New Delhi–Chennai main line

The New Delhi–Chennai main line is a railway line connecting Chennai and Delhi cutting across southern part of the Eastern Coastal Plains of India, the Eastern Ghats, the Deccan Plateau and the Yamuna valley. It covers a distance of 2,182 kilometres (1,356 mi) across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The route is used by the Grand Trunk Express and as such is referred to by many as the Grand Trunk Route.

New Delhi–Chennai main line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
Termini	New Delhi Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central railway station
Service
Operator(s)	Northern Railway, North Central Railway, Central Railway, South Central Railway, Southern Railway
History
Opened	1929
Technical
Line length	2,182 km (1,356 mi)
Number of tracks	2/3/4
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE during 1980–1991
Operating speed	up to 160 km/hr
Route map Note: Minor stations omitted km 0 New Delhi Delhi Haryana   border   Uttar Pradesh border Agra Chord 141 Mathura New Delhi–Mumbai main line 191 Raja ki Mandi 195 Agra Cantonment Uttar Pradesh Rajasthan border 248 Dholpur Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh border Agra–Bhopal section 274 Morena 313 Gwalior Madhya Pradesh Uttar Pradesh border 411 Jhansi Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh border 564 Bina 610 Ganj Basoda 649 Bidisha 703 Bhopal Junction 709 Bhopal Habibganj Bhopal–Nagpur section 776 Hoshangabad Howrah–Allahabad- Mumbai line 794 Itarsi Howrah–Allahabad- Mumbai line 865 Ghoradongri 901 Betul 923 Amla 987 Pandhurna Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra border 1,006 Narkher to Howrah 1,091 Nagpur 1,168 Sewagram to Mumbai Nagpur–Kazipet section 1,201 Hinganghat 1,286 Chandrapur 1,300 Balharshah Maharashtra Telangana border 1,370 Sirpur Kaghaznagar 1,408 Bellampalli 1,428 Mancherial 1,442 Ramagundam to Secunderabad Nagpur–Secunderabad line 1,543 Warangal Kazipet–Vijayawada section 1,651 Khammam Telangana Andhra Pradesh border to Howrah–Chennai main line 1,751 Vijayawada Vijayawada–Chennai section 1,782 Tenali 1,825 Bapatla 1,840 Chirala 1,889 Ongole 2,006 Nellore 2,044 Gudur to Tirupati Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu border 2,182 Chennai Central km

Sections

The 2,182 km (1,356 mi)-long trunk line, amongst the long and busy trunk lines connecting the metros, has been treated in more detail in smaller sections:

1. Agra Chord
2. Agra–Bhopal section
3. Bhopal–Nagpur section
4. Nagpur–Kazipet section
5. Kazipet–Vijayawada section
6. Vijayawada–Chennai section

History

The Agra–Delhi chord was opened in 1904.[1] Some parts of it were relaid during the construction of New Delhi (inaugurated in 1927–28).[2]

The Agra–Gwalior line was opened by the Maharaja of Gwalior in 1881 and it became the Scindia State Railway.

The Indian Midland Railway built the Gwalior–Jhansi line and the Jhansi–Bhopal line in 1889.[3]

The Bhopal–Itarsi line was opened by the Begum of Bhopal in 1884.[3] Itarsi was linked with Nagpur between 1923 and 1924.[4]

The period of construction of the Nagpur–Balharshah line is uncertain.

The Vijayawad–Chennai line was constructed in 1899.[3]

The Wadi–Secunderabad line was built in 1874 with financing by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It later became part of Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway. In 1889, the main line of the Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway was extended to Vijayawada, then known as Bezwada.[3]

With the completion of the Kazipet–Balharshah link in 1929, Chennai was directly linked to Delhi.[1]

Electrification

The Vijayawada–Chennai section electrified by 1980.[5]

The Vijayawada–Kazipet sector was electrified in 1985–88.[6]

The Kazipet–Ramagundam–Balharshah–Nagpur sector was electrified in 1987–89.

The Bhopal–Itarsi sector was electrified in 1988–89 and the Nagpur–Itarsi sector in 1990–91.

The Agra–Bhopal sector was electrified in 1984–89.

The Agra–Faridabad section was electrified in 1982–85.[6]

Speed limits

The Delhi–Chennai line (Grand Trunk route) is classified as a "Group A" line which can take speeds up to 160 km/h.[7]

Passenger movement

New Delhi, Mathura Junction, Agra Cantt., Gwalior, Jhansi, Bhopal, Bhopal Habibganj, Nagpur, Ramagundam, Warangal, Vijayawada, Nellore and Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central railway station, on this line, are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.[8]

Diamond quadrilateral

The Delhi–Chennai line is a part of the diamond quadrilateral. The routes connecting the four major metropolises (New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata), along with their diagonals, known as the diamond quadrilateral, carry about half the freight and nearly half the passenger traffic, although they form only 16 per cent of the length.[9]

References

1. "IR History: Part III (1900–1947)". IRFCA. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
2. "A fine balance of luxury and care". Hindustan Times. 21 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
3. "IR History: Early Days – II". Chronology of railways in India, Part 2 (1870–1899). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
4. "Introduction". Nagpur Itarsi Route. Nagpur district authorities. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
5. "IR History Part VII (2000–present)". IRFCA. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
6. "History of Electrification". IRFCA. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
7. "Chapter II – The Maintenance of Permanent Way". Retrieved 17 March 2014.
8. "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 17 March 2014.
9. "Geography – Railway Zones". Major routes. IRFCA. Retrieved 17 March 2014.