View source for North Central Railway zone

{{Short description|Zone of Indian Railways}}
{{distinguish|text=the former [[Northern Central Railway]] in the United States}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox rail
| railroad_name     = [[File:Indian Railways Tricolour Logo.svg|80px]]North Central Railway
| logo_filename     =North Central Railway Zone.svg
| logo_size         =100px
| system_map        = Indianrailwayzones-numbered.png
| map_caption       = 13-North Central Railway
| map_size          =
| marks             =
| image             =
| image_size        =
| image_caption     =
| locale            = North-Central India
| start_year        = {{start date and age|2003}}
| end_year          = present
| predecessor_line  = [[Northern Railway zone]]<br/>[[Central Railway zone]]
| successor_line    =
| gauge             = Mixed
| old_gauge         =
| electrification   =
| length            = {{convert|3062|km}}
| hq_city           = [[Prayagraj]]
| website           = [http://www.ncr.indianrailways.gov.in/ ncr.indianrailways.gov.in]
}}

The '''North Central Railway''' (abbreviated '''NCR''') is one of the 19 [[Indian Railways|railway zones]] in [[India]]. The largest railway station in NCR is [[Kanpur Central]].  It is headquartered at [[Prayagraj Junction railway station|Prayagraj]] and comprises three divisions: [[Prayagraj railway division|Prayagraj]], [[Jhansi railway division|Jhansi]], and [[Agra railway division|Agra]] of the erstwhile [[Northern Railway (India)|Northern Railway]], [[Jhansi]] division of the erstwhile [[Central Railway (India)|Central Railway]], and new [[Agra railway division|Agra division]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/north-central-railway-introduces-gross-happiness-index-for-running-staff/articleshow/63657794.cms|title=North Central Railway introduces Gross Happiness Index for running staff - Times of India|work=The Times of India|access-date=2018-10-24}}</ref>

== History ==
{{see also | Rail transport in India#History | label 1 =  Indian railway history | Northern Railway zone#History | label 2 =  NR history | North Western Railway zone#History | label 3 =  NWR history | North Eastern Railway zone#History | label 4 = NER history  }}
[[File:India_railways1909a.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Extent of the Indian railway network in 1909]]

The North Central Railway, in its present form, came into existence on 1 April 2003. The North Central Railway's present network extends over a large area of North Central India, covering the states of [[Delhi]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Madhya Pradesh]], [[Rajasthan]] and [[Haryana]].

By December 2017, railways for the first time installed 6,095 [[Global Positioning System|GPS]]-enabled "Fog Pilot Assistance System" [[railway signalling]] devices in four most affected zones, [[Northern Railway zone]], North Central Railway zone, [[North Eastern Railway zone]] and [[North Western Railway zone]], by doing away with the old practice of putting firecrackers on train tracks to alter train divers running trains on snail's pace. With these devices, train pilots precisely know in advance, about the location of signals, level-crossing gates and other such approaching markers.<ref name=fog1>[//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/62042305.cms Indian Railways to use GPS-enabled devices to fight fog this season], [[The Economic Times|Economic Times]], 12 Dec 2017.</ref>

In 2022, the North Central Railway Zone achieved 100% [[Railway electrification system|electrification]] of its network.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indian Railways touches another milestone! North Central Railway is now 100 percent electrified |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/indian-railways-touches-another-milestone-north-central-railway-is-now-100-percent-electrified/2728873/ |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=Financialexpress |language=en}}</ref>

== Divisions ==
Serving the heartland of India, the North Central Railways comprises the following three divisions.<ref name="indianrailways.gov.in"/>
# [[Prayagraj railway division]] 
# [[Jhansi railway division]] 
# [[Agra railway division]]

== Area covered ==
The zone spreads across all three divisions mentioned above. It extends from [[Ghaziabad district, India|Ghaziabad]] (excl.) in the north to Mughalsarai (excl.) in the east on [[New Delhi]]-[[Howrah]] trunk route and from [[Palwal]] (excl.) to [[Bina Etawa|Bina]] (excl.) on New Delhi [[Mumbai]]/[[Chennai]] corridor. North Central Railway span parts of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh with about 3062 route km of BG comprising predominantly double line- electrified sections defining the sides and diagonals of the Golden Quadrilateral.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pnr.meramaal.com/hi/northern-railway-zone-2/|title=उत्तरी रेलवे क्षेत्र (Northern Railway Zone)|date=2018-10-22|work=Pnr status, train running status, seat availability, PNR|access-date=2018-10-24|language=hi-IN}}</ref> NCR consists of 202 main line stations & 221 branch line stations. This zone forms a corridor for trains almost directions viz.  East to north and north to east a total of 29 pairs of mail-express trains daily west/south to north and north to south/west total 37 pairs of M/Exp. Trains daily east to Southwest and southwest to east a total of 25 pairs of Mail/Express trains daily East to West & West to East a total of 12 pairs of Mail/Express Trains Daily.<ref name="indianrailways.gov.in">{{cite web|url=http://www.ncr.indianrailways.gov.in/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1,261|title=North Central Railways / Indian Railways Portal|website=www.ncr.indianrailways.gov.in}}</ref>

