President Murmu's Third Rail Journey Tuesday: Becomes India's Most Rail-Travelled President in Independent India; Know All Key Details | Special Report

Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu will undertake a rare high-security rail journey on Tuesday morning, travelling from Bhubaneswar Railway Station to Berhampur aboard a specially configured Presidential train that arrived from New Delhi.

Scheduled to depart at around 9 am, the nearly 2-hour 10-minute non-stop journey has generated considerable public curiosity – not only because train travel by an incumbent President has become exceptionally rare, but also because this will make Murmu the most rail-travelled President of Independent India while in office.

The specially prepared Presidential rake, equipped with a modern luxury saloon and elaborate security arrangements, has been pressed into service amid forecasts of persistent monsoon weather over Odisha.

Third Rail Journey Makes History

Tuesday's Bhubaneswar-Berhampur journey will be President Murmu's third official train journey since assuming office in July 2022, making her the President with the highest number of rail journeys during a single tenure in Independent India.

Between 1990 and 2026, an incumbent President has travelled by train only six times, underscoring the rarity of such journeys in an era dominated by Air India One and VVIP aircraft.

The chronology is equally revealing:

President	Date	Route	Significance
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam	January 2004	Chandigarh-New Delhi	Special Presidential train after official visit
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam	2006	New Delhi-Dehradun	IMA Passing Out Parade; last use of the vintage 1956 Presidential Saloon
Ram Nath Kovind	June 2021	New Delhi-Kanpur/Lucknow	Revived Presidential rail travel after a 15-year gap
Droupadi Murmu	November 2023

Badampahar-Rairangpur/Shalimar

First rail journey as President during Odisha visit

Droupadi Murmu

September 2025

New Delhi-Vrindavan-Mathura

Travelled aboard an 18-coach Presidential Special

Droupadi Murmu

August 4, 2026

Bhubaneswar-Berhampur

Third rail journey, highest by any President

Interestingly, Presidents R. Venkataraman, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, K.R. Narayanan, Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee did not undertake any official railway journey during their respective tenures, reflecting the post-1990 shift towards air travel for VVIP movement.

What Exactly Is the President's Train?

Unlike the historic wooden Presidential Saloon retired in 2006, the current Presidential Special is a modern 18-coach luxury rake based largely on the configuration of Indian Railways' ultra-luxury Maharajas' Express, effectively functioning as a self-contained Presidential Palace on Wheels.

The rake is divided into five operational sections.

Front Security Zone (3 coaches):

• Power car and brake van
• SPG command and surveillance coach
• GRP-RPF operational control coach

Presidential Zone (4 coaches):

• Bullet-resistant Presidential Suite
• Conference and Secretariat coach
• VIP meeting lounge
• Guest accommodation

Hospitality Zone (4 coaches):

• Two luxury dining coaches
• Lounge and observation coach
• Fully-equipped commercial kitchen

Operational Support Zone (5 coaches):

• Medical emergency coach
• Secretariat and protocol staff coaches
• Railway engineering and maintenance coaches

Rear Support Zone (2 coaches):

• Housekeeping and logistics coach
• Rear power car and guard cabin

The train is equipped with advanced air-suspension technology, ensuring an exceptionally smooth ride even at speeds approaching 90-100 kmph. The Presidential Suite features bullet-resistant double-glazed windows, secure communication systems, dedicated emergency exits and automated fire suppression facilities.

How the Presidential Train Travels

The movement of the President's train transforms normal railway operations into a tightly controlled security corridor.

The Bhubaneswar-Berhampur run will be preceded by an advance pilot train, while another escort train will follow behind the Presidential Special. These trains move sequentially over the same route to ensure complete track clearance.

No passenger or freight train is permitted on the allocated line while the Presidential convoy is in motion.

The train itself will operate as a non-stop service, maintaining a uniform speed of around 90 kmph, reaching Berhampur in approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Blue Book Security Protocol Comes Into Force

The President's train movement follows the Union Government's stringent Blue Book security protocol, jointly enforced by the Special Protection Group-equivalent Presidential security establishment, Odisha Police, Government Railway Police (GRP), Railway Protection Force (RPF) and railway officials.

Key measures include:

• Platforms 1 and 2 at Bhubaneswar Railway Station will be completely sanitised about three hours before departure.
• Passenger movement on the designated platforms will be heavily restricted.
• Every railway level crossing between Bhubaneswar and Berhampur will be manually guarded and closed before the convoy approaches.
• No train will be allowed to overtake the Presidential Special.
• Trains approaching from the opposite direction will be detained at the nearest station or outer signal until the entire Presidential convoy, including the rear escort train, has passed.
• The exact coach occupied by the President remains confidential as part of standard VVIP security procedures.

Railway sources said the disruption to normal train movement on the concerned corridor is expected to remain limited to the period required for complete passage of the Presidential convoy, roughly a little over two hours, after which scheduled operations will progressively resume.

For Indian Railways, Tuesday's journey is far more than a routine VVIP movement. It represents a rare continuation of a tradition that has almost disappeared from modern India, while placing President Droupadi Murmu in the record books as the country's most rail-travelled President in office.

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