Patna Junction (station code PNBE) is a major railway station in the capital city of
Patna
Patna (
), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
in the Indian state of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
. It is the main railway station serving Patna. It falls under the
Danapur division
Danapur railway division is one of the five divisions of East Central Railway (ECR), a zone of the Indian Railways located at Danapur in Patna district of Bihar state in eastern India. The other railway divisions are Sonpur, Samastipur, Mughals ...
of the
East Central Railway zone
The East Central Railway (abbreviated ECR) is one of the 19 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Hajipur and comprises Sonpur, Samastipur, Danapur, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, and Dhanbad divisions.
History
First set up on 8 S ...
of the
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...
. Patna Junction is one of the busiest railway stations of the country.
Patna Junction railway station is connected to most of the major cities in India by the railway network.
Patna lies in between New Delhi and
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
which is one of the busiest rail routes in India. Patna has trains running frequently to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
and Kolkata.
The city is a major railway hub and has five major stations: Patna Junction,
Rajendranagar Terminal
Rajendra Nagar Terminal, (Station code: RJPB), is a railway station serving the capital city of Patna in the Indian state of Bihar. It is located in Rajendra Nagar in Patna and is in the Danapur railway division of the East Central Railway zo ...
,
Danapur railway station
Danapur Railway Station or Danapur Junction, station code DNR, is a large railway station and headquarters of Danapur railway division of East Central Railway. Danapur is connected to metropolitan areas of India by the Delhi–Kolkata main ...
, and
Patna Sahib station
Patna Sahib railway station, station code PNC (formerly Patna City Station), which came into existence even before Patna Jn. in 1861 is an important railway station in the Danapur railway division of East Central Railway. It is a part of the Pa ...
. Also 2 major railway station:
Hajipur Junction
Hajipur Junction, (station code HJP), is a major railway station and headquarters in the Sonpur railway division, Sonpur division of East Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways.[Sonpur Junction
Sonpur Junction, station code SEE, is a railway station and the headquarters of the Sonpur railway division of East Central Railway. Sonpur Junction is located in Sonpur city in Saran district in the Indian state of Bihar.
History
In 2011, th ...]
are just at a distance of 20 km from Patna. Patna is well connected with Ara, Gaya, Jehanabad, Biharsharif, Rajgir, Islampur, Sonpur, Hajipur, Muzaffarpur, Chhapra through daily passenger and express train services.
History
Patna Junction railway station was opened in 1862 as Bankipore Junction
in
Bankipore (Bankipur) town, headquarters of the division and Patna district in
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. The construction of railway line through Patna was started in 1855 and was completed and opened in 1862. Prior to that the transport of raw materials and finished goods was done through the
Ganga river
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
.
The Danapur Division came into existence on 1 January 1925. The present Divisional Railway Managers' office building was built in 1929.
In 1948 Eastern Railway (ER) started an exclusively third class express train known as 'Janta Express' on 1 October 1948. This initially ran between Patna and Delhi and later on was extended from Delhi up to Howrah in 1949. This was the first Janta Express train in India.
In 2002 extensive redevelopment took place.
The number of platform was increased from 7 to 10. A new floor was constructed in the main station building.
The platforms are interconnected with three
foot overbridge
A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
s (FOB). The western overbridge is called the Delhi end FOB and the easternmost FOB is called Kolkata end FOB.
At the Rajendra Nagar Terminal and Patna Junction route
relay interlocking
In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and tracks are sometimes collectively re ...
(RRI) system were installed between 7 February 2012 till 12 February. The presence of RRI system allows computer operated change of tracks for running trains.
The presence of RRT system improves the safety of the railway traffic in the region.
The new station façade put up in 2018-19 was designed by
National Institute of Technology, Patna
National Institute of Technology Patna (NIT Patna), formerly Bihar School of Engineering and Bihar College of Engineering, is a public engineering institution located in Patna in the Indian state of Bihar. It was renamed as NIT Patna, by the G ...
. There have been other efforts as well to add cultural depictions and artwork in the station.
Facilities
Facilities include mechanised cleaning, free RO mineral water, waiting rooms, retiring rooms, refreshment rooms for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians, food and tea stalls, book stalls, vehicle parking etc.
It has a computerised reservation facility.
Vehicles are allowed to enter the station premises. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an automated Mask and Sanitizer Dispenser (MSD) machine was installed. There is a post and telegraphic office and Government Railway Police (GRP) office.
Patna Junction is located close to the bus terminal and domestic airport providing transport to important destinations of Bihar.
[ There is second exit point from Karbigahiya end of the Patna Junction. Karbigahiya is located on the south side of Patna Junction and serves as direct access point for platforms of the railway station.
