.
• The CSMT Rajdhani Express runs with push-pull method which means two WAP-7 locomotives of KYN shed are attached to haul the train.

Hope you are clear now !!!

IMAGES: Google.