Old Delhi today
Delhi Junction (station code DLI), known to almost everyone as Old Delhi railway station, is the oldest railway station in the city and still one of the busiest in India. It stands at Mori Gate on the edge of Chandni Chowk, in the heart of the walled city of Shahjahanabad. It is administered by the Northern Railway zone, within the Delhi division, and around 250 trains start, end or pass through it every day.
Old Delhi through the years
Railways reached Delhi decades before New Delhi existed. The station began operating in 1864, served by broad-gauge trains arriving from Calcutta. Its history follows the growth of the north Indian network:
- 1864: operations begin with broad-gauge trains from Calcutta.
- 1873: a metre-gauge line towards Rewari and Ajmer is laid; metre-gauge services begin in 1876.
- 1903: the present station building opens, built to handle about 1,000 passengers at a time.
- 1904: the Agra–Delhi line is inaugurated.
- 1934–35: the station is remodelled, platforms are extended and power signalling is introduced.
- 1967: electrification.
- 1994: the station becomes exclusively broad gauge.
- 2011: platforms are renumbered 1 to 16.
- 2016: 2.2 MW of rooftop solar panels are installed.
For about six decades, until New Delhi station was built in the 1920s and 1930s, this was the city's main gateway.
Architecture
The building, constructed from about 1900 and opened in 1903, was designed in red stone to harmonise with the nearby Red Fort. It originally had six clock towers; one of them, Tower 4, is still in use today as a water tank. The building was renovated in 2012–13.
Tracks and platforms at Old Delhi
There are 16 platforms on 18 tracks, some 219 metres up. It also has four pit lines for washing and maintaining trains.
Trains at Old Delhi
Old Delhi is especially important for trains towards Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Rajasthan, alongside services to the east. Trains to Punjab, Jammu and Rajasthan from Old Delhi appear in our timetable search.
Reaching Old Delhi
- Delhi Metro Yellow Line: Chandni Chowk metro station is connected to the railway station by underground walkways.
- Road: cycle rickshaws, autorickshaws and taxis. The lanes of Chandni Chowk are extremely congested, so the metro is usually the easiest way in and out.
Old Delhi survival notes
- Don't confuse Old Delhi (DLI) with New Delhi (NDLS); they are separate stations about 2–3 km apart. See the comparison of Delhi's terminals on our Hazrat Nizamuddin page.
- The Red Fort, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk's food streets are all close by, which makes DLI a good starting point for exploring Old Delhi.
- The underground walkway to Chandni Chowk metro is the quickest way out of the walled city's traffic.