Northern Railway (NR)

Northern Railway (NR) is one of the largest and most important zones of Indian Railways. It was established on 14 April 1952 through the amalgamation of several railway systems, including the Eastern Punjab Railway and parts of the East Indian Railway. The history of rail travel in this region dates back to March 1859, when passenger train services began between Allahabad and Kanpur. Northern Railway is headquartered at Baroda House in New Delhi and plays a strategic role in connecting the national capital with several important parts of the country.

Northern Railway serves parts of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chandigarh. Its network is administered through six divisions: Ambala, Delhi, Firozpur, Lucknow, Moradabad and Jammu. Each division manages railway stations, tracks, infrastructure, train operations and passenger services within its jurisdiction.

The zone serves several major railway stations, including New Delhi, Delhi Junction, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar Terminal, Lucknow Junction, Amritsar and Jammu Tawi. It operates important services such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Vande Bharat Express trains. Northern Railway also connects major religious and tourist destinations, including Haridwar, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra. The Kalka–Shimla Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also part of this zone.