Itarsi today
Itarsi Junction (station code ET) is a small town station with national importance. It sits at the crossing of two of India's busiest trunk routes: the New Delhi–Chennai main line (north–south) and the Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line (east–west). More than 420 trains pass through Itarsi every day, so a huge share of India's long-distance trains touch this one junction. It is part of the West Central Railway zone, within the Bhopal division.
Why Itarsi matters
Look at a railway map of India and Itarsi is close to the middle. Trains from Delhi to Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and from Mumbai to Prayagraj, Varanasi, Patna and Howrah, all funnel through here. Many trains change crews or locomotives at Itarsi, and the station is famous among travellers for the busy activity on its platforms at every hour of the day and night.
The 2015 fire
Itarsi's importance became painfully clear on 17 June 2015, when a fire destroyed the station's route relay interlocking (RRI) cabin, the signalling system that sets routes for every train through the junction. The effects spread across the whole country:
| Impact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Trains cancelled | 2,044 |
| Trains diverted | 249 |
| Trains short-terminated | 17 |
| Cost of restoration | ₹19.64 crore |
A new system was commissioned by 21 July 2015, and traffic was fully normal by 26 July 2015. The episode is still cited as an example of how much of India's network depends on a few key junctions.
Platforms and loco sheds
Trains use 7 platforms on 11 tracks, at a height of roughly 329 metres. Itarsi has both an electric loco shed and a large diesel loco shed, with 209 diesel locomotives as of April 2026, making it an important maintenance base.
Who calls at Itarsi
Rajdhani, Duronto, Vande Bharat and a great many express trains halt at Itarsi. The long list of trains halting at Itarsi is on Railopedia's schedule page.
Travel tips
- Itarsi is a common place to change trains between the north–south and east–west routes; leave a comfortable margin between connections.
- Bhopal is the nearest large city, and the Narmada river at Narmadapuram (Hoshangabad) is close by.
- Use live running status to track late-running trains, since delays elsewhere often show up here.