The Rajdhani Express service between
Bombay Central (now Mumbai Central) and New Delhi was inaugurated on May 17, 1972, following the success of the Howrah – New Delhi Rajdhani Express in 1969. This train quickly gained immense popularity and success among passengers traveling to Bombay at the time. As a result, in response to the overwhelming demand for enhanced rail connectivity and more frequent services on this route, Indian Railways introduced a tri-weekly AC Express service between Bombay and New Delhi on July 1, 1991. While covering the same route as the Bombay Rajdhani, this service featured an additional 45 minutes of travel time to accommodate more stops and cater to increased passenger traffic. Hence, recognizing the need to streamline services and meet growing demands for additional Rajdhani Express routes, Indian Railways reintroduced the Bombay – New Delhi AC Express as trains 2953 / 2954, as the August Kranti Rajdhani Express on January 1, 1992. By 2004, the August Kranti Rajdhani Express was upgraded from maroon-themed ICF coaches to modern LHB coaches. In 2010, Indian Railways embarked on an experimental project to enhance speed capabilities, increasing the maximum permissible speed of the Bombay Rajdhani and August Kranti Rajdhani to 140 km/h between Ballabgarh and Palwal. However, subsequent upgrades on the Mumbai – Delhi route led to a reversion of the maximum speed to 130 km/h. On December 12, 2021, as part of its ongoing upgrade program for Rajdhani Express trains, the Railway Board approved the modernization of the August Kranti Rajdhani Express's conventional LHB coaches with state-of-the-art Tejas rakes. Consequently, the August Kranti Rajdhani Express was renamed the August Kranti Tejas Rajdhani Express. == Operations and timings ==