New Delhi Railway Station
Encyclopedia
The New Delhi Railway Station (Hindi
: नई दिल्ली रेलवे स्टेशन, Urdu
: نئی دلّی ریلوے سٹیشن), station code NDLS, situated between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj
is the main railway station in Delhi
. New Delhi railway station is the second busiest and one of the largest in India
. It handles over 300 trains each day with 16 platforms and about 360,000 passengers everyday. The New Delhi railway station holds the record for the largest route interlocking system in the world. The station is about two kilometres north of Connaught Place
, in central Delhi
.
Most eastbound and northbound trains originate at New Delhi Railway Station. However, some important trains to other parts of the country also touch/originate at this station.
was established after 1911, the Old Delhi Railway Station served the entire city and the Agra
-Delhi railway line cut through what is today called Lutyens' Delhi
and the site earmarked for the hexagonal All-India War Memorial (now India Gate
) and Kingsway (now Rajpath
). The railway line was shifted along Yamuna river and opened in 1924 to make way for the new capital. Minto (now Shivaji) and Hardinge (now Tilak) rail bridges came up for this realigned line. The East Indian Railway Company
, that overlooked railways in the region, sanctioned the construction of a single story building and a single platform between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj
in 1926. This was later known as New Delhi Railway station. The government's plans to have the new station built inside the Central Park of Connaught Place
was rejected by the Railways as it found the idea impractical. In 1927-28, New Delhi Capital Works project involving construction of 4.79 miles (7.7 km) of new lines was completed. The Viceroy and royals entered the city through the new railway station during the inauguration of New Delhi in 1931. New structures were added to the railway station later and the original building served as the parcel office for many years.
and Partners were commissioned to modernise and expand the station in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
in Delhi. Farrells are the lead consultant for the Masterplan for Indian Railways for the redevelopment of New Delhi Railway Station, to be in line with the pace of modernisation and growth in the city centre. To provide station and property development over and around the station. The first phase was planned to be operational by the time of the games.
The redevelopment was expected to cost and 13 consortiums have placed bids to win the contract to upgrade and modernize the terminal on a Build-Operate-Transfer basis for 30 years.
The station occupies 86 hectares of land and 10-20% of it (50 acres) could be used for retail and commercial use. In September 2009, the new building of the station on the Ajmeri Gate side was opened by Northern Railway; built at Rs.25 crore, the building has a total floor area of 9,000 sq. mtr spread over three floors.
station on the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro
, and also by the Orange Line of the Delhi Airport Metro Express, which is operational from February 23, 2011 connecting directly to Indira Gandhi International Airport
.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: नई दिल्ली रेलवे स्टेशन, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: نئی دلّی ریلوے سٹیشن), station code NDLS, situated between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj
Paharganj
Paharganj is a neighbourhood of Central Delhi, located just west of the New Delhi Railway Station...
is the main railway station in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. New Delhi railway station is the second busiest and one of the largest in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It handles over 300 trains each day with 16 platforms and about 360,000 passengers everyday. The New Delhi railway station holds the record for the largest route interlocking system in the world. The station is about two kilometres north of Connaught Place
Connaught Place, New Delhi
Connaught Place Connaught Place Connaught Place (Hindi: कनॉट प्लेस, (officially Rajiv Chowk) is one of the largest financial, commercial and business centers in Delhi. It is often abbreviated as CP and houses the headquarters of several Indian firms. Its surroundings occupy a place of pride...
, in central Delhi
Central Delhi
Central Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India.It is bounded by the Yamuna River on the east, and by the districts of North Delhi to the north, West Delhi and South West Delhi to the west, New Delhi to the south, and East Delhi to the east across the...
.
Most eastbound and northbound trains originate at New Delhi Railway Station. However, some important trains to other parts of the country also touch/originate at this station.
History
Before the new imperial capital New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
was established after 1911, the Old Delhi Railway Station served the entire city and the Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
-Delhi railway line cut through what is today called Lutyens' Delhi
Lutyens' Delhi
Lutyens' Delhi is an area in Delhi, specifically New Delhi, India, named after the leading British architect Edwin Lutyens , who was responsible for much of the architectural design and building when India was part of the British Empire in the 1920s and 1930s...
and the site earmarked for the hexagonal All-India War Memorial (now India Gate
India Gate
The India Gate is the national monument of India. Situated in the heart of New Delhi, India Gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was built in 1931...
) and Kingsway (now Rajpath
Rajpath
Rajpath is the ceremonial boulevard for the Republic of India. It runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan through Vijay Chowk and India Gate to National Stadium, Delhi. The New Delhi avenue is lined on both sides by lawns with rows of trees and ponds...
