New Delhi, July 22: The Rajdhani Express, touted as Indian Railway’s fastest train between Delhi and Mumbai, is likely to take more time now to reach its destination. Reports inform that Indian Railways might increase the time of Bandra Terminus-Hazrat Nizamuddin special Rajdhani to maintain the punctuality. It must be noted that the train - with a run-time of about 14 hours, cuts down the travel time by two hours. The special Rajdhani is now likely to take an hour more to reach its destination.

The train chugs off from Delhi on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and from Bandra on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. According to a report by PTI, the proposal mooted by Western Railway and signed off by Northern Railway, North Central Railway and West Central Railway, is with the Railway Board for consideration. As per sources, the decision was taken after it was noticed that the train rarely remained punctual since its introduction last year.

Reports inform that out of the 120 trips it made, the Bandra-Nizamuddin Rajdhani remained on time only thrice and on its return journey to Bandra, the train stuck to its schedule 10 times. At present, the journey takes 13.55 hours and the proposed run-time for the special train is around 15 hours.

According to the proposed revised timings, the Bandra-Nizamuddin Rajdhani will depart at 5:10 pm, instead of 4:15 pm, and reach Hazrat Nizamuddin station in Delhi at 8 am, instead of 6:10 am. On its return journey, it will depart at 5 pm, instead of 4:05 pm, and reach Bandra at 7:45 am, instead of 6 am, the sources were quoted by PTI.

The special Rajdhani was initially introduced in October for a period of three months with an aim to cut the travel time between the two cities. When it was introduced, the Railways had said the early-morning arrival will give passengers more time to spend in the cities and help them avoid the suburban peak-hour traffic.

The train has been extended till September this year and will run according to the revised schedule once approved by the board, the PTI report said.  The route is presently served by August Kranti Rajdhani and Mumbai Central-New Delhi Rajdhani in the premium category. The August Kranti Rajdhani covers the distance in about 17 hours and the Mumbai Central-Delhi Rajdhani in under 16 hours.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 22, 2018 08:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).