Overview
- The Deccan Queen completed 96 years of continuous service on Monday, June 1, 2026, and entered its 97th year with a cake-cutting and ceremonies at Pune Junction.
- Central Railway showcased coach upgrades at a March 2026 Deccan Queen Train Mahotsav and has since rolled out interior refreshes including new seat covers, improved toilets and a refurbished dining car with Warli-inspired design.
- The train still runs daily between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai and Pune Junction on its long-standing schedule, preserving a roughly three-hour travel time and regular stops at Karjat and Lonavala.
- Over decades the service has been repeatedly modernized with anti-telescopic steel-bodied coaches in 1966, air-brake rakes in 1995, a Vistadome coach added in August 2021 and a current 16-coach formation.
- Local volunteer groups and the Railway Pravasi Group continue to lead overnight decorations and platform celebrations that sustain public attachment to the Deccan Queen while Central Railway balances heritage features with ongoing upgrades.