). The railway line was shifted along Yamuna river and opened in 1924 to make way for the new capital. Minto (now Shivaji) and Hardinge (now Tilak) rail bridges came up for this realigned line. The East Indian Railway Company
East Indian Railway Company
The East Indian Railway Company, later known as the East Indian Railway , introduced railways to eastern and northern India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, South Indian Railway, Central India Railway and the North-Western Railway operated in other parts of India...
, that overlooked railways in the region, sanctioned the construction of a single story building and a single platform between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj
Paharganj
Paharganj is a neighbourhood of Central Delhi, located just west of the New Delhi Railway Station...
in 1926. This was later known as New Delhi Railway station. The government's plans to have the new station built inside the Central Park of Connaught Place
Connaught Place, New Delhi
Connaught Place Connaught Place Connaught Place (Hindi: कनॉट प्लेस, (officially Rajiv Chowk) is one of the largest financial, commercial and business centers in Delhi. It is often abbreviated as CP and houses the headquarters of several Indian firms. Its surroundings occupy a place of pride...
was rejected by the Railways as it found the idea impractical. In 1927-28, New Delhi Capital Works project involving construction of 4.79 miles (7.7 km) of new lines was completed. The Viceroy and royals entered the city through the new railway station during the inauguration of New Delhi in 1931. New structures were added to the railway station later and the original building served as the parcel office for many years.
Modernisation
In 2007, Terry FarrellTerry Farrell (architect)
Sir Terry Farrell, CBE, RIBA, FRSA, FCSD, MRTPI is a British architect.-Life and career:Farrell was born in Sale, Cheshire. As a youth he moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, where he attended St Cuthbert's High School. He graduated with a degree from Newcastle University, followed by a Masters in urban...
and Partners were commissioned to modernise and expand the station in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi. Farrells are the lead consultant for the Masterplan for Indian Railways for the redevelopment of New Delhi Railway Station, to be in line with the pace of modernisation and growth in the city centre. To provide station and property development over and around the station. The first phase was planned to be operational by the time of the games.
The redevelopment was expected to cost and 13 consortiums have placed bids to win the contract to upgrade and modernize the terminal on a Build-Operate-Transfer basis for 30 years.
The station occupies 86 hectares of land and 10-20% of it (50 acres) could be used for retail and commercial use. In September 2009, the new building of the station on the Ajmeri Gate side was opened by Northern Railway; built at Rs.25 crore, the building has a total floor area of 9,000 sq. mtr spread over three floors.
Services
Some of the most important trains among 100 that originate from New Delhi are:- Bhopal Shatabadi ExpressBhopal ShatabdiBhopal Shatabdi Express is a train operated by the Northern Railway which runs between New Delhi, the main railway station of India's capital territory, New Delhi. and Bhopal Junction the main railway station of Bhopal City, the state capital of central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The train is...
- Lucknow Swarn Shatabadi ExpressLucknow ShatabdiLucknow Shatabdi Express is a Shatabdi class Indian Railways train that connects the Indian capital Delhi to Lucknow, the capital of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. There are two shatabdis each from Delhi and Lucknow daily...
- Mumbai Rajdhani
- Howrah RajdhaniHowrah RajdhaniHowrah Rajdhani was the first fully air-conditioned train, as well as the first Rajdhani train. It was first operated in the year 1969. At that time, it only had an AC Chair Car seating . Also, it reduced the travel time from Delhi to Howrah from 24 hours to 17 hours...
- Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express
- Secunderabad Rajdhani ExpressSecunderabad Rajdhani ExpressSecunderabad-Rajdhani Express is a passenger train from Indian railway connecting Hyderabad, the state capital of Andhra Pradesh and the national capital Delhi. The train runs from Secunderabad to Hazrat Nizamuddin...
- Patna Rajdhani Express
- Ranchi Rajdhani ExpressRanchi Rajdhani ExpressThe 2453/2440 Ranchi Rajdhani Express connects Ranchi and New Delhi. It is the fastest train on the Ranchi - Delhi sector. - Service :The 2453/2440 Rajdhani Express is the fastest train on the Ranchi - Delhi sector. It runs bi-weekly on between Ranchi and Delhi...
