- New Delhi Railway Station
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New DelhiIndian Railway Station
Entrance to the New Delhi Railway Station complexLocation City New Delhi District Delhi State Delhi Elevation MSL + 216 m (709 ft) Station Info & Facilities Station type Central Station Structure Standard (on ground station) Station status Functioning Parking Available Entrance(s) Paharganj, Ajmeri Gate Operation Code NDLS Zone(s) Northern Railway Track(s) 17 Platform(s) 16 History Opened 1926 Former Owner(s) East Indian Railway Company Traffic Passengers (Daily) 360,000 ([1]) Coordinates: 28°38′35″N 77°13′09″E / 28.64306°N 77.21917°E
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[1]. 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.
Contents
History
Before the new imperial capital New Delhi 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.[2] In 1927-28, New Delhi Capital Works project involving construction of 4.79 miles (7.71 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.[3][4]
Modernisation
New arrival area
In 2007, Terry Farrell 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 is planned to be operational by the time of the games. [5] The redevelopment was expected to cost
6,000 crore (US$1.2 billion) and 13 consortiums have placed bids to win the contract to upgrade and modernize the terminal [6] on a Build-Operate-Transfer basis for 30 years.[7]
New-Delhi Railway stationThe station occupies 86 hectares of land [8] and 10-20% of it (50 acres) could be used for retail and commercial use.[7] 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. [1]
Services
Some of the most important trains among 100 that originate from New Delhi are:
- Bhopal Shatabadi Express
- Lucknow Swarn Shatabadi Express
- Mumbai Rajdhani
- Howrah Rajdhani
- Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express
- Secunderabad Rajdhani Express
- Patna Rajdhani Express
- Ranchi Rajdhani Express
- Kalka Shatabdi Express
- Amritsar Shatabdi Express
- Sampoorna Kranti Express to Patna
- Vaishali Express to Barauni
- Sapt Kranti Express to Muzaffarpur
- New Delhi - Jabalpur Express
- Lucknow Mail
- Prayagraj Express
- Karnataka Express
- Kerala Express to Thiruvananthapuram (Longest Running train in India with daily services)
- Tamil Nadu Express
- Andhra Pradesh Express
- Purshottam Express to Puri
- Kashi Vishwanath Express to Varanasi
- 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 Delhi 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.[9]
Gallery
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Skyline of New Delhi from the station
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New Delhi Railway Station
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People thronging outside the station
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Mumbai bound Rajdhani Express about to leave the New Delhi Railway Station
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People boarding a train
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Entrance porch to New Delhi Railway Station.
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International Tourism Bureau at New Delhi Railway Station.
See also
References
- ^ a b c New Delhi gets new railway station building The Hindu, Sep 16, 2009.
- ^ "CP's blueprint: Bath's Crescent". Hindustan Times. February 8, 2011. http://www.hindustantimes.com/CP-s-blueprint-Bath-s-Crescent/Article1-659739.aspx.
- ^ "A fine balance of luxury and care". Hindustan Times. July 21, 2011. http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/chunk-ht-ui-newdelhi100years-topstories/A-fine-balance-of-luxury-and-care/Article1-723880.aspx.
- ^ "When Railways nearly derailed New Delhi". Hindustan Times. January 18, 2011. http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/When-Railways-nearly-derailed-New-Delhi/Article1-652023.aspx.
- ^ Terry Farrell & Partners to design Delhi Rly station Business Line, July 4, 2007.
- ^ Rly in jam over cross holding of shares by New Delhi bidders Outlook (magazine), September 22, 2008.
- ^ a b [http://business.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?100465
- ^ The Times Of India. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/Railways/New_Delhi_station_to_be_equipped_with_hi-tech_lighting_system/rssarticleshow/3228132.cms.
- ^ "2 new metro stations on IGI link from today". The Times of India. Aug 15, 2011. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-15/delhi/29889056_1_dhaula-kuan-station-r-infra-officials-new-delhi-railway-station.
External links
- New Delhi Railway Station map
- Satellite View of New Delhi Railway Station
- Farrell website
- TFP Farrells website
External links
Categories:- Delhi railway division
- Railway stations in Delhi
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