== Major stations ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="background:#fff;"
! style="background:#ffd750;" |Category of station
! style="background:#ffd750;" |No. of stations
! style="background:#ffd750;" |Names of stations<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/StationRedevelopment/AI&ACategoryStns.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128044328/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/StationRedevelopment/AI%26ACategoryStns.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 January 2016 |date=2016-01-28 |access-date=2019-04-18 |title=Archived copy }}</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |'''A-1''' Category
| style="text-align:center;" |6
| style="text-align:center;" |{{rws|Prayagraj Junction}}, [[Gwalior Junction railway station|Gwalior Junction]], {{rws|Kanpur Central}}, [[Mathura Junction railway station|Mathura Junction]], [[Agra Cantonment railway station|Agra Cantonment]], [[Jhansi Junction railway station|Jhansi Junction]]
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |'''A''' Category
| style="text-align:center;" |15
| style="text-align:center;" |[[Tundla Junction railway station|Tundla]], [[Aligarh railway station|Aligarh]], [[Morena railway station|Morena]], {{rws|Etawah}}, {{rws|Fatehpur}}, {{rws|Phaphund}}, {{rws|Mirzapur}}, [[Banda railway station|Banda]], [[Chitrakutdham Karwi railway station|Chitrakutdham Karwi]], [[Lalitpur Junction railway station|Lalitpur]], [[Mahoba Junction railway station|Mahoba]], [[Orai railway station|Orai]], [[Agra Fort railway station|Agra Fort]], [[Raja ki Mandi railway station|Raja ki Mandi]]
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |'''B''' Category
| style="text-align:center;" | -
| style="text-align:center;" | -
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |'''C''' Category
(Suburban station)
| style="text-align:center;" | -
| style="text-align:center;" | -
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |'''D''' Category
| style="text-align:center;" | -
| style="text-align:center;" | -
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |'''E''' Category
| style="text-align:center;" | -
| style="text-align:center;" | -
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |'''F''' Category
Halt Station
| style="text-align:center;" | -
| style="text-align:center;" | -
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |'''Total'''
| style="text-align:center;" |'''-'''
| style="text-align:center;" | -
|}

== Major trains ==

#[[Shram Shakti Express]], New Delhi – Kanpur Central
#[[Prayagraj Express]], New Delhi - Prayagraj Jn
#[[Kanpur–New Delhi Shatabdi Express]], New Delhi – Kanpur Central
#[[Allahabad–New Delhi Humsafar Express|Prayagraj–New Delhi Humsafar Express]], New Delhi – Prayagraj Jn         
#[[Allahabad–Anand Vihar Terminal Humsafar Express|Prayagraj–Anand Vihar Terminal Humsafar Express]], Anand Vihar Terminal – Prayagraj Jn         
#[[Kanpur Central–Anand Vihar Terminal Express]], Anand Vihar Terminal – Kanpur Central
#[[Chambal Express]], Howrah Jn – Gwalior Jn/Mathura Jn

==Workshop and manpower==
There are two workshops on the North Central Railway. The Wagon Repair Workshop in Jhansi deals with the repairing of wagon stock of Indian Railways and was established in 1895. Rail Spring Karkhana, Sithouli, and [[Gwalior]] deals with manufacturing of Coaching Stock springs as well as Locomotive springs. The NCR also has an electric loco shed where the damaged engines of [[Magadh Express]] is fitted with modern technology to run the [[Delhi]]-[[Howrah]] [[Duronto Express]]. The NCR has 69,644 staff members.<ref name="indianrailways.gov.in"/> NCR in its effort to boost use of [[solar power]] under [[National Solar Mission]] has selected Vivaan Solar, a company from [[Gwalior]] to install a total of 1.5 MW [[rooftop solar]] power project at the wagon repair workshop of [[Jhansi Junction railway station]]. The company will install rooftop [[solar panels]] on production sheds and service buildings of the complex.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/happy-birthday-indian-railways-first-passenger-train-started-165-years-ago-unknown-facts-about-the-network/1134650/ |title=Happy Birthday Indian Railways! First passenger train started 165 years ago; unknown facts about the network |date=2018-04-16 |work=The Financial Express |access-date=2018-10-24}}</ref>

==Loco sheds==
* [[Electric Loco Shed, Kanpur]]
* [[Electric Loco Shed, Jhansi]]
* Diesel Loco Shed, Jhansi

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Jhansi Junction.jpg|Jhansi Junction Railway Station
File:Rail Station, Allahabad.jpg|Allahabad Railway Station
</gallery>

== External links ==
* {{Official website|1=https://ncr.indianrailways.gov.in/index.jsp?lang=0}}

==See also==

* [[All India Station Masters' Association (AISMA)]]
* [[Zones and divisions of Indian Railways]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Indian Railways}}
{{Railways in Northern India}}

{{coord missing|Uttar Pradesh}}

[[Category:Zones of Indian Railways]]
[[Category:North Central Railway zone| ]]
[[Category:2003 establishments in India]]