Delhi Sarai Rohilla (station code: DEE) is a railway station on the

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

network, located 4 kilometres east of the Delhi Junction railway station. Managed by the Delhi Division of the Northern Railway, it serves as a stop for trains connecting

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

, Jammu and Kashmir,

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, and

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. Over 20 trains, including the

Duronto Express Duronto Express, translating to "restless" in Bengali, is a class of long-distance rapid trains operated by Indian Railways. Initially conceived to operate non-stop between origin and destination stations, since January 2016, these trains hav ...

and AC trains, originate from this station.

Etymology

The term ''sarai'' refers to an inn or resting place for travelers. The station is named after the medieval village it was situated in, which itself was named after a ''sarai'' built by Ruhullah Khan, a nobleman in the Mughal court. The ''sarai'' was located on the busy road connecting Delhi and the pilgrimage town of

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

. Ruhullah Khan was one of the three sons of Khalil Ullah Khan, the governor of the Delhi province during the reign of Mughal Emperor

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

, and a distant relative of Empress Mumtaz Mahal. Over time, the name "Ruhullah" evolved into "Rohilla," influenced by the Rohillas, who ruled the region of

Rohilkhand Rohilkhand (today Bareilly, Moradabad, Badaun and Rampur; ) is a region in the northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh, India, that is centered on the Bareilly and Moradabad divisions. It is part of the upper Ganges Plain, and is named after the ...

, situated to the northeast of Delhi, during the Mughal era.

History

Background

Delhi Sarai Rohilla railway station was established in 1872 when the construction of the metre-gauge line from Delhi to Jaipur and Ajmer was underway. Located just outside the walled city of

Shahjahanabad Shahjahanabad colloquially known as Old Delhi( Hindustani: ''Purāni Dillī'') is an area in the Central Delhi district of Delhi, India. It was founded as a walled city and officially named Shahjahanabad in 1648, when Shah Jahan decided to shi ...

, it served as a focal point for metre-gauge trains traveling to

Rewari Rewari is a city and a municipal council in Rewari district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the district headquarters of Rewari district. It is located in south-west Haryana around 82 km from DelhiPunjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, and

. The line from Delhi Junction to Sarai Rohilla was double-tracked, whereas the section from Sarai Rohilla to

12215 Delhi Sarai Rohilla Bandra Terminus Garib Rath Express at platform 1

Gauge conversion

The conversion of the metre-gauge to

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...

began in 1991. As part of the Ajmer–Delhi line conversion, one of the double metre-gauge tracks on the Delhi–Rewari line was converted to broad gauge in December 1994. Within a few years, both tracks from Sarai Rohilla to Delhi Junction were converted to broad gauge, eliminating metre-gauge train operations at Delhi station. Consequently, all metre-gauge trains were redirected to Sarai Rohilla, which was thereafter designated a terminus. By September 2006, the second metre-gauge track from Sarai Rohilla to Rewari was converted to broad gauge, and metre-gauge train operations between Rewari and Sarai Rohilla ceased. However, the newly converted track was opened for public use only in October 2007.

Infrastructure

Delhi Sarai Rohilla Terminal railway station has been developed as a terminus for trains originating from Delhi to destinations in Haryana,

, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. The station features a ticket reservation center, three washing lines for train rakes, and five platforms. Additionally, two platforms from the adjacent Vivekanandpuri railway halt are connected to Sarai Rohilla by a common foot overbridge. As part of the

Smart Cities Mission Smart Cities Mission was an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop smart cities across the country, making them citizen-friendly and sustainable. The Union Ministry of Urban Development ...

, plans are in place to redevelop Delhi Sarai Rohilla Station. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the

Ministry of Urban Development Ministry of Urban Development may refer to: * Ministry of Urban Development (Albania) *Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, India, formerly the Ministry of Urban Development * Ministry of Urban Development (Maharashtra), India *Ministry of Urban D ...

and

in October 2016. The redevelopment will include the areas surrounding the station, with a focus on improving passenger amenities, enhancing accessibility, creating integrated public transport hubs, and optimizing land use. Anand Vihar Terminal and Hazrat Nizamuddin are two additional major railway terminals in Delhi, serving as origin points for numerous regional and long-distance trains.

Trains

Previously, all trains from Sarai Rohilla to Delhi terminated at Delhi Junction, as the metre-gauge tracks terminated there. With the conversion to broad gauge, many trains from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat heading north or east of Delhi now pass through Sarai Rohilla and continue beyond Delhi Junction.

References

External links

* * {{Delhi Railway stations in India opened in 1873 Railway stations in North Delhi district Delhi railway division Caravanserais in India Rohilla