North Western Railway zone

"North Western Railway" redirects here. For other uses, see North Western Railway (disambiguation).

North Western Railway

11-North Western Railway
Overview
Headquarters	Jaipur
Locale	Rajasthan
Dates of operation	2002; 23 years ago (2002)–
Predecessor	Northern Railway zone Western Railway zone
Technical
Track gauge	Mixed
Other
Website	NWR official website

The North Western Railway (abbreviated NWR) is one of 19 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Jaipur.^[1] It has a route length of more than 5,761 kilometres (3,580 mi) across the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana. NWR operates international rail service Thar Express from Jodhpur to Karachi. This zone is the key enabler of the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project by virtue of running railways 1,500 km long Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.

History

Extent of the Indian railway network in 1909

In 1882, a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)-wide metre-gauge line from Marwar Junction to Pali was built by the Rajputana Railway. It was extended to Luni in 1884 and Jodhpur on 9 March 1886. New Jodhpur Railway was later combined with Bikaner Railway to form Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway in 1890, when the Bikaner Princely State and Jodhpur Princely State started constructing the Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway within the Rajputana Agency. In 1892, the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)-wide metre gauge Jodhpur–Bikaner line was commissioned under the Rajputana–Malwa Railway, Jodhpur–Merta Road section was commissioned on 7 April, the Merta Road-Nagaur section on 15 October, and the Nagaur-Bikaner section on 8 December. In 1901, Jodhpur–Bikaner line combined with Jodhpur–Hyderabad Railway, some part of this railway is in Pakistan, leading to connection with Hyderabad of Sindh Province. In 1902–03, the Jodhpur–Bikaner line was extended to Bathinda in 1902–03 to connect it with the metre-gauge section of the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway and the metre gauge of North Western Railway Delhi–Fazilka line via Hanumangarh.^[2] In 1925, the combined entity Jodhpur and Bikaner Railways was split to function as two independent Railway companies. After Independence, a part of Jodhpur Railway went to West Pakistan.^[2][3] In 1926, the workshop at Bikaner (Lalgarh) was set up to carry out periodic overhauling of metre gauge coaches and wagons.^[4][5] In 1952, on 6 November the Jodhpur–Bikaner line was merged with the Western Railway.^[6] Sometime around or prior to 1992, the construction work for the conversion from metre gauge to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)-wide 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge of the Jodhpur–Bikaner line, along with the link to Phulera, were started,^[7] and it was already functioning as broad gauge Jodhpur–Merta City–Bikaner–Bathinda line by 2008.^[8] In 2002, on 1 October the North Western Railway zone came into existence.^[9] In 2012, the Bikaner Heritage Rail Museum was opened at Bikaner to displays items related to the Jodhpur and Bikaner Railway.^[10]

In 1884, The Rajputana–Malwa Railway extended the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)-wide metre-gauge Delhi–Rewari section of Delhi–Fazilka line to Bathinda,^{[11][12][unreliable source?]} which was The Southern Punjab Railway Co. opened the Delhi–Bathinda–Samasatta line in 1897.^[13] The line passed through Muktasar and Fazilka tehsils and provided direct connection through Samma Satta (now in Pakistan) to Karachi.^[14]

On 18 February 2006, Thar Express, an Indian non-stop international passenger train operated weekly by Indian Railways using its own coaches and locomotives, between Jodhpur in India and Karachi in Pakistan.^[15][16]

Earlier, Sindh Mail train operated on this route from 1900 to 1965 when the track was bombed out by the Pakistan Air Force in Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Thar Link Express was run started after 41 years in 2006 based on the earlier rail communication agreement. The rail communication agreement was signed by India and Pakistan in 1976, to ease the soured relations after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 for the successful liberation of Bangladesh by Indian Army. The rail communication agreement is renewable every three years, and currently it is valid until January 2019.^[17][18]

In the 1990s, the Delhi–Jaipur line and Jaipur–Ahmedabad line were converted to broad gauge (BG). In 2007, the line going toward Ratlam Junction from Phulera to Chittaurgarh was converted to BG.

Between 2008 and 2011, the Bikaner–Rewari line was converted to broad gauge.^[19]

In 2009, the metre-gauge Hisar–Sadulpur section was converted to broad gauge.^[19][20]

By December 2017, railways for the first time installed 6,095 GPS-enabled "Fog Pilot Assistance System" railway signalling devices in four most affected zones, Northern Railway zone, North Central Railway zone, North Eastern Railway zone and North Western Railway zone, by doing away with the old practice of putting firecrackers on train tracks to alter train divers running trains on snail's pace. With these devices, train pilots precisely know in advance, about the location of signals, level-crossing gates and other such approaching markers.^[21]

Organisation

This zone was formed on 1 October 2002, comprising four divisions: Jodhpur and reorganized Bikaner division of the erstwhile Northern Railway zone, and reorganized Jaipur and Ajmer divisions of the erstwhile Western Railway zone.

Ajmer railway division

The Ajmer railway division, founded on 5 November 1951, has ~9,050 employees handling 48 passenger trains across 141 stations (15 main stations with Computerized Passenger Reservation System), covering the elongated elliptical shaped loop railway network in Marwar region central Rajasthan, from Pushkar to Palanpur via Marwar, and from Palanpur back to Pushkar via Chittorgarh. The main goods traffic are the export of cement from Ajmer district, and rock phosphate and soapstone powder from Udaipur district. The passenger segment handles traffic on the prominent religious and tourist circuit of Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Pushkar, Dilwara Jain Temples at Mount Abu and Ranakpur Jain temple.

Bikaner railway division

The Bikaner railway division, founded in 1924, has ~12,000 employees handling 142 trains across 198 stations (14 with Computerized Passenger Reservation System), covering the eastern Rajasthan, western and southern triangular half of Haryana (railway line network from Rewari–Bhiwani to Hisar, Sirsa and Dabwali, Rohtak to Hansi–Hisar), and a very small corner of south west Punjab (Sirsa to Bhatinda). The quantum of traffic is equally split between goods and passenger segment, with food grains, china clay and gypsum being the main outbound goods traffic.

Jaipur railway division

The Jaipur railway division was formed after merging parts of Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway, Jaipur State Railway and Rajputana–Malwa Railway. It has ~10,250 employees handling 146 trains across 128 stations (14 with Computerized Passenger Reservation System), covering the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. a very small corner of south west Punjab (Sirsa to Bathinda). 85% of the income is from the passenger traffic. It forms a logistics hub for the cross traffic of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, carrying fertilizer, cement, oil, salt, food grains, oil seeds, limestone and gypsum traffic, with bulk container loading facilities.

Jodhpur railway division

The Jodhpur railway division, with origin going back to 1882, was founded on 5 November 1951. It has ~14,000 employees handling 92 trains across 144 stations (15 with Computerized Passenger Reservation System), It covers Jodhpur, Pali Marwar, Nagaur, Jalore, Barmer, Jaisalmer districts in Rajasthan and certain districts of Gujarat state. The main goods export traffic consists of limestone, salt and gypsum.

Divisions

• Jaipur railway division
• Ajmer railway division
• Jodhpur railway division
• Bikaner railway division

Medical facilities

For the employees and their families, the zone also has the following healthcare facilities:

• Zonal hospitals
  • Jaipur Zonal Railway Hospital near Jaipur Junction
• Divisional hospitals
  • Ajmer Divisional Railway Hospital near Ajmer Junction
  • Bikaner Divisional Railway Hospital near Bikaner Junction
  • Jodhpur Divisional Railway Hospital near Jodhpur Junction
• Sub-divisional hospitals
  • Rewari Sub-Divisional Railway Hospital near Rewari (Bikaner division)
  • Bandikui Sub-Divisional Railway Hospital near Bandikui Junction (Jaipur division)
  • Ajmer Sub-Divisional Railway Hospital near Abu Road (Ajmer division)
  • Udaipur Sub-Divisional Railway Hospital near Rana Pratap Nagar at Udaipur (Jodhpur division)
• Health units, 29 in total
• First aid posts, 2 in total

Route and track length

This railway zone has a total of 578 stations, covering a total of 5,449.29 kilometres (3,386.03 mi) route kilometers out of which 2,575.03 kilometres (1,600.05 mi) are broad gauge and 2,874.23 kilometres (1,785.96 mi) are metre gauge (c. 2009), and 7,329.80 kilometres (4,554.53 mi) track kilometers out of6,696.36 kilometres (4,160.93 mi) are broad gauge and 733.44 kilometres (455.74 mi) are metre gauge (c. 2009).

• North Western Railway zone
  • Route km: broad gauge 2,575.03 kilometres (1,600.05 mi), metre gauge 2,874.23 kilometres (1,785.96 mi), total 5,449.29 kilometres (3,386.03 mi)
  • Track km: broad gauge 6,696.36 kilometres (4,160.93 mi), metre gauge 733.44 kilometres (455.74 mi), total 7,329.80 kilometres (4,554.53 mi)
  • Ajmer railway division
    • Route km: broad gauge 732.56 kilometres (455.19 mi), metre gauge 442.29 kilometres (274.83 mi), total 1,174.85 kilometres (730.02 mi)
    • Track km: broad gauge 1,149.0 kilometres (714.0 mi), metre gauge 466.73 kilometres (290.01 mi), total 1,617.83 kilometres (1,005.27 mi)
  • Bikaner railway division: covers Rajasthan and parts of Railway in Haryana
    • Route km: broad gauge 1,730.96 kilometres (1,075.57 mi), metre gauge 48.76 kilometres (30.30 mi), total 1,779.72 kilometres (1,105.87 mi)
    • Track km: broad gauge 2,182.31 kilometres (1,356.02 mi), metre gauge 51.17 kilometres (31.80 mi), total 2,233.58 kilometres (1,387.88 mi)
  • Jaipur railway division
    • Route km: broad gauge 830.20 kilometres (515.86 mi), metre gauge 196.61 kilometres (122.17 mi), total 1,026.81 kilometres (638.03 mi)
    • Track km: broad gauge 1,385.13 kilometres (860.68 mi), metre gauge 213.53 kilometres (132.68 mi), total 1,598.66 kilometres (993.36 mi)
  • Jodhpur railway division
    • Route km: broad gauge 1,568.42 kilometres (974.57 mi) 1,568 km, metre gauge 0 km, total 1,568.42 kilometres (974.57 mi)
    • Track km: broad gauge 1,979.73 kilometres (1,230.15 mi), metre gauge 0 km, total 1,979.73 kilometres (1,230.15 mi)

Rail transport infrastructure

The zone has the following types of locomotive engines: (Legends: W – broad gauge, D – diesel, G – goods, M – mixed, P – passenger)

• Ajmer railway division
  • Abu Road (ABR) diesel sheds: WDM-2s, WDM-3s, WDG-3A and WDG-4s,
• Jodhpur railway division
  • Bhagat Ki Kothi (BGKT) sheds at Jodhpur: WDM-2, WDGs, WDP-4s, WDM-3As
• Jaipur railway division
  • Phulera Junction sheds: YDM-4 meter gauge locomotives

Trains

Some of the major trains operated by North Western Railways are as follows:

Number	Train name	Starting station	Terminating station
12977/12978	Marusagar Express	Ajmer	Ernakulam
14854/14864/14866	Marudhar Express (via Faizabad)	Jodhpur	Varanasi
19667/19668	Udaipur City–Mysuru Palace Queen Humsafar Express	Udaipur	Mysuru
22985/22986	Udaipur City–Delhi Sarai Rohilla Rajasthan Humsafar Express	Udaipur	Delhi Sarai Rohilla
12963/12964	Hazrat Nizamuddin–Udaipur City Mewar Superfast Express	Udaipur	Hazarat Nizamuddin

Training

The zone has the following training institutes:

• Zonal Railway Training Institute, Udaipur in Ajmer division
• Diesel Traction Training Centre, Abu Road in Ajmer division
• Divisional Training Centre (Engineering), Ajmer
• Supervisor's Training Centre, Ajmer
• Basic Training Centre (C&W), Ajmer
• Basic Training Centre(Loco), Ajmer
• Area Training Centre, Ajmer
• Divisional Training Centre (Engineering), Bandikui
• Area Training Centre, Bandikui
• Divisional Training Centre(Traffic, C&W, Civil), Lalgarh, Bikaner
• Basic Training Centre, Bikaner
• Railway Police Force (RPF) Training Centre, Bandikui
• Divisional Training Centre (Engineering), Jodhpur
• Carriage & Wagon Training Centre, Jodhpur
• Diesel Traction Training Centre, Bhagat Ki Kothi, Jodhpur
• Personnel Training Centre, Jodhpur
• Transportation Training Centre, Jodhpur
• Basic Training Centre, Jodhpur

Loco sheds

• Diesel Loco Shed, Abu Road
• Diesel Loco Shed, Bhagat Ki Kothi

See also

• All India Station Masters' Association (AISMA)
• Zones and divisions of Indian Railways

References

1. "Railway Zones and Divisions in The Country". Press Information Bureau. Ministry of Railways (Government of India). 21 July 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
2. "Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway". fibis. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
3. "IR History: Part II (1870-1899)". IRFCA. Archived from the original on 26 July 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
4. "Sheds and workshops". IRFCA. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
5. "Brief History of Bikaner Workshop" (PDF). North Western Railway. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
6. "Western railway history".
7. "Written answers to Question asked in Parliament". Railway expansion programme in Rajasthan. Government of India. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
8. "Railway line along Indian border". Press Information Bureau, Govt. of India. 21 April 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
9. "North Western railway history". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
10. "Bikana Heritage Rail Museum opened for public viewing". The Times of India. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
11. "Gazetteer of India, Haryana, Hisar" (PDF). Haryana Government. Communications, page 135. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
12. "Rajputana Malwa State Railway". fibis. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
13. "IR History: Early Days II (1870-1899)". Archived from the original on 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
14. "Chapter VII Communications". Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
15. "Greater Kashmir news". greaterkashmir.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
16. IRFCA: Pakistan Railway Train Names Author: Owais Mughal, Retrieved on 1 July 2013
17. "[IRFCA] Indian Railways FAQ: Geography : International". IRFCA. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
18. How to get to Pakistan, The Hindu, 12 May 2017
19. "Overview of Bikaner Division" (PDF). North Western Railway. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
20. "Bathinda–Rewari line route map". India Rail Info.
21. Indian Railways to use GPS-enabled devices to fight fog this season, Economic Times, 12 Dec 2017.

External links

• North Western Railway website