Railways In Delhi
The Indian Railways is one of the largest rail networks in the world covering almost the whole country from Baramullah in Kashmir in the North to Kanyakumari in the South and from Ledo in Assam in the East to Naliya near Bhuj in Gujarat in the West.
There are seventeen zones of the Indian Railways spread out all over the country connecting all major cities with each other and most major towns as well. Most major trains from all the zones pass through Delhi, the capital of India. There are five main Railway Stations from where trains originate and terminate and many more subordinate stations in Delhi that are used by interstate and local commuters. They are New Delhi Station or NDLS, Old Delhi Station or DLI, Anand Vihar Station or ANVT, Hazrat Nizamuddin Station or NZM and Delhi Cantonment Station or DEC is another station which is being used as a terminus for some trains. These stations are also used by trains that pass through Delhi from different points of origin and termination.
Major Railway Stations in Delhi
Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station
Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station with station code NZM is the Railway Station developed for trains from the South and also to reduce congestion at New Delhi Railway Station and the traffic congestion in the surrounding areas of the city. It is now one of the five major railway stations of Delhi from where trains towards the South originate. Northern Railway which is a Zone of the Indian Railways manages this Railway Station. Now there is no need for trains from the South to go further and it is also convenient for passengers as the station is very close to the Ring Road and NH2 as well as the Sarai Kale Khan Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT).
Location:
Delhi Hazrat Nizamuddin/HNZM
Sarai Kale Khan, Nizamuddin, Delhi NCT
Elevation: 210 m
Railway Zone: NR/Northern
New Delhi Railway Station
The New Delhi Railway Station with station code NDLS extends between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj. It is the most important and busiest railway station of Northern Railway in Delhi. In India it is second only to Howrah Railway Station which falls in the Eastern Zone. There are more than 200 unique trains that originate and terminate from NDLS and more than 900 arrivals and departures of trains that pass through. There are 16 platforms for these trains to be accessed by more than 360,000 passengers daily. Another unique feature of New Delhi railway station is that it has the largest route interlocking system in the world that is used to allow trains to take a certain track. The station is adjacent to Connaught Place, the heart of New Delhi. While eastbound and southbound trains originating from Delhi have been moved to Anand Vihar and Hazrat Nizamuddin Stations, the New Delhi Railway Station is used for important trains like the Rajdhani Express trains that are eastbound and southbound. Most important trains to other parts of the country also pass through, originate and terminate at this station.
New Delhi Railway station also has a Metro Station for Yellow Line and the Airport Express Line for the convenience of passengers that have to go to Gurgaon or the Airport
Location:
New Delhi/NDLS
Paharganj/ Ajmeri Gate, Near New Delhi Metro Station, Delhi NCT
Elevation: 215 m
Railway Zone: NR/Northern
Old Delhi Railway Station
Delhi Railway Station was built during the British Raj. Delhi Junction, as it was called, began operations in 1864. Trains from Kolkata chugged in this station and made transportation and communication easy in those day. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the country and the oldest in Delhi and is familiarly known as Old Delhi railway station to distinguish it from the newer New Delhi Railway Station which is about 60 years younger.
The British built the station with similar Red sand stone as the Red Fort in the vicinity. The beautiful red building still stands proud and is a landmark of the city. The Chandni Chowk Metro Station has an exit very near the station so that passengers can commute to New Delhi Station or Gurgaon from here.
Location:
Old Delhi Junction/DLI
Jn Pt PNP, GZB, AWR, NDLS, Shyama Prasad Mukherji Marg, Near Chandni Chowk Metro Station, Delhi NCT
Elevation: 219 m
Railway Zone: NR/Northern
Other Railway Stations in Delhi
Anand Vihar Terminal
Across the Yamuna River, stands the Anand Vihar Railway Terminal with station code ANVT providing convenience to people staying in east Delhi and decongesting NDLS from major traffic from the Eastern part of the country. Anand Vihar Railway station is a large station of the Northern Railway that began operations in December 2009. The terminal is still under development and covers a very large area of over 42 hectares. It will become one of the largest railway stations. All eastbound trains from Delhi will originate from here once the second phase of development is complete.
