Delhi Junction railway station

Delhi Junction railway station (station code: DLI^[1]) is the oldest railway station located in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, 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.

Delhi Junction
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
Elevation	218.760 metres (717.72 ft)
Owned by	Ministry of Railways (India)
Operated by	Indian 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
Division(s)	Delhi
History
Opened	1864; 161 years ago (1864)
Rebuilt	1903; 122 years ago (1903)
Electrified	1967; 58 years ago (1967)
Location Interactive map

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

See also: Indian railway history, NR history, NWR history, NCR history, and NER history

In 1864, station became operational 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.

In 1900, the present building of Delhi Junction railway station was constructed in and opened to the public in 1903 with just two platforms and serving around 1,000 passengers. 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.

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.^[2]

Until 1926, when New Delhi railway station was built from 1926-1931, the Old Delhi railway station served as the primary railway station of Delhi. 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.

In 1934–35, the station was remodelled, platforms extended, and power signals were introduced.^[3][4]

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.^[5]

In 1994, it has been exclusively a broad-gauge station, with metre-gauge traffic shifted to Delhi Sarai Rohilla station.^[6]

In 2012-13, the station building underwent another renovation.

In 2016, 2.2 MW rooftop solar panels were installed at the 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.^[7]

Junction

v t e Railways around Delhi
Legend
Delhi–Fazilka line Delhi–Kalka line Delhi Metro Green line Patel Nagar Delhi Metro Blue line Dayabasti Kirti Nagar Vivekanand Puri Halt Delhi Sarai Rohilla Delhi–Jaipur line Kishanganj Naraina Vihar Delhi–Kalka line Indrapuri Barar Square Sadar Bazar Delhi Metro Airport Express Sadar Bazar Coaching Yard   Sardar Patel Marg Old Delhi Chanakyapuri New Delhi Coaching Yard Safdarjung New Delhi Sarojini Nagar Delhi Metro Yellow line Delhi Metro Yellow line Lodhi Colony Shivaji Bridge Sewa Nagar Tilak Bridge Delhi Metro Violet line Delhi Metro Violet line Lajpat Nagar Agra Chord NH 44 Hazrat Nizamuddin NH 44 Pragati Maidan NH 44 Yamuna River Yamuna River Delhi Metro Blue line Delhi Metro Pink line Mandawali Chander Vihar Delhi Shahdara Anand Vihar Rail Yard Delhi–Shamli– Saharanpur line Anand Vihar Terminal Delhi Uttar Pradesh Chander Nagar Halt Shahdara B Panel Shahdara A Panel Sahibabad Hindon River Ghaziabad Ghaziabad Electric Loco Shed Kanpur–Delhi section NH 34 Delhi–Moradabad line Delhi–Meerut– Saharanpur line

Railway lines from five routes converge at Delhi Junction:

• Delhi Shahdara Junction towards Ghaziabad and Saharanpur
• Sadar Bazar towards New Delhi
• Delhi Kishanganj towards Rohtak
• Subzi Mandi towards Ambala
• Sarai Rohilla towards Rewari

Last mile connectivity

Delhi Metro's nearest station, Chandni Chowk metro station, is connected with the Delhi railway station with underground walkways.

Gallery

• 
  Delhi Junction as viewed from a bridge
• 
  Old Delhi signage
• 
  Old Delhi railway station

See also

• New Delhi
• Delhi Sarai Rohilla
• Hazrat Nizamuddin
• Anand Vihar Terminal railway station
• Delhi Metro