Varanasi–Lucknow line

Varanasi–Ayodhya –Lucknow line
वाराणसी-अयोध्या-लखनऊ रेल लाइन
Varanasi–Ayodhya –Lucknow line; वाराणसी-अयोध्या-लखनऊ रेल लाइन;
	Lucknow Charbagh the starting station of Varanasi–Ayodhya-Lucknow line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	Gangetic Plain in Uttar Pradesh
Termini	Varanasi; Lucknow;
Stations	On Varanasi–Ayodhya–Lucknow line Jaunpur Junction, Ayodhya Junction, Akbarpur Junction On Jaunpur–Prayagraj line, Prayagraj-Ayodhya Maine line, Ayodhya-Gorkhapur line Mariyahu, Janghai, Phulpur, Phaphamau.
Service
Operator(s)	Northern Railway for main line; North Central Railway partially for branch line
Depot(s)	Lucknow Junction, Ayodhya Junction
History
Opened	1872
Technical
Track length	via Jaunpur and Ayodhya 324 km (201 mi)
Track gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge Double broad gauge Sanctioned
Electrification	Yes completed in March 2022
Operating speed	up to 100 km/h
Highest elevation	Varanasi 82 m (269 ft); Lucknow 123 m (404 ft)
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	Varanasi–Rae Bareli–
	Lucknow line
	Tanda Thermal
	Power House
	Allahabad–Mau–Gorakhpur
	main line
	Varanasi–Sultanpur–
	Lucknow line
	Allahabad–Mau–Gorakhpur
	main line
	Varanasi–Rae Bareli–
	Lucknow line

The Varanasi–Ayodhya–Lucknow line (also known as Varanasi–Lucknow via Ayodhya main line) is a railway line connecting Varanasi and Lucknow, both in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The main line was subsequently extended to Bareilly, Moradabad and Saharanpur and the entire line was thought of as the "main line" of Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway. An important branch line, the Prayagraj–Ayodhya line, which meets the main line almost at right angles, is included here. The main line is under the administrative jurisdiction of Northern Railway, a portion of the branch line is under the jurisdiction of North Central Railway.

History

The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway opened the 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge line from Varanasi to Lucknow in 1872.^[1]^[2] The line was extended to Ayodhya as ‘Ayodhya Loop’.^[3]

The Curzon Bridge across the Ganges was opened in 1905 by the East Indian Railway Company and the 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)-wide 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge Prayagraj–Ayodhya line was possibly opened the same year. It was operated by the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway.^[4]

The loop line of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway from Benares through Ayodhya to Lucknow traverses the Jaunpur District from south to north, while the main line of the same railway crosses the south-west corner. A branch from Zafarabad to Phaphamau on the Ganges is under construction ib n 1905,^{[clarification needed]} which will give access to Prayagraj. Shahganj is connected with Azamgarh, and Jaunpur city with Ghazipur, by branches of the Bengal and North Western Railway.

Passenger movement

Varanasi and Lucknow on the main line, and Prayagraj on a branch line are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.^[5]

Sheds, workshops and manufacturing facilities

Lucknow diesel loco shed or Alambagh diesel shed is home to 160+ locomotives, including WDM-2, WDM-3A, WDM-3D, WDG-3A and WDG-4 varieties. Charbagh locomotive workshops handle periodical overhaul jobs. Allahabad has an engineering workshop.^[6]

Banaras Locomotive Works at Varanasi initially assembled ALCO kits. Subsequently, with technology transfer from GM EMD, it produces advanced diesel locomotives with high efficiency and low maintenance costs. It produces around 240 locomotives annually.^[7]

Railway reorganisation

Around 1872, the Indian Branch Railway Company was transformed into Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway.^[8]^[9]^[10] Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway was merged with East Indian Railway Company in 1925.^[11] dia took over the Bengal and North Western Railway and merged it with the Rohilkhand and Kumaon Railway to form the Oudh and Tirhut Railway in 1943.^[12]

In 1952, Eastern Railway, Northern Railway and North Eastern Railway were formed. Eastern Railway was formed with a portion of East Indian Railway Company, east of Mughalsarai and Bengal Nagpur Railway. Northern Railway was formed with a portion of East Indian Railway Company west of Mughal Sarai, Jodhpur Railway, Bikaner Railway and Eastern Punjab Railway. North Eastern Railway was formed with Oudh and Tirhut Railway, Assam Railway and a portion of Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway.^[13] East Central Railway was created in 1996–97.^[14] North Central Railway was formed in 2003.^[15]

