DDU (Mughalsarai) today
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (station code DDU), known for most of its history as Mughalsarai Junction, or Mughalsarai Jn (code MGS), is one of the most important railway junctions in India. It stands about 15 km from Varanasi, on the other side of the Ganges, where the main lines from Delhi and from Howrah meet the routes towards Bihar and the east. It falls within the East Central Railway zone and heads its own DDU division. Around 300,000 passengers use it daily, and all trains on the route halt here, including Vande Bharat, Rajdhani and Duronto services.
History and renaming
The station opened in 1862 as the East Indian Railway extended westwards from Howrah. It grew into a vital junction and freight hub.
- 1961–63: the Gaya–Mughalsarai section is electrified, and the Mughalsarai yard follows in 1963–65.
- 10 February 1968: the political thinker Deen Dayal Upadhyaya was found dead near a platform at the station. The circumstances of his death are still debated.
- 4 June 2018: the station is renamed Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction in his memory, and the code changes from MGS to DDU.
Mughalsarai is also the birthplace of Lal Bahadur Shastri, India's second Prime Minister.
Asia's largest marshalling yard
DDU is best known among railway people for its marshalling yard, described as the largest in Asia. It stretches for about 12.5 km. Wagons are sorted and re-formed into new freight trains here: about 1,500 wagons a day normally, and up to 5,000 at peak, adding up to 450–500 trains a month. The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor also runs through the DDU area.
Platforms and sheds
DDU has 8 platforms on 23 tracks, about 79 metres above sea level. It has an electric loco shed (227 active locomotives as of February 2026) and a diesel loco shed (87 active), which together keep a large share of eastern India's freight moving.
Who calls at DDU (Mughalsarai)
Because DDU sits at the meeting point of so many routes, almost every long-distance train between north India and Bihar, Bengal or the north-east stops here. Many passengers bound for Varanasi arrive at DDU and continue by road. Rajdhani, Duronto and Vande Bharat halts at DDU are on the train timings page.
Using DDU
- Old tickets and timetables say Mughalsarai (MGS); it is the same station as DDU.
- If you are heading to Varanasi, compare trains to DDU with those to Varanasi Junction (BSB). DDU has more trains, but the road journey across the Ganges takes time.