Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express, introduced in the 1970s, is set to complete half a century and will run amid fanfare with a special postal cover and a VIP album being released on the occasion.

The second among the 25th Rajdhani Expresses that ply today, the Mumbai Central-New Delhi Rajdhani Express was flagged off on May 17, 1972. “The service started just three years after the first Rajdhani—India’s first fully air-conditioned train—began between New Delhi and Howrah (Kolkata). The train has constantly been upgraded over the last 50 years to maintain its premier position,” said Sumit Thakur, chief public relations officer, Western Railway. In what has been an epitome of comfort, speed and high-class travel, the brochure of the train after it was first introduced read that the iconic train had several amenities such as arrangements for playing tape recorded music through the public address system, news in Hindi and English from All India Radio, free newspapers to every passenger free of cost. In fact, there was even an STD PCO in the pantry car in the train in the 1990s after a tie-up with VSNL.