Which was India's first superfast train?

The Deccan Queen, which runs between Mumbai (Bombay) and Pune (Poona), was introduced on 1 June 1930 by the Great Indian Peninsula (GIP) Railway. It is regarded as India's first superfast train and one of the most famous trains in the country.

"Firsts" of the Deccan Queen:

• It was the first superfast train in India.
• It was the first long-distance electrically hauled train in India (the Bombay-Poona line had been electrified in 1929).
• It was the first vestibuled train in India (its coaches are connected so that passengers can walk from one coach to another).
• It was the first train to have a "ladies only" coach (introduced in 1931).
• It was the first train with a dining car (restaurant car), which is still a special feature of the train.
• It was the first train to have an electronic passenger information display.

Its name comes from Pune, which was called the "Queen of the Deccan". It was started to serve the wealthy business and official community travelling between Bombay and Poona, especially during the races at the Poona racecourse.

Passengers celebrate the train's "birthday" on 1 June every year at Pune station.

The train crosses the Western Ghats through the Bhor Ghat, with its tunnels and steep slopes.

Other historic Indian trains:

• Frontier Mail (1928): ran between Bombay and Peshawar (now in Pakistan); now called the "Golden Temple Mail" (Mumbai-Amritsar).
• Flying Ranee (1906): runs between Mumbai and Surat; one of the oldest named trains.
• Rajdhani Express (1969): the first was between New Delhi and Howrah; India's premier fast trains.
• Shatabdi Express (1988): introduced to mark Jawaharlal Nehru's birth centenary.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Frontier Mail (1928) was a famous long-distance train but not called the first superfast.
• ✗Rajdhani Express started in 1969.
• ✗Flying Ranee (1906) is one of the oldest named trains.