Delhi Junction railway station

Location
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Delhi Junction

दिल्ली जंक्शन
دہلی جنکشن
Delhi Junction; दिल्ली जंक्शन; دہلی جنکشن
Indian Railways Station
General information
Other names	Old Delhi, Purani Dilli
Location	Mori Gate, Old Delhi; India
Coordinates	28°39′40″N 77°13′40″E / 28.6610°N 77.2277°E
Elevation	218.760 metres (717.72 ft)
Owned by	Indian Railways
Operated by	Northern Railways
Platforms	16
Tracks	18
Connections	Yellow Line Chandni Chowk
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	DLI
Zone(s)	Northern Railway zone
Division(s)	Delhi
History
Opened	1864; 160 years ago
Rebuilt	1903; 121 years ago
Electrified	1967; 57 years ago
Location
Location
	Interactive map

Delhi Junction railway station, located in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, is the oldest railway station in Delhi, India. It is one of the busiest railway stations in the country, with around 250 trains commencing, terminating, or passing through it daily. Established in 1864, it originally served trains arriving from Calcutta.

The current station building, designed in the architectural style of the nearby Red Fort, was constructed by the imperial British government and opened in 1903. Preceding the New Delhi railway station by about 60 years, Delhi Junction has remained a significant hub in India’s railway network. The Chandni Chowk station of the Delhi Metro network is situated nearby, providing seamless connectivity to the city.

History

The station began operations in 1864 with a broad-gauge train from Calcutta. In 1873, the Rajputana State Railway laid a metre-gauge track connecting Delhi to Rewari and further to Ajmer, with metre-gauge train services from the station commencing in 1876.

The current building of Delhi Junction railway station was constructed in 1900 and opened to the public in 1903. Initially operating with just two platforms and serving around 1,000 passengers, the station has grown significantly over the years. It now handles over 350,000 passengers daily, with approximately 250 trains starting, ending, or passing through it every day.

In 1904, the Agra–Delhi railway line was inaugurated, establishing Delhi as a critical railway hub connected by six railway systems. The East Indian Railway, North-Western State Railway, and Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway made headways into Delhi from Ghaziabad, crossing the Yamuna River. The Delhi–Panipat–Ambala Cantonment–Kalka Railway extended northwards from Delhi, while the Rajputana–Malwa Railway passed through the Delhi district briefly on its way toward Gurgaon and Rewari Junction.^[1]

Old Delhi railway station was constructed using red stone to harmonise with the historic Mughal-era Red Fort located nearby. The original station building featured six clock towers, of which Tower 4 remains in use today as a water tank.

Old Delhi railway station served as the primary railway station of Delhi and a junction for four railway lines until the establishment of the New Delhi railway station in 1926, ahead of the inauguration of New Delhi in 1931. The original Agra–Delhi railway line passed through the area later designated for the hexagonal War Memorial (now India Gate) and Kingsway (now Rajpath) as part of New Delhi's city planning. To accommodate this, the East Indian Railway Company realigned the tracks to run along the Yamuna River, completing the new route in 1924.

The station underwent remodelling in 1934–35, during which its platforms were extended, and power signals were introduced.^[2]^[3] In the 1990s, a new entrance was added on the Kashmere Gate side, and additional platforms were constructed. The platforms were renumbered in September 2011, with the sequence starting from the main entrance as Platform 1 and ending at Platform 16 near the Kashmere Gate entrance. Some platforms were merged to form longer platforms capable of accommodating 24-coach trains.^[4] The station building underwent another bout of renovation in 2012–13.

Delhi Junction previously handled both broad-gauge and metre-gauge trains. However, since 1994, it has been exclusively a broad-gauge station, with metre-gauge traffic shifted to Delhi Sarai Rohilla station.^[5]

In 2016, plans were made to install a 2.2 MW rooftop solar project at the railway station.

Facilities

The station has eighteen platforms, two of which are designed to accommodate two 24-coach trains end-to-end.

The station is equipped with four pit lines for washing and cleaning trains.^[6]

The entrance and exit of the nearest Delhi Metro station, Chandni Chowk, are now within the Delhi Junction compound, thanks to the construction of an underground walkway. This eliminates the need to navigate 500 meters of crowded roads and lanes to reach the Metro station.