Rajya Rani trains (Sanskrit: राज्यरानी एक्सप्रेस) are a series of express trains operated by Indian Railways to connect state capitals with other cities important for tourism, pilgrimage or business.
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The word "Rajya" means "kingdom"[1] and Rani means Queen in Sanskrit, Hindi and several Indian languages. The first Rajya Rani train was announced by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in Railway Budget 2011.[2] The first service was flagged off on 1 July 2011 between Mysore and Bangalore by K. H. Muniyappa, Minister of State for Railways.[3] The next service was started on the same day from Dadar in Mumbai to Sawantvadi.[4] The train was named after Maharani Gayatri Devi, former princess of the state of Cooch Behar, Maharani of Jaipur.[5] She was one of the world's 10 most beautiful women on the Vogue list.[6] She shares space with the likes of Rabindranath Tagore (Kavi Guru Express) and Swami Vivekananda (Vivek Express) as the railways has named a series of trains as Rajya Rani Expresses to honour the late Rajmata of Jaipur.
Thiruvananthapuram – Nilambur Rajya Rani express links to Amritha Express (Palghat Town - Trivandrum Central) at Shoranur Junction.
Pair | Train No | Type | Sector | Route | State | Distance (km) | Zone | Frequency | Running Since |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16557 - 16558 | Express | Mysore – Bangalore | Mandya, Ramanagaram | Karnataka | 139 | SWR | Daily[7] | 01-Jul-2011 |
2 | 11003 - 11004 | Express | Dadar – Sawantvadi | Roha, Ratnagiri | Maharashtra | 646 | CR | Daily[8] | 01-Jul-2011 |
3 | 22861 - 22862 | Superfast | Shalimar – Bankura | Kharagpur, Midnapore | West Bengal | 229 | SER | Tri-Weekly | 01-Oct-2011 |
4 | 22161 - 22162 | Superfast | Bhopal – Damoh | Vidisha, Bina | Madhya Pradesh | 291 | WCR | Daily | 12-Nov-2011 |
5 | 16349 - 16350 | Express | Trivandrum Central – Nilambur Road | Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur | Kerala | 393 | SR | Daily | 16-Nov-2011 |
6 | 18417 - 18418 | Express | Jharsuguda – Bhubaneswar | Cuttack, Sambalpur | Orissa | 341 | ECoR | Tri-Weekly | 16-Nov-2011 |
The other trains announced in the Budget on 25 February 2011 by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee are: