Delhi Ring Railway

The Delhi Ring railway, a part of Delhi's suburban railway services, is a 35-kilometre circular railway network in Delhi that runs parallel to the Ring Road. It was laid back in 1975 primarily to service freight trains that could bypass the crowded and passenger-heavy Old Delhi and New Delhi railway stations. The network was upgraded for the 1982 Asian Games with the introduction of 24 additional services. Its circular route is 35 km (22 mi) long, which the trains takes 90–120 minutes to complete, both clockwise and anti-clockwise via the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station from 8 am to 7 pm. With a return ticket for the entire journey costing ₹12 (16¢ US), compared to with Delhi Metro, which is around ₹60 (79¢ US), it is preferred by poor and middle-class families.[1][2][3] It runs seven clockwise and six anti-clockwise trains at a peak frequency of 60 to 90 minutes during the morning and evening rush hours. Prior to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, 7 stations near the sports venues, namely Chanakyapuri, Sarojini Nagar, Inderpuri Halt, Lajpat Nagar, Sewa Nagar, Lodhi Colony and Safdarjung, received a facelift at the cost of ₹3 crore (US$393,703).[4][5]

Delhi Ring Railway
Overview
LocaleDelhi, India
TerminiHazrat Nizamuddin
Hazrat Nizamuddin
Service
TypeSuburban Rail
SystemDelhi Suburban Railway
Operator(s)Northern Railway
Daily ridership3,700
History
Opened1975
Technical
Line length35 km (22 mi)
CharacterAt Grade
Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Route map
km
Patel Nagar
Dayabasti
Kirti Nagar
Delhi Sarai Rohilla
Naraina Vihar
Delhi Kishanganj
Indrapuri
Sadar Bazar
Brar Square
New Delhi
Sardar Patel Marg
Shivaji Bridge
Chanakyapuri
Tilak Bridge
Safdarjung
Pragati Maidan
Sarojini Nagar
Hazrat Nizamuddin
Lodhi Colony
Lajpat Nagar
 Sewa Nagar

History

The ring-railway service was introduced on a track laid in 1975 so that the large number of goods trains originating, terminating, or passing through the city, could bypass the main passenger stations at New Delhi, Old Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin.[5] The track was called the 'Delhi Avoiding Line'. Today, however, the Northern Railway's service for passengers within the city has become something which Delhiites are avoiding. There are 12 electric trains on the ring rail. Only three of the twelve EMUs run to full capacity. The rest have just 1-2% occupancy. The ring railway starts and ends at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station with trains running in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions around the city.

Tilak Bridge railway station

List of Stations

List of 21 railway stations in clockwise direction (starting from Hazrat Nizamuddin) is as follows:[6]

Popularity

The ring railway service was quite popular through the 80s and 90s when Delhi's transport infrastructure was just gathering pace, but since then, with the rapid expansion of the Delhi Metro coupled with an extensive bus network, the ring railway has remained neglected by the city as well as the Railways. On average, only 3700 passengers take the trains every day. The biggest reason for the failure of the railway is a lack of a feeder network, such as approach roads and feeder buses to the stations. The stations are situated at remote locations and are difficult to access by passengers. There is also a problem of security as many stations have been encroached. The trains on this network also run behind schedule most of the time. The network is now utilized as a freight corridor and limited passenger train services are available during peak hours.[7][8][9]

See also

References
  1. "The road around progress". Mint. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  2. Varma, Vishnu (11 March 2016). "Ring Railway left behind as Delhi swells beyond boundaries". The Indian Express. New Delhi. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  3. Sharma, Manoj (19 November 2017). "Travelling between hope and despair: Delhi's own local awaits a revival push". Hindustan Times. New Delhi. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  4. "Changing Delhi map makes Ring Railway redundant". Indian Express. 22 February 2011.
  5. "Ring Rail service chugs into oblivion". Deccan Herald. 4 February 2012.
  6. "Decongesting Delhi: Mega plan to link Capital's ring rail, Metro network". Hindustan Times. 15 February 2018.
  7. Varma, Vishnu (11 March 2016). "Ring Railway left behind as Delhi swells beyond boundaries". The Indian Express. New Delhi. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  8. "Changing Delhi map makes Ring Railway redundant". Indian Express. 22 February 2011.
  9. "Ring Rail service chugs into oblivion". Deccan Herald. 4 February 2012.
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