In the coal capital of India
Dhanbad is known as the coal capital of India, and its railway exists because of the mines of the Jharia coalfield. Dhanbad Junction (code DHN) is the largest station in Jharkhand, handling more than 100,000 passengers and over 100 trains a day, and it is one of the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railways. It is the headquarters of East Central Railway's Dhanbad division, whose coal loading makes it one of the most important freight divisions in the country.
On the Grand Chord
Dhanbad lies on the Grand Chord, the direct line between Howrah and Delhi via Gaya that shortened the older route through Bihar. Its station history:
- 1894: the station opens.
- 1956: it is rebuilt.
- 1960: electrification, among the earliest in the coal belt.
Routes through Dhanbad
- Asansol–Gaya section of the Grand Chord
- Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line
- Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line
- Dhanbad–Singrauli line, into the central Indian coalfields
- Dhanbad–Pradhankunta–Patherdih–Bhojudih–Adra line
The fires under Jharia
Dhanbad's railway history includes a unique hazard. Underground coal fires have burned in the Jharia coalfield for about a century, and land subsidence and fire risk have forced several railway lines in the area to be dismantled and traffic rerouted.
Dhanbad's layout
The station has platforms numbered 1 to 8 plus 1A, on 11 tracks, at an elevation of about 235 metres, and is graded NSG-2.
Trains worth knowing
Beyond the station
- IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, the former Indian School of Mines, is in the city.
- The Maithon dam and Parasnath hill, a major Jain pilgrimage site, are within reach by road and rail.