New Delhi–Chennai main line

The Delhi–Chennai 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.

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:

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 Vijayawada-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, Warangal Vijayawada, Nellore and Chennai Central, 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 2 "IR History: Part III (1900-1947)". IRFCA. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
↑ "A fine balance of luxury and care". Hindusthan Times, 21 July 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
1 2 3 4 "IR History: Early Days – II". Chronology of railways in India, Part 2 (1870-1899). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
↑ "Introduction". Nagpur Itarsi Route. Nagpur district authorities. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
↑ "IR History Part VII (2000-present)". IRFCA. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
1 2 "History of Electrification". IRFCA. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
↑ "Chapter II – The Maintenance of Permanent Way". Retrieved 17 March 2014.
↑ "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. IRFCA. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
↑ "Geography – Railway Zones". Major routes. IRFCA. Retrieved 17 March 2014.

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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 Ambala–Attari line Amritsar–Pathankot line Bathinda–Rewari line Bilaspur–Mandi–Leh railway Chandigarh–Sahnewal line Delhi–Fazilka line Delhi–Kalka line Delhi–Meerut–Saharanpur line Delhi–Moradabad line Delhi–Shamli–Saharanpur line Jalandhar–Firozpur line Jalandhar–Jammu line Jammu–Poonch railway line Jodhpur–Bathinda line Kanpur–Delhi section Kashmir Railway Lucknow–Moradabad line Ludhiana–Fazilka line Ludhiana–Jakhal line Marwar Junction–Munabao line Moradabad–Ambala line Mughalsarai–Kanpur section Rewari–Rohtak line Srinagar-Kargil-Leh railway Varanasi–Lucknow main line Varanasi–Rae Bareli–Lucknow line

Urban and suburban rail transport	Delhi Suburban Railway Blue Line (Delhi Metro) Green Line (Delhi Metro) Red Line (Delhi Metro) Violet Line (Delhi Metro) Yellow Line (Delhi Metro) Rapid MetroRail Gurgaon Lucknow–Kanpur Suburban Railway Barabanki–Lucknow Suburban Railway Delhi Panipat RRTS Delhi Meerut RRTS Delhi Alwar RRTS

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Named trains	Ajmer–Hyderabad Meenakshi Express Ajmer Jammu Express Dayodaya Ajmer–Jabalpur Superfast Express Akal Takht Express Amritsar Mail Ananya Express Andaman Express Andhra Pradesh Express Anand Vihar Muzaffarpur Garib Rath Express Assam Mail Bagh Express Lucknow Bhopal Garibrath Express Bhopal–Jaipur Express Bhopal–Jodhpur Passenger Bhopal–Lucknow Express Bhopal–Lucknow–Pratapgarh Express Brahmaputra Mail Chambal Express Chennai Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express Chhattisgarh Express Chitrakoot Express Damoh–Kota Passenger Dayodaya Express Doon Express Durgavati Express Faizabad Delhi Express Faizabad Superfast Express Ganga Kaveri Express Goa Express Godaan Express Golden Temple Mail Gondwana Express Grand Trunk Express Pune–Manduadih Gyan Ganga Express Himalayan Queen Himsa Express Himsagar Express Hirakud Express Howrah – New Delhi Duronto Express Howrah New Delhi Yuva Express Indore Express Indore–Chandigarh Express Indore–Dehradun Express Indore–Hazrat Nizamuddin Express Indore–Patna Express Indore – Rajendra Nagar Via. Faizabad Express Indore–Ajmer Express Indore–Ajmer Link Express Indore–Amritsar Express Indore–Jaipur Express Indore–Jaipur Express via Ajmer Indore–Kota Intercity Express Indore–Udaipur City Express Jabalpur–Jammu Tawi Express Jabalpur–New Delhi Express Jaipur Superfast Express Jammu Tawi – Indore Express Jhelum Express Kaifiyat Express Kalinga Utkal Express Kalka Mail Kanpur Allahabad Intercity Kanpur Varanasi InterCity Kashi Vishwanath Express Kerala Express Kongu Express Kushinagar Express Lashkar Express Lucknow Mail Magadh Express Mahabodhi express Mahakoshal Express Mahanagari Express Mahananda Express Malwa Express Mandore Express Mangala Lakshadweep Express Secunderabad Express Marusagar Express Matsyaganda Express Mewar Express Mithila Express Muzaffarpur Anand Vihar Garib Rath Express Navyug Express Neelachal Express Kalka New Delhi Shatabdi Express New Jalpaiguri - New Delhi SF Express North East Express Patalkot Express Patna–Kota Express Poorva Express Pratham Swatrantata Sangrm Express Prayagraj Express Punjab Mail Purushottam Express Pushpak Express Rajendra Nagar Patna – Indore Express Rajendranagar Express Ranthambore Express Raptisagar Express Sabarmati Express Sachkhand Express Saket Express Samata Express Samjhauta Express Sampoorna Kranti Express Sanghamithra Express Sapt Kranti Express Sealdah Rajdhani Express Sealdah – New Delhi Duronto Express Shaan-e-Bhopal Express Shalimar Express Shipra Express Shiv Ganga Express Shram Shakti Express Shramjeevi Express Taj Express Tamil Nadu Express Thar Express Thirukural Express Tirhut Express Udhna Varanasi Express Ujjaini Express Utsarg Express Uttar Sampark Kranti Express Vaishali Express Vikramshila Express West Bengal Sampark Kranti Express

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See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) 1974 railway strike in India

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National network / trunk lines	Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line New Delhi–Chennai main line

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Railway companies	Bengal Nagpur Railway Great Indian Peninsula Railway South East Central Railway Central Railway Western Railway West Central Railway

See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Datia rail accident Akola–Ratlam (metre gauge trains) Indore–Ajmer metre-gauge trains Rail transport in Madhya Pradesh Dalli-Rajhara–Jagdalpur rail line

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