Famous Railway Stations
Famous Railway Stations
Overview
Indian Railways has more than 7,500 stations. A handful of them are record-holders, heritage icons or gateways to mega-cities. Questions on their uniqueness (highest, longest, busiest, UNESCO, UNESCO-award, zonal HQ, tourist entry point, etc.) are asked every year in RRB NTPC, Group-D, ALP & RPF exams.
Key Facts & Figures
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1. Busiest station (passenger volume) | Howrah (HWH) – 23 lakhs+ passengers/day |
| 2. Longest platform in India (as on 2025) | Hubballi (UBL) – 1,507 m |
| 3. World’s longest platform | Gorakhpur (GKP) – 1,366 m (held record 2013-23) |
| 4. Highest railway station | Ghum (GHUM) – 2,258 m (Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) |
| 5. UNESCO World Heritage hill stations | Darjeeling, Ooty, Shimla, Matheran |
| 6. First railway station of India | Bori Bunder (Mumbai) – 16 April 1853 (now CSMT) |
| 7. UNESCO World Heritage building | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) |
| 8. Cleanest railway station (Swachh 2024) | Jaipur (JP) – 1st among divisional, Bhopal 1st among halt |
| 9. Highest booking station (PRS) | New Delhi (NDLS) – 4.8 lakh tickets/day |
| 10. Largest covered shed | Howrah (23 platforms) – 1.07 km long roof |
| 11. First ISO-9001 certified | Secunderabad (SC) – 1998 |
| 12. First all-woman managed | Matunga (Central Railway) – 2017 |
| 13. First with ‘moving concourse’ | Gandhinagar-Rajdhani (GNC) – 2021 |
| 14. Gateway to Kashmir | Banihal & Qazigund (after Banihal tunnel) |
| 15. Terminal for Vivek Express (longest run) | Dibrugarh (DBRG) – 4,218 km to Kanyakumari |
| 16. Highest stop for toy-train | Joginder Nagar – 1,189 m (Himachal) |
| 17. Model ‘energy-neutral’ station | Guwahati (GHY) – 2024 solar powered 100 % |
| 18. Deepest Indian station (u/c) | Charbagh underground (Lucknow metro-rail link) |
| 19. Only coastal UNESCO station | Thanjavur (TJ) – Great Living Chola Temples circuit |
| 20. Terminus for Palace-on-Wheels | Delhi Safdarjung (DSJ) |
Important Points (rapid-revision)
- Howrah – Largest station complex (23 platforms), ER HQ, 1854 opening.
- CSMT Mumbai – UNESCO 2004, Gothic architecture, headquarters of Central Railway.
- New Delhi – 16 platforms, 2nd busiest in ticket sales, Rajdhani/Shatabdi hub.
- Secunderabad – SCR HQ; first to get ISO-9001 (services).
- Chennai Central – SR HQ, 142-yr-old, 12 platforms, Dravidian façade.
- Kharagpur – 4th longest platform (1,072 m), SER HQ, railway staff college.
- Gorakhpur – NER HQ, held world record 2013-23 (1,366 m platform).
- Mathura – Only station with 7 junction routes (route mileage 2,458 km).
- Jaipur – NWR HQ, Pink-city entry, 1st to get 5-star ‘Eat Right’ tag.
- Vijayawada – BZA, SCR’s busiest junction, 10 lakh passengers/day.
- Itarsi – Diamond crossing, CR-WCR-SECR tri-section, freight hub.
- Mughalsarai/Pt. Deen Dayal – ECR’s largest marshalling yard, 8 km long loop.
- Nagpur – Geographic centre of Indian Railways, CR-SECR tri-junction.
- Guwahati – Gateway to NE, 1st 100 % solar ‘green’ terminal.
- Ahmedabad – WR HQ, 1st to install ‘water-purifier-cum-cooler’ on every PF.
Frequently Asked in Exams
- Which station has the longest platform in India at present?
- Headquarters of which zone is Howrah / Chennai / Mumbai (CR) / Secunderabad?
- UNESCO World Heritage railway stations of India.
- Highest (altitude) & cleanest (Swachh ranking) railway station.
- First ISO certified / all-woman managed / solar-powered / moving-concourse station.
Practice MCQs
(Attempt → expand for answer)
BETA
