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The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi personally welcomed the service, and it was proudly announced in the 1969 Railway Budget as India’s first “superfast train”
Ram Subhag Singh, a four-time MP from Bihar and a member of the Congress, forever tied his name to the Rajdhani Express. (News18 Hindi)
It was 56 years ago that a leader from Bihar gave India one of its most enduring railway legacies, the Rajdhani Express. The first such train, launched on March 1, 1969, connected New Delhi with Howrah. Over the years, the Rajdhani fleet has grown, and by September 2025, 26 trains of this category are in service, linking the national capital with several state capitals.
But few remember the man whose vision shaped this iconic service. Ram Subhag Singh, then Union Railway Minister, first proposed the idea of a high-speed, fully air-conditioned train that would connect the national capital with the capitals of states. Singh, a four-time MP from Bihar and a member of the Congress, forever tied his name to the Rajdhani Express.
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Born in Bhojpur in July 1917, Singh studied journalism in the United States, completing his PhD from the University of Missouri. He was deeply involved in the freedom struggle, playing an active role in the Quit India Movement of 1942 and working closely with Mahatma Gandhi. A known associate of Jawaharlal Nehru, he entered Parliament in 1952, representing constituencies such as Sasaram, Bikramganj and Buxar.
Singh’s brief but eventful tenure as Railway Minister lasted from February to November 1969, during which he unveiled the Rajdhani Express. “When the then Indian Railway Minister Ram Subhag Singh flagged off the Rajdhani Express train for the first time on March 1, 1969, he wanted India to have a high-speed, fully air-conditioned, comfortable and fast train service, which would connect Delhi to various capital cities of the states,” notes a railway record.
The first Rajdhani Express, covering 1,451 kilometres between Delhi and Howrah, completed its journey in 17 hours and 20 minutes at an average speed of 130 kmph, revolutionary at a time when most trains ran at 70 kmph. The train had nine coaches, including two power cars, five AC chair cars, one dining car, and one first-class AC coach.
The launch was greeted with immense enthusiasm. Delhi station was packed on the day of the inaugural run. Passengers recalled that the train was hailed as a “miracle”. Tickets were in huge demand despite fares being steep for the time – Rs 90 for a chair car and Rs 290 for a sleeper ticket. Food was included in the fare, making it a complete service.
The service initially stopped only at Kanpur, Mughal Sarai (now Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction), and Gomoh, before reaching Howrah. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi personally welcomed the service, and it was proudly announced in the 1969 Railway Budget as India’s first “superfast train”.
Singh’s political career later took a different turn. When Indira Gandhi split the Congress, he sided with the Congress (O) faction and eventually became Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He also played a prominent role in the formation of the Janata Party after the Emergency. Singh passed away in Delhi on 16 December 1980, at the age of 64.
Even today, the Rajdhani Express remains synonymous with premium railway travel in India, though several state capitals still lack direct Rajdhani connectivity. Goa (Panaji), Uttarakhand (Dehradun), Himachal Pradesh (Shimla), Chhattisgarh (Raipur), Jharkhand (Ranchi), Meghalaya (Shillong), Nagaland (Kohima), Manipur (Imphal), Arunachal Pradesh (Itanagar), Sikkim (Gangtok), and Tripura (Agartala) remain outside the Rajdhani network.
September 16, 2025, 18:49 IST
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