New Delhi – Delhi Junction, or the historic Old Delhi railway station, will emerge as a modern facility in the coming days, with various new age amenities such as luxury sleeping pods for passengers.
In 1854, Ronald MacDonald Stephens, the father of the East Indian Railway Company, envisioned a railway station in Delhi, and in 1864, the Old Delhi Railway Station opened from a small building. However, it was opened to the general public only after about a decade.
Initially, on January 1, 1867, after the construction of the iron bridge over the Yamuna, the first train arrived at Old Delhi station. Delhi’s historic iron bridge is a reminder of the era when steam engines used to run trains.
Although the steam engine trains were discontinued in 1994, the old Delhi station became grander.
The railway operation works were carried out from a small building for 40 years. Gradually, when the need for expansion was felt in 1893, the work of erecting a new station building started. It took about 10 years to complete.
Only after this was the old Delhi station opened for common passengers in 1903, with just two platforms.
The building, an example of Greco-Roman and Indian-Islamic architecture, was built on the basis of the ancient architecture of the Mughal period. Due to this, some glimpse of a mosque and a fort is also felt in its texture.
Initially red, it has been changed to ochre. The glimpse of Scottish elements in the building enhances its beauty.
Today, this railway station is counted among the 10 major stations in the country.
When the station was renovated in 2016, the grandeur remained the same, only the building changed colour.
Architect Ashish Ganju says the design of the station is soothing to the eyes, with Scottish elements in its design.
For example, the terraces and minarets found in Scottish buildings are present in Old Delhi Railway Station.
Another speciality of the construction is that there is no plaster over the bricks. The practice is prevalent in Europe.
Behind the construction of such a grand building, there are many interesting and conflicting stories related to that time.
In 1854, Ronald MacDonald Stephens envisaged laying a rail line from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Allahabad (now Prayagraj) and Delhi to Lahore.
Later, while making the changes, instead of Delhi, there was a proposal to lay a railway line through Meerut, which was opposed by businessmen and other citizens of Delhi.
A committee was formed in 1863. Narayan Das Nagarwala and other members appealed to the British Empire not to deprive Delhi of the railway line.
They argued that the business of Delhi would be affected by the government’s decision. It will also be unfair to the businessmen of Delhi who had invested money in the railway company.
After the displeasure of the people of Delhi, Charles Wood, the board president of the East India Company, decided to run the train via Delhi. Along with this, the existence of Old Delhi Railway Station also came to the fore.
At present, where the Old Delhi railway station is located, there used to be a large population at that time. The people were shifted to Paharganj, Sadar Bazar and Karol Bagh before the construction of the station.
Historian Sohail Hashmi says the railway line passed through the old city, uniting the two parts. On the north side were the houses and churches of the British residents and on the south side, the residence of the Delhiites.
Interesting stories are embedded in the veins of the station. One of them is that the old Delhi railway station was built in Shahjahanabad near the Red Fort.
The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar (1837-1857), was deeply troubled by the prospect of introducing the railway in Delhi.
He feared that the new invention of transport would disturb the peace of the city. This was the reason Zafar requested to move the rail line to the north of the city.
It is worth mentioning that only after Delhi was captured in 1803, did the East India Company start expanding the rail network in India in terms of earning profits and expanding its presence. The plan to bring Delhi on the rail map was the result of this.
The British Empire worked in a much planned manner to choose the place where the railway station should be built.
After the failure of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British Empire had chosen the place as a strategy for the railway station in Delhi. Revolutionary sentiments were strong in Shahjahanabad.
It was the insistence of the British that the railway line would pass through the Red Fort. For this, even a corner of the Red Fort was defaced at that time.
The British army was shifted to Shahjahanabad, keeping in mind that it would be easy to control the situation if there was a violent movement in the future.
Before the establishment of the new imperial capital New Delhi after 1911, the Old Delhi Railway Station was the only point of transportation for the entire city and the Agra-Delhi railway line, now called Lutyens’ Delhi, and the site for the hexagonal All India War Memorial (now India Gate) and Kingsway (now Kartavyapath).
East Indian Railway Company shifted the line along the Yamuna river and opened the new track in 1924. Minto (now Shivaji) and Hardinge (now Tilak) rail bridges were built for the reorganised line.
It established a new railway station in the area between Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj, which is now called New Delhi Railway Station. That is, after 1926, the burden of Old Delhi station was shared with New Delhi.
The railway station building, built by the British contractor Benjamin Fletcher, increased in importance after Delhi became the capital in 1931, so the railway station complex was further expanded in 1934 and 1935.
The number of platforms was increased and electric signals were installed. A significant portion of the northern wall of Shahjahanabad was demolished to facilitate the laying of the railway track and the construction of the station building.
After independence, along with the progress of industrial and economy, importance was also given to passenger facilities. Similarly, after the formation of Northern Railway in 1952, Delhi Junction became part of it.
The station’s yard was renovated in 1959, which increased the capacity of the yard manifold. Expansion of washing line, platform shed, parcel shed was done during 1985 and1988.
The 114-year-old iconic colonial-era building is all set to get a facelift.
The general manager of Northern Railway said they had spent about rupees 20 crore (R44 million) on the redevelopment of the station in the past few years.
Arrangements were made such as renovated ticket counters, a temporary roof with LED lights in the main hall, and battery-operated golf carts that could be hired to travel between platforms.
According to the Indian Railways, under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme, efforts will be made to improve amenities at Old Delhi station.
The main focus will be on improving station accessibility, providing free wi-fi, and improving amenities such as waiting rooms, toilets, better information system for passengers, executive lounge, removal of unwanted structures near the station, widening of roads to provide pedestrian walkways and well planned parking area.
Along with this, multilevel parking, state-of-the-art food court, gaming zone for children, air-conditioned waiting hall and escalators, CCTV cameras will be installed.
As per the recent information provided by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the Delhi Junction will soon get a luxury sleeping pod facility.
The sleeping pods will have drinking water, a charging socket for cellphones and electronic devices, a locker room, internet and a deluxe bathroom.
In the coming days, New Delhi and Old Delhi railway stations will be connected to each other internally by a single route. After this, passengers will be able to travel from one station to another in 15 minutes.
