Introducing Kota
Kota Junction (station code KOTA) is the main railway station of Kota, the city on the Chambal river known across India for its coaching institutes. It is a major stop on the New Delhi–Mumbai main line: more than 220 trains halt here, and about 36,000 passengers use it daily. It is part of the West Central Railway zone, heads the Kota division, is graded NSG-2, and is among the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railways.
Lines meeting at Kota
- New Delhi–Mumbai main line
- New Delhi–Kota section
- Kota–Jaipur main line
- Kota–Rewari line
- Kota–Bina line, towards central India
- Gwalior–Kota line
- Kota–Bundi–Chittaurgarh line
The Kanwalpura–Kota and Gurla–Kota sections were electrified in 1987–88.
India's high-speed test track
The Kota–Nagda section, south of Kota on the Delhi–Mumbai main line, has become Indian Railways' favourite stretch for high-speed trials:
- August 2022: the newly designed Vande Bharat 2.0 trainset was trialled here at 120, 130, 150 and finally 180 km/h.
- The Vande Bharat Sleeper completed its Commissioner of Railway Safety high-speed trial on the same section, also reaching 180 km/h.
Long straight alignments and modern track make the section well suited to testing new trains at speeds above those used in regular service.
Platforms at Kota
Trains use 6 platforms on 11 tracks, at a height of roughly 256 metres.
Services from Kota
Rajdhani and many express trains between Delhi and Mumbai stop at Kota. Trains that start here include:
- Kota–Hazrat Nizamuddin Jan Shatabdi Express
- Nanda Devi Express to Dehradun
- Patna–Kota Express
- Kota–Shri Ganganagar Superfast Express
- Indore–Kota Intercity and Kota–Hisar express trains
Rajdhani halts and Kota-originating trains are on Railopedia's schedule page.
Kota pointers
- Kota's large student population means trains are especially busy at the start and end of coaching sessions and around exam dates.
- The Chambal riverfront and the gardens of Kota are a short drive away.