Amritsar Junction railway station

Amritsar Junction (station code: ASR) is a railway junction located in Amritsar district in the Indian state of Punjab and serves Amritsar. It is the largest and busiest railway station of Punjab.

Amritsar Junction
Junction station and Central station
Entry to Amritsar Junction
Location	Putlighar Road, Amritsar, Punjab India
Coordinates	31°37′58″N 74°52′02″E
Elevation	233 metres (764 ft)
Owned by	Indian Railways
Operated by	Northern Railway zone
Line(s)	Ambala–Attari line Amritsar–Pathankot line Amritsar–Dera Baba Nanak line Amritsar-Khemkaran line
Platforms	10(8 commercial + 1 freight + 1 Military Forces and Parcel)
Tracks	10
Construction
Structure type	Standard on ground
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Other information
Status	Operational
Station code	ASR
Division(s)	Firozpur
History
Opened	1862
Electrified	2003–04
Traffic
Passengers	100000
Location
Amritsar Junction Location within Punjab

History

The Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway completed the Multan-Lahore-Amritsar line in 1865.[1] The Amritsar-Attari section was completed on the route to Lahore in 1862.[2]

The 78 km (48 mi) long Amritsar–Khem Karan railway line runs through Tarn Taran and Patti.

A 54 km (34 mi) long line links Amritsar to Dera Baba Nanak on the bank of the Ravi.[3]

The 107 km (66 mi) Amritsar–Pathankot route runs through Batala and Gurdaspur.[3] The 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide broad gauge Amritsar-Pathankot line was opened in 1884.[4]

Overview

The Amritsar railway station is located at an elevation of 233 metres (764 ft) and was assigned the code "ASR." With this, it has become the busiest railway station of the state in terms of passenger movement and train traffic. In the 2016 railway budget, the government has aimed to beautify the railway station as it is the main station of the holy city.[5] The railway station is the first and only with WiFi in the division and CCTV has recently been enabled.[6] In the recent railway budget, it has been mentioned that Amritsar Junction will be improved due to its importance in various fields.[7] The Movement Control Office (MCO) for Armed Forces is also available at PF no 1.

There are ten platforms under use, 1(A), 1(B), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Platform no. 8 is used for freight trains. Platform no. 1(B) is reserved exclusively for freight and passenger trains of Indian Army.

Electrification

The Phagwara-Jallandhar City-Amritsar sector was electrified in 2003–04.[8]

Development

Amritsar became the first railway station in the state to be WiFi-enabled. With this announcement, concerns have also been raised around increasing the capacity of the railway station from the current 6 platforms to 8 platforms and base this on the standards of the International Airport. This is due to the fact that it is the most important and busiest railway terminus of the state. Two more escalators would be installed in the station from Platform 5, as Platform 1 has already two.

Platform No. 6 and 7 are started in January 2018 because of due to large movement of passengers in the city.[9]

Upcoming Projects

The electrification work is under progress on the Amritsar-Khemkaran line. This is because, a new rail line has been passed by the railways from Patti, Punjab to Ferozpur which will reduce the distance of Amritsar from Ferozpur by 20 km. This will also reduces the distance and save the time to visit Rajasthan and Gujarat from Northern cities.

It has been planned to run Express trains on this route.

In December 2019, it has been announced that Bhagtanwala Railway Station and Chheharta Railway Station will be converted into satellite stations. Due to this the burden on Amritsar Junction railway station can be reduced.

Railway workshop

Amritsar railway workshop carries out a periodic overhaul of WDS-4 locos and breakdown cranes and bogie manufacture.[10]

References

1. R.P. Saxena. "Indian Railway History timeline". IRFCA. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
2. "Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway". fibis. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
3. "Railway routes in Punjab". Punjab Data. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
4. "Chapter VII". Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
5. "More funds, little else for region". tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
6. "Railway police to install CCTV cameras at major stations in Punjab | punjab | Hindustan Times". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
7. "Rail budget: Prabhu quotes Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Buddha - News". mid-day.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
8. "History of Electrification". IRFCA. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
9. "Amritsar rly station first in Punjab to get Wi-Fi enabled". tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
10. "Sheds and workshops". IRFCA. Archived from the original on 22 August 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2014.

External links

• Amritsar Junction railway station at the India Rail Info
• Amritsar travel guide from Wikivoyage

Preceding station		Indian Railways		Following station
Mananwala		Northern Railway zone Ambala–Attari line		Cheharta
Terminus		Northern Railway zone Amritsar-Khemkaran line		Bhagtanwala
Terminus		Northern Railway zone Amritsar-Pathankot line		Verka