Northern Railway – Divisions at a Glance
Northern Railway (NR) is the oldest and largest zone of Indian Railways in terms of route km and staff strength.
Head-quarters: Baroda House, New Delhi
Date of formation: 14 April 1952 (re-organisation of East Indian Railway & Oudh & Rohilkhand Railway)
Present Divisions: Delhi, Ambala, Firozpur, Lucknow, Moradabad
1. Technical & Operational Profile
| Parameter | Delhi | Ambala | Firozpur | Lucknow | Moradabad |
|---|
| Route km (2023) | 1 086 | 1 248 | 1 490 | 1 026 | 1 359 |
| Track km (incl. YD & siding) | 2 410 | 2 860 | 3 220 | 2 190 | 2 970 |
| Electrification % | 100 % | 100 % | 92 % | 100 % | 96 % |
| Avg. daily train handling | 510 | 310 | 280 | 220 | 350 |
| Major loco shed | Tughlakabad (TKD) | Ludhiana (LDH) | Ludhiana (LDH) | Lucknow (LJN) | Moradabad (MB) |
| Coaching depots | Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Anand Vihar | Ambala Cantt | Firozpur Cantt | Lucknow Jn, Gomti Nagar | Moradabad, Bareilly |
2. Key Infrastructure & Specifications
Delhi Division
- Yard remodelling: New Delhi–Shivaji Bridge 4th line commissioned 2022.
- Station categories:
– NSG-1: New Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar Terminal
– SG-2: Delhi Jn, Delhi Sarai Rohilla - Automatic signalling: 165 RKM (Route km) with 60 kg 90 UTS rails & SSD switches.
- OHE: 25 kV, 50 Hz, catenary 1.45 m wind regulation, 7.57 m min. height for DFCC alignment.
Ambala Division
- World’s longest electrified tunnel (Roopal–Kalka, 3.24 km) on Kalka–Shimla heritage section (non-electrified).
- Track structure: 52 kg/60 kg on main line, 90 UTS rails, LWR 1 in 12 & 1 in 8½ switches.
- Level crossings: 330 (2023), 92 % provided with lifting barriers & interlocking.
Firozpur Division
- Border division: 183 km touching Pakistan (Wagah-Attari).
- Freight load: 52 MT in 2022–23 (mainly food-grains, fertiliser, POL).
- Gati-Shakti freight terminal: 5 (Abohar, Fazilka, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Khanna).
Lucknow Division
- Doubling & new line:
– Lucknow–Ayodhya–Darshan Nagar 3rd line (2021)
– Gomti Nagar–Malhour 4th line (2023) - MEMU car-shed: Gomti Nagar (India’s 1st 12-car MEMU maintenance facility).
Moradabad Division
- Electrified freight corridor: EDFC (Khurja–Bhaupur) 345 km inside division.
- Wagon repair depots: Mughalsarai, Bareilly, Moradabad.
- Rajbhasha implementation: 1st division to achieve 100 % Hindi correspondence (2020).
3. Historical Milestones
| Year | Event |
|---|
| 1854 | First passenger train from Delhi to Rewari (SCNB route) – 1 Dec. |
| 1864 | Delhi Junction building completed (Lutyens-inspired red-stone). |
| 1866 | Ambala Cantt–Kalka line opened for British summer capital. |
| 1870 | Firozpur–Lahore (now in Pakistan) through mail started. |
| 1926 | Moradabad workshop set up for carriage & wagon overhaul. |
| 1952 | Northern Railway carved out; Delhi, Ambala, Firozpur become original divisions. |
| 1953 | Lucknow division carved from O&RR section. |
| 1988 | Moradabad division created to cater Uttarakhand & W. U.P. |
| 1997 | Anand Vihar Terminal sanctioned to decongest New Delhi. |
| 2005 | Delhi–Agra–Delhi main line first to get 150 km/h Shatabdi with WAP-5. |
| 2018 | Delhi division first to achieve 100 % LED station lighting. |
| 2020 | Ambala division trials of LPG-RET (Railway Environment-friendly Train). |
| 2023 | Firozpur division completes ETCS-L1 (Kavach) on 312 RKM Amritsar–Jalandhar–Ludhiana section. |
4. Current Status & Recent Updates (2023-24)
- Kavach (indigenous ATP): 1 200 RKM sanctioned on NR; pilot on Delhi–Agra & Ambala–Ludhiana.
- Amrit Bharat (push-pull): New Delhi–Ayodhya & Anand Vihar–Malda flagged off 30 Dec 2023.
- Vande Bharat (2.0): Delhi–Ambala–Chandigarh & Delhi–Dehradun VB services (16 trips/week).
- Station redevelopment (Amrit stations): 54 stations under NR – 14 in Delhi division alone (Izzat-nagar, Saharanpur, Aligarh, etc.).
- Freight corridors:
– EDFC (Eastern DFC) operational Mughalsarai–Khurja–Dadri (Moradabad division).
– WDFC (Western DFC) enters Delhi division at Dadri & Tughlakabad. - Green initiatives: 1 028 MW solar rooftops sanctioned; 40 % already installed at Shakurbasti, Lucknow Jn, Moradabad.
- New lines in progress:
– Chandigarh–Sahnewal–Ludhiana 3rd line (cost ₹2 018 cr, 97 km).
– Rishikesh–Karnaprayag (125 km, Char-Dham project) – 65 % complete. - Budget 2024-25 allocation: ₹18 900 cr for Northern Railway (highest among all zones).
5. Quick-Fire Facts for Exam
- Longest platform in NR: Gorakhpur (now under NER but was part of NR till 1952).
- Highest rail bridge: Chenab (not in NR) – NR’s highest is Chakki (66 m) on Pathankot–Joginder Nagar.
- Northern Railway network: 7 114 route km (2023) – 12 % of IR.
- Staff strength: 1.03 lakh (largest among zones).
- Passenger earnings share: 28 % of IR (because of Delhi hub).
- UNESCO heritage: Kalka–Shimla & Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Mumbai) – only Kalka–Shimla lies in NR.
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