Rajdhani Express was introduced in 1969 for providing high-speed connections (up to 140 km/h / 87 mph, speed varies depending upon the particular track section) from various railway stations in the capital city of New Delhi to the capital cities of various states in India (or, in certain cases, prominent cities within the state the train serves

These trains have higher priorities on the Indian railway network and are fully air-conditioned. The passengers are provided with complimentary meals during the journey.

Depending on the timings of the train, lunch, high tea, dinner, morning tea and breakfast are served. Almost all of these trains offer three classes of accommodation; First Class AC with 2 or 4 berth lockable bedrooms, Second Class AC 2-tier with open system berths (bays of 4 berths + 2 berths on the side) but provided with curtains for privacy, Second Class AC 3-tier (bays of 6 berths + 2 berths on the side) with no privacy curtains.

Currently there are 15 pairs of Rajdhani Express trains, connecting New Delhi to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Bilaspur, Chennai, Guwahati/Dibrugarh, Ranchi, Kolkata, Jammu, Mumbai, Patna, Secunderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

These trains have fewer stops than other express trains which are generally prominent cities of any state like Allahabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Bhopal, Jaipur etc. Some cities have more than one Rajdhani Express serving them. Kanpur and Mughal Sarai (near Varanasi) are served by the maximum number of Rajdhani Express trains (6 each).