The Anand Vihar Interstate Bus Terminus and the Anand Vihar Metro Station are in close proximity of the Railway Station which is an added boon.
Location:
Delhi Anand Vihar Terminal/ANVT
Near Anand Vihar ISBT, Opposite Anand Vihar Metro Station, Ghazipur Road, Delhi NCT
Elevation: 208 m
Railway Zone: NR/Northern
Sarai Rohilla Railway Station
Sarai Rohilla Railway Station or Delhi Sarai Rohilla Railway Station as it is officially called, with station code DEE is about 4 kms from Delhi Railway station and was developed to decongest Old Delhi Railway Station and New Delhi railway Station. It is only 5 kms from NDLS. It is operated by Northern Railway zone. This station provides service to substantial number of trains from Delhi to Northern States such as Haryana, Punjab and trains to Western States such as Rajasthan and Gujarat that pass through this station. This station has now gained importance because many important trains including Duronto and AC trains originate from and terminate at this station. Some important trains that originate or stop at this station are:
- Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Rewari Express
- Chetak Express
- Bikaner-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Link Express
- Avadh Assam Express
- Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jaisalmer Express
- Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Bikaner Mail
Delhi Cantt Railway Station
Delhi Cantonment Railway Station is commonly known as Delhi Cantt Station with station code DEC. It is located in the cantonment area of Delhi where the administrative base of the three Armed Forces is located. This is a small station where all trains towards Rajasthan and Gujarat plying on this route make a stop so that people of the Cantonment Area do not have to travel to central Delhi to catch a train.
Sarojini Nagar Railway Station
Sarojini Nagar Railway Station with station code SOJ is not a station that is used by interstate trains. It is an important station on the Ring Railway that connects South Delhi to other parts of the Delhi that fall in the proximity of other stations on the Ring Railway. It is possible to reach all major railway stations of Delhi from this station as EMUs passing through these stations also halt at Sarojini Nagar Railway Station.
Unfortunately the Ring Railway of which Sarojini Nagar Station was an important station was not successful and became defunct or this station would have gained more importance.
Tuglakabad Railway Station
Tuglakabad Railway Station with station code TKD is part of the Delhi section of the Northern Railways and is located on the southern periphery of the city. Many outstation trains pass through this station without stopping. Only EMU trains halt here.
Tilak Bridge Railway Station
Tilak Bridge Railway Station with station code TKJ is another Northern railway Station that allows outstation trains to pass but provides halts for only a few of them. It is an EMU station close to other EMU stations such as Pragati Maidan, Shivaji Bridge etc. and is very close to New Delhi Railway Station.
Station Name: TILAK BRIDGE Railway Station
Station Code: TKJ
Junction Name: DELHI
RailWay Zone: NORTHERN RAILWAY
State Name: Delhi
District Name: Delhi
Mandal Name: Delhi
Okhla Railway Station
Okhla Railway Station with station code OKA is located close to Tughlakabad Railway Station in south Delhi and is operated by Northern railway. Not many interstate trains stop here but it is an EMU station with some Express trains also making a stop here. The closest major train station is Hazrat Nizamuddin Station Name: OKHLA Railway Station
Station Code: OKA
Junction Name: DELHI
RailWay Zone: NORTHERN RAILWAY
State Name: Delhi
District Name: Delhi
Mandal Name: Delhi
Ring Railway in Delhi
Just as the Ring Roads, this connects the circularly spread Delhi city. The Ring Railway was envisaged when the city was preparing for the Asian Games of 1982, to help decongest the vehicular traffic on ring roads. It was a circular network of rails that ran parallel to and adjacent to the Ring Road and was conceived during the Asian Games of 1982.
Unfortunately the Ring Railway was not successful as a popular public transport system because of poor end connectivity. The tracks are now used for freight trains and a very limited EMU train services mostly available during traffic peak hours.
Related Image
Also Browse Following Under This Section
Related Topics
Airports In Delhi
Delhi is growing at a phenomenal rate and the increased demand for air travel and the need to make air travel in India....
Transportation In Delhi
Delhi has a well-developed public transportation system which is continuously being upgraded and expanded....
Railways In Delhi
The Indian Railways is one of the...
Roads in Delhi
Before the Delhi Metro came into being...