Rajdhani Express celebrates golden jubilee in style

KOLKATA: It was a special treat for passengers of the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express as the train turned 50 on Sunday. While passengers expressed their happiness at being treated differently, Eastern Railway general manager Harindra Rao announced bio-toilets on trains under his jurisdiction by the end of March and cleaner linen in the next 6-7 months.

“This is a special day and passengers are being treated accordingly. The first Rajdhani ran on March 3, 1969 and since then, several changes have been made. We have provided passengers with a brochure to inform them of what changes have taken place over the last 50 years. We could have had a large celebration but decided to keep it a lowkey affair. We are now changing over to bio-toilets. All trains are getting LHB coaches and these are fitted with bio-toilets. We have made some changes and there is no longer any smell that used to exist earlier. All ER trains will be fitted with bio-toilets by the end of March. We are also getting two new laundries at Chitpur and Tikiapara after which we will no longer have to depend on external agencies for clean linen,” Rao said.


While the train was decorated, passengers were greeted with roses and chocolates as they boarded the coaches of the Rajdhani Express at Howrah station. They were also handed over the special brochure signed by the GM, which will be a keepsake for many. A cake was also cut during the occasion. The Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) also had a special treat for passengers. While the fish fry/vegetable cutlet returned to the Rajdhani for a day for the golden jubilee celebrations, First AC passengers were treated to caramel custard for dessert.

“Passengers are most interested in punctuality, cleanliness and safety. We are working to achieve100% in all these fields. There has already been a lot of change in the last few years,” the ER general manager said.