How Indian Railways plans to decongest 96-year-old Kanpur Central station

Kanpur Central railway station decongestion plan: Indian Railways is working on a plan to decongest Kanpur Central, a 96-year-old station that handles heavy passenger and train traffic. The plan aims to increase capacity, improve train operations and make passenger movement smoother. The station comes under the North Central Railway's Prayagraj Division.

The Kanpur Central railway station functions as one of the busiest and most crucial junctions on the heavy-traffic Howrah-Delhi broad gauge (BG) route. Kanpur Central railway station is 96-year-old (Image: NCR) A look at history of Kanpur Central railway station The history of Kanpur Central railway station goes back nearly a century.

The station opened for rail traffic on March 29, 1930, replacing the older Cawnpore station as the region's railway network expanded.

Key Analysis and Detailed Timeline

Before 1930, trains operated from the old Cawnpore station near the Grand Trunk Road. However, the station gradually became too small to handle the growing trade and rail traffic in the industrial city. The idea of a new central railway station was recommended The foundation stone for the new station was laid on November 16, 1928, Hannah.

The project cost around Rs 19.75 lakh at the time. The new station was eventually opened in 1930 and became an important railway hub connecting Kanpur with major cities and industrial centres across the country.

Here's how Railways plans to ease rush at Kanpur Central station Being one of the major industrial hubs of Uttar Pradesh, the Kanpur area includes Kanpur Central (CNB), Kanpur Goods Marshalling Yard (GMC), Govindpuri (GOY), Panki Dham (PNKD), Kanpur Central Goods Shed (CPC) and Kanpur Anwarganj (CPA).

Speaking to Indianexpress.com, Dr Shivam Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), North Central Railway, stated Kanpur Central has the third-largest centralised interlocking route system in the world. According to Sharma, the city's population has grown significantly over the years and is projected to increase further in the coming decades.

The official stated that city's population has grown from around 20.5 lakh in 1991 to over 31.5 lakh in 2021.

Broader Impact and Sector Outlook

It is projected to reach nearly 38 lakh 09 lakh passengers daily At present, an average of 262 trains pass through the Kanpur area every day, including 220 passenger trains and 42 freight trains. Of these, 33 pairs of trains originate or terminate here, including 15 Mail/Express, five passenger and 13 MEMU trains.

On average, 25.42 such trains operate each day, while 17 pairs of trains undergo primary maintenance, the CPRO stated.

To handle this train traffic, Kanpur Central has 11 running lines and 10 platforms. The station also has five pit lines, six stabling lines and two sick lines in the new coaching complex. Kanpur Central records an average daily footfall of around 94,600 passengers.

Kanpur Anwarganj sees about 7,500 passengers a day, while Govindpuri and Panki Dham record around 5,000 and 2,200 passengers, respectively. Together, the stations in the Kanpur area handle around 1.09 lakh passengers every day (as per FY 2025-26).

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Multiple projects planned to boost Kanpur's rail capacity However, keeping in mind the expected rise in train traffic and passenger rush in the coming years, the North Central Railway has undertaken several measures, including station redevelopment, yard remodelling, building work of new railway lines and development of satellite stations.

Redevelopment of Kanpur Central railway station Kanpur Central railway station is being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS). According to the latest update, the structural work on the new station building, commercial building and electrical substations on both the City and Cantonment sides have been completed. Currently, the finishing work on these buildings are underway.

The work is also in progress on the air concourse, new platform shelters, improvement of platform surfaces and an underground parking facility. Yard remodelling of Kanpur Central Sharma stated the North Central Railway will undertake yard remodelling work at Kanpur Central at a cost of Rs 42 crore.

The project will include the installation of a new electronic interlocking system and extension of platforms 3, 8 and 9.

The work is expected to be taken up Two new lines to boost capacity Two new railway lines will be constructed on the extreme northern side of the Kanpur Central yard at a cost of Rs 18.59 crore. The project is aimed at increasing the capacity of the CNB yard and handling more trains on the Lucknow route.

The work will be taken up after the building work of the recently sanctioned Harrisganj ROB. Washing lines to be extended At a cost of Rs 4.17 crore, the existing washing lines at Kanpur Central will be extended to accommodate 12-coach MEMU rakes.

GMC to be developed as satellite station The Kanpur Goods Marshalling Yard (GMC) will be developed as a satellite station in phases.

It is located 4.3 km from Kanpur Central station, 2 km from the GT Road highway and the proposed metro station, 1 km from the main market, 5 km from the NH 4 km from the airport. In the first phase, two new high-level island platforms will be constructed in the GMC South Yard at a sanctioned cost of Rs 62.30 crore.

The project is aimed at decongesting Kanpur Central and handling the transfer of partial rakes of originating and terminating trains. The plan also includes a 12-metre-wide foot overbridge (FOB) for easier passenger movement, a new station building and development of the circulating area.

The development is also expected to increase the number of coaching fit lines and provide direct passage for trains bound for the East Central Railway (ECR), Eastern Railway (ER), North Eastern Railway (NER) and South Eastern Railway (SER).

"These are the sanctioned works. NCR is envisaging some more innovative alternatives to decongest the station in future," the railway official told Indianexpress.com.