It is widely regarded as one of the most premium trains on the Indian Railway network and is given the highest priority in terms of clearance.

Subsequently, on May 17, 1972, the second Rajdhani Express in India was inaugurated from Bombay Central under the auspices of the then Minister of Railways, Shri.

The inaugural Bombay Rajdhani Express was hauled by a single WDM-2 locomotive from the Ratlam shed.

This locomotive was specially retrofitted for Rajdhani Express operations, featuring re-gearing and resilient thrust pad enhancements to facilitate speeds of up to 120 km/hr.

Departing from platform number 5 of Bombay Central at 15:45 hrs, the Rajdhani Express traversed the Baroda (now Vadodara) – Kota – Mathura route, arriving in New Delhi the following morning at 11:50 hrs, thereby achieving a record journey time of 19 hours 05 minutes.

By late 1989, the train's numbering was revised to 2951 DN / 2952 UP, and new air brake systems were introduced for enhanced safety and efficiency.

On December 5, 2003, marked the introduction of modern Alstom-developed Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB) coaches in the Mumbai Rajdhani Express, which allowed for an increase in maximum speed from 120 km/hr to 130 km/hr.