AC Express (Indian Railways)

Air Conditioned Express or AC Express is a series of superfast air conditioned trains of Indian Railways that links major cities of India. These trains have the second highest priority within the Indian Railway network, after the premium trains of Indian Railways. As of date, there are 25 such AC Express operating in Indian Railways.

History
The history of AC Express trains dates back to the Deluxe Express, which were the first air-conditioned trains of Indian Railways, connecting important cities across India. These trains were fully air-conditioned, had minimal stops, and operated at maximum speeds. The Howrah-bound Poorva Express and the Mumbai-bound Paschim Express were the first AC Express trains, originally known as the Deluxe AC Express. However, after the introduction of Rajdhani Express in 1969 and its subsequent fleet expansion, these trains lost their status as full air-conditioned trains. The second type of AC Express was introduced in 1991. After the Mumbai Rajdhani was launched in 1972, there was a high demand for another pair of Rajdhani Express trains between Delhi and Mumbai. To meet this demand, on 1 July 1991, Indian Railways inaugurated the Bombay Central – New Delhi AC Express. This train ran the same route as the Bombay Rajdhani, had similar timings, and an extra 45 minutes of travel time to accommodate more passengers. On 1 January 1992, this train was formalized as the Bombay Central – H.Nizamuddin August Kranti Rajdhani Express. The third and current type of AC Express was launched in 2008. The first such AC Express was the Nanda Devi AC Superfast Express, which was inaugurated on 1 July 2008 between Dehradun and Kota Junction.

Services
Unlike its predecessor AC Express trains, which offered premium services like complimentary meals and butler services, the newer AC Express trains were designed to cater to the middle and upper-middle class segments of society. These trains have limited stops and operate at speeds comparable to premium trains like the Rajdhani and Duronto. However, unlike the premium trains, the food and meals on these AC Express trains are not complimentary. Instead, pantry car services are available, similar to those on other general express and mail trains of Indian Railways.

Prior to the rapid conversion of the Indian Railway coaching stocks from ICF to LHB coaches, initially these trains use to operate on the old ICF coaches of Rajdhani Express.

Currently, the following AC Express trains are operating in India.

Defunct Services
Howrah - New Jalpaiguri AC Express