About Guwahati
Guwahati railway station (station code GHY) is the largest and most important station in north-east India and the main entry point by rail to Assam and the north-eastern states. It is in Paltan Bazaar, in the heart of the city, and belongs to the Northeast Frontier Railway zone's Lumding division.
How Guwahati began
The station opened in 1900, in the era of the Assam Bengal Railway, when the region's railways served its growing tea trade as well as passengers. Over the following century Guwahati grew into the hub of rail travel for the whole north-east, linking the region with the rest of India through the narrow Siliguri Corridor.
Firsts and records
- ISO certification: Guwahati was the first station in Indian Railways to receive ISO certification.
- Solar power: solar panels were commissioned in April 2017, and in 2021 the station claimed to be the first in India to run entirely on solar power. A 2023 assessment found that solar covered only about 15% of its needs, so the claim is best treated with caution.
- Tricolour: a 100-foot national flag at the station is the tallest at any railway station in north-east India.
Guwahati's layout
GHY has 7 platforms on 24 tracks, 56 metres or so above sea level.
Notable trains at Guwahati
- Guwahati–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express
- Agartala Rajdhani and Dibrugarh Rajdhani expresses to Delhi
- Vivek Express between Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari, which passes through Guwahati on India's longest train route
- Express trains to Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and across the north-east
Rajdhani, Vande Bharat and Vivek Express timings at Guwahati are in our timetable search.
Getting to Guwahati
- Bus: the ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation) bus terminal, with buses to Shillong, Tezpur and across Assam.
- Road: cabs, autos and e-rickshaws from Paltan Bazaar.
- Wi-Fi: free station Wi-Fi.
Gateway to the north-east
- Guwahati is the usual railhead for Shillong (Meghalaya) and for Kaziranga; onward travel is by road.
- Guwahati also has Kamakhya (KYQ) and New Guwahati stations; some trains stop only there.
- The Kamakhya Temple and the Brahmaputra riverfront are both a short drive from the station.