Bikaner Junction, a desert station with a merchant's legacy
Bikaner Junction (station code BKN) serves the city of Bikaner in Rajasthan and is the headquarters station of the Bikaner division of the North Western Railway. It lies on the Jodhpur–Bathinda line, at around 226 metres above sea level, with eight broad-gauge tracks.
History
- 1889: the princely states of Jodhpur and Bikaner form the Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway.
- 1891: the metre-gauge Jodhpur–Bikaner line opens. The station building is constructed with a donation of Rs 3,46,000 from local trader Sir Kasturchand Daga.
- 1901–02: the line is extended to Bathinda.
- 1926: the Lalgarh workshop is set up at Bikaner.
- 2008–2011: the Bikaner–Rewari line is converted to broad gauge; the Jodhpur–Merta City–Bikaner–Bathinda route was already broad gauge by 2008.
Where trains go
More than 21 pairs of trains serve Bikaner each day, with daily links to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Chandigarh. Within Rajasthan there are frequent trains to Jodhpur, Jaipur, Churu, Barmer and Jaisalmer. Daily trains also reach Amritsar, Jammu, Haridwar, Varanasi, Kolkata and Guwahati, while cities such as Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram have weekly or bi-weekly services.
Two museums for rail fans
The Bikaner Heritage Rail Museum, opened in 2012, displays objects from the Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway era. On platform 1, a Turban Museum opened in 2021, showing what are described as the world's longest and smallest turbans, made by Bikaner artist Pawan Vyas.
Frequently asked questions
What is the station code of Bikaner Junction?
BKN. It heads the Bikaner division of the North Western Railway.
When was Bikaner railway station built?
In 1891, when the Jodhpur–Bikaner line opened.
Is there a museum at Bikaner Junction?
Yes, a Turban Museum on platform 1, plus the Bikaner Heritage Rail Museum.
See train timings from BKN on our train schedule page.