North Western Railway (NWR)

The North Western Railway (NWR) is a crucial regional zone of Indian Railways that serves the northwestern part of the country. It was officially formed on October 1, 2002, by bringing together two rail divisions from the Northern Railway zone (Bikaner and Jodhpur) and two from the Western Railway zone (Jaipur and Ajmer). However, rail travel in this desert region goes back much further into the late nineteenth century when early lines were built to connect royal princely states. Today, the main administrative headquarters of the North Western Railway zone is located in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan.

This railway zone covers a massive geographical footprint across the desert terrain, plains, and hills of northwestern India. Its network spans primarily across the entire state of Rajasthan, while also reaching into neighboring parts of Haryana, Punjab, and Gujarat. To manage daily train movements across such a wide region, the zone is organized into four main administrative divisions: Jaipur, Ajmer, Bikaner, and Jodhpur. Together, these divisions manage thousands of kilometers of tracks, hundreds of passenger stations, and major repair workshops located in Ajmer, Jodhpur, and Bikaner.

North Western Railway connects important regional cities directly with major metros across India through stations like Jaipur Junction, Ajmer Junction, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur City, and Rewari. The zone runs high-speed passenger trains, including premium Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Vande Bharat Express services. Because Rajasthan is world-famous for heritage travel, this zone carries millions of tourists and pilgrims every year to iconic destinations like the historic forts of Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer, the holy Dargah at Ajmer Sharif, the sacred lake in Pushkar, and the famous Jain temples at Mount Abu. It also handles the Indian rail link to the Munabao border near Pakistan.