The “Deccan Queen” one of the Central Railway’s most prestigious and popular train entered its glorious 97th year of service on 1st June 2026. It completed 96 years of service to its esteemed passengers.
The train, introduced between Mumbai and Pune, the two premier cities of Maharashtra on 1st June 1930 was a major landmark in the history of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, the forerunner of the Central Railway.
This was the first deluxe train introduced on the railway to serve 2 important cities of the region and was aptly named as “ Deccan Queen” or “Dakkan ki Rani”
The anniversary of Deccan Queen was celebrated with grand festivities at Pune in the morning during the departure of 12124 Pune-Mumbai Deccan Queen and at CSMT in the evening during the departure of 12123 Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen. Beautifully decked in floral arrangements, the train’s milestone was celebrated with a cake-cutting ceremony surrounded by enthusiastic passengers, railway officials, and devoted rail fans.
This year the Deccan Queen underwent a major overhaul with upgradation of passenger amenities including:
• Refurbished Dining Car with enhanced heritage aesthetics, modernized furniture, and improved interiors for a superior dining experience
• Improved lavatories with vinyl flooring, duro wipe mats, and modern fittings such as soap and tissue dispensers
• Redesigned coach interiors including roof and panel boards with vibrant themes
A celebration was also organised on March 27th 2026, as part of the Train Mahotsav at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus which witnessed enthusiastic participation from passengers, railway officials, rail enthusiasts, and members of the public. An engaging audio-visual presentation showcasing the glorious journey of the train since its inception in 1930 was also presented.
Journey till now
• The “Deccan Queen” was initially introduced with 2 rakes of 7 coaches each, one of which was painted in silver with scarlet mouldings and the other with royal blue with gold lines.
• The under frames of the coaches of the original rakes were built in England while the coach bodies were built at Matunga Workshop of the GIP Railway.
• The coaches of the original rakes were replaced in 1966 by anti-telescopic steel bodied integral coaches built by Integral Coach Factory, Perambur.
• The number of coaches were increased from 7 to 12
• The old rakes were replaced with new air brake rakes in 1995
• The Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen was attached with a Vistadome coach with effect from 15.8.2021. This provided passengers a golden opportunity to have a wonderful view of the breathtaking scenery as the train traversed through the Western Ghats.
• All the Conventional coaches of Deccan Queen Express were replaced with LHB coaches in June 2022. These coaches have modern facilities like LED lights, Bio toilets, Braille Signages etc.
• The train now runs with revised composition of 16 Coaches viz. 4 AC Chair Cars, 8 Second Class Chair Car, One Vista dome coach, One Dining Car, One General Second class cum Guard’s brake van and Generator Car.
First time in India
• Deccan Queen has the distinction of having many Firsts to its credit.
• Coaches with roller bearings introduced for the 1st time
• End on generation coaches replaced with self-generating coaches with 110 volts system for the 1st time
• First and Second class Chair Cars introduced for the 1st time
Unique Feature- The only train with a Dining Car
The Deccan Queen is the only running train with facility of a Dining Car, which offers table service and has modern pantry facilities such as microwave oven, deep freezer and toaster. The dining car is also tastefully furnished with cushioned chairs and carpet.
The history of Deccan Queen (Dakkhan ki Rani) is literally a tale of two cities. The public of both the cities are happy with the impeccable record of “right time start” and “arrival” of Deccan Queen. Over the last 96 years of its colourful history, the train has grown from a mere medium of transportation between two cities into an institution binding generation of intensely loyal passengers.
The Deccan Queen shares its run date with the historic Punjab Mail whose first run is also commemorated at CSMT on 1st of June.
