About Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur Junction (station code GKP) is the main railway station of Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh and the headquarters station of the North Eastern Railway zone. It is best known for its record-breaking platform. As of 2026 it handles about 200,000 passengers a day and around 190 trains daily.
The long platform
Gorakhpur's main platform measures 1,366.33 metres including the ramp (1,355.40 metres without it). When it was inaugurated on 6 October 2013, it became the longest railway platform in the world. In 2023 the title passed to Hubballi Junction in Karnataka, and Gorakhpur is now the second-longest railway platform in the world.
If your coach is near the far end of a long train, walking along the platform can take several minutes.
How Gorakhpur began
The present station dates from 1930. Today it is the headquarters station of the North Eastern Railway and one of the most important junctions in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Platforms and lines
Gorakhpur has 10 platforms and sits about 84 metres above sea level. Four main lines meet here:
- Lucknow–Gorakhpur line
- Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur main line
- Barauni–Gorakhpur line
- Chhapra–Gorakhpur line
On festival and peak days, the station has handled up to 473 trains in a day.
Gateway to the region
Gorakhpur is the main railhead for travellers heading to the Buddhist pilgrimage site of Kushinagar and to the Nepal border crossing at Sonauli for Lumbini. In the city itself are the Gorakhnath Temple and the Gita Press, the publisher of Hindu religious texts.
Walking the long platform
- Check your coach position before you reach the platform; the long platform makes a wrong guess costly.
- The station is very busy around Chhath and Diwali, so arrive early.
- Gorakhpur's record platform means coach position matters more than usual; check the train's timings on the train timings page and your berth on PNR status first.