- Kalka Shatabdi Express
- Amritsar Shatabdi Express
- Sampoorna Kranti ExpressSampoorna Kranti ExpressThe Sampoorna Kranti Express is an Indian express passenger train service, which runs between Patna and New Delhi.The service began running on February 16, 2002, and is one of the fastest train services in India, traversing the 999km distance in under fourteen and half hours, which is faster than...
to PatnaPatnaPaṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world... - Vaishali ExpressVaishali ExpressVaishali Express runs between stations Barauni and New Delhi, via Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Chhapra, Siwan, Gorakhpur, Gonda, Lucknow, Kanpur, Aligarh, Tundla and Ghaziabad.This train is a large passenger train of indian railways and have 26 coaches.This train is viewed as one of the...
to BarauniBarauniBarauni is a town in the state of Bihar, India.Barauni was once an Industrial town in Begusarai district, Bihar. After the partition of the Jharkhand from Bihar, it had and still has the potential to become the industrial capital of Bihar.... - Sapt Kranti ExpressSapt Kranti ExpressThe Sapt Kranti Express is a superfast train service of Indian Railways running between Muzaffarpur Railway Station and Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station. Its start was changed from New Delhi Railway Station to Anand Vihar Terminal from December 2, 2010. It is designated by Train nos. 12557 UP...
to MuzaffarpurMuzaffarpurMuzaffarpur Town is a town in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division.... - New Delhi - Jabalpur Express
- Lucknow MailLucknow mailThe Lucknow Mail is an Indian Railways train running between Lucknow and New Delhi on a daily basis. Its numbered 12229 when starting from Lucknow and terminating at New Delhi, 12230 between New Delhi and Lucknow. It has the maximum number of coaches in the entire country. It is the most important...
- Prayagraj ExpressPrayagraj ExpressPrayag Raj Express is an Indian Railways' express train which runs between the cities of Allahabad and New Delhi, India. It has 24 coaches including 7 air-conditioned coaches. It runs on the North Central Railways section which is part of the busy Grand Trunk section...
- Karnataka ExpressKarnataka ExpressKarnataka Express is a daily superfast train that runs between New Delhi and Bangalore.- Route and equipment :The number allotted to this train for the route Bangalore to New Delhi is 2627, for the return route, it is 2628. It starts from Bangalore City Jn. at 19:20 hrs everyday and reaches New...
- Kerala ExpressKerala ExpressThe Kerala Express is a super fast express train of the Indian Railways that runs between New Delhi and Trivandrum Central. It is a daily train that covers a distance of 3,036 kilometers in 50 hours, 50 minutes when it runs from New Delhi to Trivandrum with 40 stops at an average speed of...
to ThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuramThiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
(Longest Running train in India with daily services) - Tamil Nadu ExpressTamil Nadu ExpressThe Tamil Nadu Express or T.N. Express is a passenger train route of the Indian Railways. The train was first started on 7 August 1976 by then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi as a bi-weekly was the first State named train of the south...
- Andhra Pradesh ExpressAndhra Pradesh ExpressThe Andhra Pradesh Express is a superfast South Central Railway train which connects the Andhra Pradesh state capital Hyderabad and the country's capital city New Delhi...
- Purshottam Express to PuriPuriPuri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
- Kashi Vishwanath ExpressKashi Vishwanath ExpressKashi Vishwanath Express is an Indian railway that runs between Varanasi Junction in Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi Railway Station.The train is named after the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. Main towns along the way are Pratapgarh, Amethi, Rae Bareli, Lucknow, Hardoi, Bareilly, Moradabad,...
to VaranasiVaranasi-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south... - Dehradun Jan Shatabdi Express
- Shaan-e-Punjab Express to Amritsar
- Bihar Sampark Kranti Express to Darbhanga
Delhi Metro
New Delhi Railway Station is served by New DelhiNew Delhi (station)
New Delhi is a station on the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro. It is within walking distance to the Indian Railways New Delhi Railway Station.The Airport Express will also terminate at New Delhi metro station. Check-in facilities will be available at this station once the line is operational.-See...
station on the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro
Delhi Metro
Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system serving Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region of India. It is one of the largest metro networks in the world. The network consists of six lines with a total length of with 142 stations of which 35 are underground...
, and also by the Orange Line of the Delhi Airport Metro Express, which is operational from February 23, 2011 connecting directly to Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi International Airport
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport of the National Capital Region of Delhi, India, situated in West Delhi, 16 km southwest of New Delhi city centre. Named after Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport in India in...
.
See also
- Delhi Junction Railway stationDelhi Junction Railway stationDelhi Junction, also known as Old Delhi Railway Station , station code DLI, is the oldest railway station of Delhi city, and a Junction station. It was built by the British in the style of red-coloured fort, in 1903...
- Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway StationNizamuddin Railway StationHazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station is one of the three main railway stations of Delhi, India. Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station connects all the major cities and is being developed to ease congestion on New Delhi Railway Station. Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station is served by Northern Railway....
- Delhi MetroDelhi MetroDelhi Metro is a rapid transit system serving Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region of India. It is one of the largest metro networks in the world. The network consists of six lines with a total length of with 142 stations of which 35 are underground...