Nagpur Junction railway station

Nagpur Junction (station code: NGP) is a railway station in Nagpur, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is an important junction station on the Howrah–Mumbai and Delhi–Chennai trunk line of the Indian Railways. It belongs to the A1 category of railway stations and is one of the top 100 stations of the Indian Railways system in terms of total bookings.

History
Nagpur Junction is one of the oldest and busiest stations in Maharashtra. Railways came to Nagpur in 1867, when a portion of the Bombay-Bhusaval-Nagpur line was opened for traffic. In 1881, it was connected to Kolkata via the Nagpur State Railway of Chhattisgarh. The laying of the foundation stone of the existing building was done in 1906. It was officially inaugurated on 15 January 1925 by then Governor Sir Frank Sly. Before 1924, the original railway station was located towards the east of its current site near Shukrawari Lake. The present-day railway station was also put up in the pre-independence days. It has become a major tourist destination.

Services
Nagpur is the divisional headquarters of two railway zones, Central Railway and South East Central Railway. Nagpur division has GT Route from Itarsi to Ballarshah and Mumbai-Howrah route from Gondia to Badnera. North-South and East-West traffic crisscrosses through the Division, making its Nagpur-Wardha section one of the busiest sections in Indian Railways. It has 3 branch lines connecting Amla-Chhindwara, Narkhed-Amravati & Majri-Pimpalkutti on Broad Gauge and one branch line Pulgaon-Arvi in Narrow Gauge. Shortest run by Indian Railways’ train is the scheduled services between Nagpur and Ajni stations situated just 3 km from each other.

Around 254 Mail/Express and Passenger trains halt at the station, with approximately 185,000 passengers embarking and disembarking. 22 trains originate from and terminate at this station. Direct trains are available for most of the state capitals and major cities in india, including: Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata.

There are 6 railway stations within the extended city limit

Development
In 2008, Nagpur Junction was among 22 stations in India that were recommended to be upgraded to meet international standards. Priority areas were identified: security, safety, and cleanliness. Work was to be undertaken via public–private partnerships and the Central Railway.

Salwa–Butibori Chord Line
There is detention to freight trains due to conflict and priority to Mail, Express and Passenger trains. While line capacity is being augmented on the corridors leading to Nagpur by construction of a 3rd line, it is not found feasible, to lay independent lines for passing through traffic in the Nagpur area, because of space constraint.

This will decongest Nagpur, Ajni, Kalamna, and Itwari Railway Line Yards, thus facilitating the running of EMUs in and around Nagpur and reducing the detention of trains.

Nagpur Station Redevelopment
Indian Railway's Nagpur Railway station will soon have modernized makeover with massive renovation. Heritage Conservation Committee has approved the redevelopment plan of Nagpur Railway station, to be conducted by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC). The proposal was considered by the Heritage Conservation Committee, composed of eminent engineers, architects and environmentalists and the following strategy were planned:


 * Heritage Impact Assessment Report was prepared considering that the Heritage Grade II buildings have regional as well as local importance, along with special architectural, aesthetic merit, its historical and cultural significance, ornamentation, workmanship, and climate-responsive architecture.
 * It is proposed in the plan to declutter heritage building by relocating the surrounding similar-looking buildings and enhance beauty as well as the grandeur of the heritage building. The proposal also introduced a lift for universal accessibility as well as to modernize without disturbing the heritage.
 * The plan proposes to segregate passenger flows in the railway station and minimize cross-movement and clutter during peak hours.
 * The circulation corridors in the ground floor of the railway station which are currently being utilized for station administration functions will be cleared.
 * To emphasize the look and feel of the heritage block elevation, cleaning, and regular maintenance will be done.
 * The plan proposes to streamline facade controls in terms of signage, which includes type, color, size, etc.

Amenities
The main building of the station has waiting rooms for the passengers. A reception-cum-lounge is provided in the retiring rooms for the comfort of passengers during the check-in/check-out period. There are two entry/exit gates for entering and leaving the station premises. The west-end Sitabuldi side is the main entry point, other is from the cotton market side.