To modernise the train inquiry system a call centre was opened in 2005.] Automatic ticket vending machines have been installed to reduce the queue for train tickets on the station. One of the two departmental catering units of Danapur
Danapur is a Indian satellite town and one of the 6 sub-divisions (Tehsil) in Patna district of Bihar state.[Kiul Junction
Kiul Junction railway station (station code: KIUL), is one of the major railway junctions in Danapur division of East Central Railway. Kiul is connected to metropolitan areas of India, by the Howrah–Delhi main line via Mugalsarai–Patna rou ...](_blank)
. Patna Junction is going to have a metro station under Patna Metro
Patna Metro is a rapid transit system currently under construction in the city of Patna in Bihar, India. It will be owned and operated by the state-run Patna Metro Rail Corporation and is expected to run on two corridors by 2027. It is being co ...
. There are a number of escalators.
Indian Railways, under its station redevelopment and beautification initiative, renovated and beautified the waiting hall which opened in 2019. It has been set up over an area of 7500 sq ft, providing seating capacity for over 300 passengers. Additionally 200 more seats are planned. The newly opened waiting hall is said to be largest waiting hall in the Indian Railways network. The new waiting hall has been provided with 7 HD screens of 65" displaying entertainment related content as well as train information 24*7. The walls of the waiting hall has been beautified to promote local art with all the walls being covered in Madhubani painting
Mithila painting is a style of painting practiced in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. Artists create these paintings using a variety of mediums, including their own fingers, or twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchstick. The paint is crea ...
with bright and attractive colours. For the convenience of the passengers the entire waiting hall has been centrally air-conditioned. The waiting hall has also been provided with additional fans and lighted with 100 percent LED fixtures concealed in the ceiling. The station has lactation room for mothers so that the lactating mothers will be able to comfortably feed their babies in privacy. The railway station has already been fitted with high-speed wireless internet service for passengers to enjoy free Wi-Fi facility. It was the first station in India to try out linen kiosks. Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...
is soon going to construct Suburban Rail Terminal at Hardinge Park
Hardinge Park officially known as Shaheed Veer Kunwar Singh Azadi Park is a public park in the city of Patna built by British Raj in 1916. The park was initially named after Viceroy Charles Hardinge and was built in his honour as he was instru ...
which is barely 900 metres west from Patna Junction.
Rail traffic
Patna Junction railway station is a major station of the East Central Railways. Its location on the Delhi–Kolkata rail route, makes Patna Junction served by several Express and Superfast trains.
In 2009, the construction of Digha–Sonpur Bridge
The Digha–Sonpur bridge ( hi, दीघा-सोनपुर पुल) or J. P. Setu ( hi, जेपी सेतु) is a rail-cum-road bridge across river Ganga, connecting Digha Ghat in Patna and Pahleja Ghat in Sonpur, Saran district i ...
, was underway on the banks on the Ganges nearby, connected Patna to Pahleja Ghat. The railway part of bridge was opened to rail traffic from 3 February 2016 and railway started passenger service from Patliputra Junction to various railway stations on north side of Ganges in Bihar.
Gallery
File:Patna Junction platform 4 to 1.jpg, Platforms 4 to 1 in Patna Junction.
File:Train on Platform 3 of Patna Junction.jpg, A passenger train standing on platform 3 in Patna Junction.
File:Howrah-New Delhi Duronto Express standing on Patna Junction.jpg, 12273 Howrah-New Delhi Duronto Express standing in Patna Junction
File:Locomotive party at Patna yard (7139628441).jpg, A WDP-4B
The EMD GT46PAC or WDP4 is a passenger-hauling diesel-electric locomotive with AC electric transmission designed by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and built by both GM-EMD and under license by Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) of Varanasi, ...
class locomotive at Patna
Nearest airports
The nearest airports to Patna Junction are:
#Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport
Jayprakash Narayan International Airport is an international airport serving Patna, the capital of Bihar, India. It is named after the independence activist and political leader, Jayprakash Narayan. It is the 14th busiest airport in India. ...
, Patna
#Gaya Airport
Gaya Airport is an international airport serving Gaya, Bihar, India. This airport is 12 kilometres south-west of Gaya and 5 kilometres away from the temple city of Bodh Gaya, from where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment.
Overview
Gaya ...
#Darbhanga Airport
Darbhanga Airport is a domestic airport and an Indian Air Force Station, serving Darbhanga, Bihar, India. It is located just at the outskirts of the city near the NH-105 and NH-57 highways, which pass through Darbhanga. The airport is op ...
In popular culture
* Patna Junction will be among the filming locations for the Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
movie ''Half Girlfriend
Half Girlfriend is an Indian English coming of age, young adult romance novel by Indian author Chetan Bhagat. The novel, set in rural Bihar, New Delhi, Patna, and New York, is the story of a Bihari boy in quest of winning over the girl he ...
''.
See also
* Patna Metro
Patna Metro is a rapid transit system currently under construction in the city of Patna in Bihar, India. It will be owned and operated by the state-run Patna Metro Rail Corporation and is expected to run on two corridors by 2027. It is being co ...
References
External links
Patna Junction Map
Official website of the Patna district
{{Patna
Danapur railway division
Railway stations in Patna
Railway stations opened in 1862
1862 establishments in India
Railway junction stations in Bihar
Indian Railway A1 Category Stations