Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express

The 12431 / 12432 Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express is a Rajdhani Express train service in India, connecting Hazrat Nizamuddin in the country capital New Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram Central, the capital of Kerala state. It is the longest-running Rajdhani Express train in India, which covers about 2845 km in about 42 hours.

The train number is 12431/12432 which runs only on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday from Thiruvananthapuram Central to Hazrat Nizamuddin also it reverse runs in Sunday, Tuesday & Wednesday from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Thiruvananthapuram Central. It connects the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan & New Delhi.

History
At the time of its introduction it was travelling from Kerala to New Delhi via Erode, Chennai, Nagpur. On 1 April 1998, following opening of Konkan Railway it got re-routed via Mangalore. In initial days the train had very few stops. Until 1999 it was the non-stop Rajdhani between Panvel and Hazrat Nizamuddin. Thereafter stops were introduced in this section. Despite this the train runs non-stop between Kota Junction and Vadodara Junction section (528 km), which is the longest non-stop run in the country. It has a record for the highest section speed, reaching 104 km/h between Ratnagiri and Sawantwadi Road (225 km in 2 h 10 min). It also gets a top speed of 130 km/h between Nagda and Hazrat Nizamuddin (267 km). It moves at an average speed of 76.36 km/h between Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram.

Till 1998, there were only three Rajdhani Express from Delhi to South India. Trivandrum Rajdhani Express was a weekly train back then having rake sharing agreement with Bangalore Rajdhani Express.

Till the introduction of Madgaon Rajdhani Express in 2015, this was the sole Rajdhani Express that traversed through Konkan Railway.

Coach composition
The Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani generally has one AC 1st Class, 5 AC 2 tier, 11 AC 3 tier coaches, 1 pantry car, and 2 luggage cum generator coaches making a total of 21 LHB coach. Back in 1995, the train had 11 coaches only.

It shares its rakes with Chennai Rajdhani Express, Secunderabad Rajdhani Express and Madgaon Rajdhani Express. Earlier, it also shared its rake with the Bangalore Rajdhani Express.

Route and halts
Kerala Karnataka Goa Maharashtra Gujarat Madhya Pradesh
 * 1) Thiruvananthapuram Central
 * 2) Kollam Junction
 * 3) Alappuzha
 * 4) Ernakulam Junction
 * 5) Thrissur
 * 6) Shoranur Junction
 * 7) Kozhikode
 * 8) Kannur
 * 9) Kasaragod
 * 1) Mangaluru Junction
 * 2) Udupi
 * 3) Karwar
 * 1) Madgaon Junction
 * 1) Ratnagiri
 * 2) Panvel Junction
 * 3) Vasai Road
 * 1) Surat
 * 2) Vadodara Junction


 * 1) Ratlam Junction

Rajasthan Delhi
 * 1) Kota Junction
 * 1) Hazrat Nizamuddin

Traction
It is hauled by a Vadodara Loco Shed based WAP-7 (HOG equipped) electric locomotive from end to end.

Incidents
On 18 October 2018, two coaches of TVC Rajdhani derailed at a staffed level crossing at Thandla Road railway station near Ratlam when a truck rammed into the train. There were no injuries to train passengers but the truck driver was killed due to the collision. The train continued its journey after a delay of 7 hours towards New Delhi.