The Varanasi–Raebareli–Lucknow line (also known as Varanasi–Lucknow chord line) is a railway line connecting

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

and

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

, both in the Indian state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. The line is under the administrative jurisdiction of Northern Railway.

History

The Lucknow–Rae Bareli extension was completed in 1893 and the Varanasi–Lucknow chord line via Rae Bareli was constructed in 1898.

Line doubling and electrification

As of 2013, the railways have taken up doubling of the Utaratia–Raebareli sector and the Raebareli–Amethi sector. Work is in progress for electrification of the Varanasi–Unchahar railway line.

New lines

Railways have taken up construction of the Rae Bareli–Akbarganj–Faizabad new line and the Unchahar-Amethi-Sultanpur–Kadipur new line in 2013.

Passenger movement

and

on this line are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.

Sheds, workshops and manufacturing facilities

Lucknow diesel loco shed or Alambagh diesel shed is home to 160+ locomotives, including

WDM-2 The Indian locomotive class WDM-2 is a class of diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in 1962 by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), Diesel (D), Mixed traffic (M) engine, ...

, WDM-3A, WDM-3D, WDG-3A and WDG-4 varieties. Charbagh locomotive workshops handle periodical overhaul jobs.

Banaras Locomotive Works The Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) (formerly Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW)) in Varanasi, India, is a production unit of Indian Railways. DLW stopped manufacturing diesel locomotives in March 2019 and was renamed BLW in Oct 2020. History Founde ...

at Varanasi initially assembled ALCO kits. Subsequently, with technology transfer from

GM EMD Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. The company is owned by Caterpillar through its su ...

, it produces advanced diesel locomotives with high efficiency and low maintenance costs. It produces around 240 locomotives annually.

Rail Coach Factory, Raebareli Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli (formerly Rail Coach Factory, Raebareli) or MCF Raebareli is a rail coach manufacturing unit of the Indian Railways at Lalganj near Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. The factory is one of the coach production unit ...

was inaugurated in 2012. It would initially produce 1,000 coaches per year and the capacity would be enhanced later.

Railway reorganisation

Around 1872, the

Indian Branch Railway Company The Indian Branch Railway Company was formed in 1862 to build short branch and feeder lines. It received no guarantee but was offered a 20-year subsidy. In the 1850s, it secured a guaranteed return. In 1863, it built the wide narrow gauge rai ...

was transformed into Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway. Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway was merged with

East Indian Railway Company The East Indian Railway Company, operating as the East Indian Railway (reporting mark EIR), introduced railways to East India and North India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, South Indian Railway, Bombay, Barod ...

in 1925. The Government of India took over the Bengal and North-Western Railway and merged it with the Rohilkhand and Kumaon Railway to form the

Oudh and Tirhut Railway The Oudh and Tirhut Railway was a Railway company operated in India. History On 1 January 1943, the Bengal and North Western Railway and the Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway (R&K worked) were acquired by the Government of India and they were amalg ...

in 1943. In 1952, Eastern Railway, Northern Railway and North Eastern Railway were formed. Eastern Railway was formed with a portion of

, east of Mughalsarai and

Bengal Nagpur Railway The Bengal Nagpur Railway was one of the companies which pioneered development of the railways in eastern and central India. It was succeeded first by Eastern Railway and subsequently by South Eastern Railway. History The opening of the ...

. Northern Railway was formed with a portion of East Indian Railway Company west of Mughal Sarai, Jodhpur Railway, Bikaner Railway and Eastern Punjab Railway. North Eastern Railway was formed with Oudh and Tirhut Railway, Assam Railway and a portion of

Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway The Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (reporting mark BB&CI) was a company incorporated in 1855 to undertake the task of constructing railway lines between Bombay to the erstwhile Baroda State, that became the present-day Baroda (Vadoda ...

. East Central Railway was created in 1996–97. North Central Railway was formed in 2003.

References

External links

Trains at Varanasi

Trains at Rae Bareli

Trains at Lucknow Charbagh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varanasi-Rae Bareli-Lucknow line 5 ft 6 in gauge railways in India Railway lines in Uttar Pradesh Railway lines opened in 1898 *