References

^ "IR History: Early Days II (1870-1899)". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway". fibis. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway". Management Ebooks. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ Gales, R. R. (January 1908). "The Curzon Bridge at Prayagraj". Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 174 (1908). ice virtual library: 1–40. doi:10.1680/imotp.1908.17544. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. IRFCA. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "Sheds and workshops". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "Production Units & Workshops". Diesel Loco Works, Varanasi. IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "IR History: Early History (1832-1869)". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "The . Railway" (PDF). Old Martinian Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "Indian Branch Railway". fibis. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "IR History III : (1900-1947)". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "Bengal and North Western Railway". fibis. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "Geography – Railway Zones". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "East Central Railway". ECR. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ "North Central Railway". NCR. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

External links

[irfcaii-1] "IR History: Early Days II (1870-1899)". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[fibis-2] "Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway". fibis. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[3] "Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway". Management Ebooks. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[4] Gales, R. R. (January 1908). "The Curzon Bridge at Prayagraj". Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 174 (1908). ice virtual library: 1–40. doi:10.1680/imotp.1908.17544. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[5] "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. IRFCA. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[sheds-6] "Sheds and workshops". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[7] "Production Units & Workshops". Diesel Loco Works, Varanasi. IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[irfcai-8] "IR History: Early History (1832-1869)". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[9] "The . Railway" (PDF). Old Martinian Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[10] "Indian Branch Railway". fibis. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[11] "IR History III : (1900-1947)". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[12] "Bengal and North Western Railway". fibis. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[13] "Geography – Railway Zones". IRFCA. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[14] "East Central Railway". ECR. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[15] "North Central Railway". NCR. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

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v t e Railways in Northern India
National network/ trunk lines	Howrah–Delhi main line New Delhi–Chennai main line New Delhi–Mumbai main line Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line Delhi–Jaipur line Jaipur–Ahmedabad line
Branch lines/ sections	Agra–Bhopal section Ahmedabad–Udaipur line Allahabad–Mau–Gorakhpur main line Ambala–Attari line Amritsar–Khem Karan line Amritsar–Pathankot line Aunrihar–Jaunpur line Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines Bathinda–Rewari line Bathinda–Rajpura line Bikaner–Rewari line Bhanupli–Leh line Chandigarh–Sahnewal line Delhi–Fazilka line Delhi–Kalka line Delhi–Meerut–Saharanpur line Delhi–Moradabad line Jalandhar–Firozpur line Jalandhar–Jammu line Jammu–Baramulla line Jodhpur–Bathinda line Jodhpur–Jaisalmer line Kanpur–Delhi section Laksar–Dehradun line Lucknow–Gorakhpur line Lucknow–Moradabad line Ludhiana–Fazilka line Ludhiana–Jakhal line Marwar Junction–Munabao line Mathura–Vadodara section Mau–Ghazipur–Dildarnagar main line Merta Road–Rewari line Moradabad–Ambala line Mughalsarai–Kanpur section Rewari–Rohtak line Shri Ganganagar–Sadulpur line Suratgarh–Bathinda line Varanasi–Chhapra line Varanasi–Lucknow main line Varanasi–Rae Bareli–Lucknow line Varanasi–Sultanpur–Lucknow line
Urban and suburban rail transport	Delhi Suburban Railway Delhi Metro (Blue Green Grey Magenta Orange Pink Red Violet Yellow) Rapid Metro Gurgaon Lucknow–Kanpur Suburban Railway Barabanki–Lucknow Suburban Railway Delhi–Meerut RRTS
Heritage railways	Kalka–Shimla Railway
Monorails	Patiala State Monorail Trainways
Defunct lines	Jammu–Sialkot line
Manufacturing units and workshops	Banaras Locomotive Works Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli
Railway companies	Northern Railway North Eastern Railway North Central Railway North Western Railway East Indian Railway Company Kangra Valley Railway Rajputana–Malwa Railway Tirhut Railway Oudh and Tirhut Railway Indian Branch Railway Company Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Cawnpore–Burhwal Railway Cawnpore–Barabanki Railway Lucknow–Bareilly Railway Bengal and North Western Railway Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway Mashrak–Thawe Extension Railway Lucknow–Sitapur–Seramow Provincial State Railway Bareilly–Pilibheet Provincial State Railway Segowlie–Raxaul Railway Delhi Metro Rail Corporation National Capital Region Transport Corporation
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) 1974 railway strike in India Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor