Akola Junction railway station (station code: AK) is a major railway junction located in the city of Akola in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India. Administered by the Bhusawal railway division of the Central Railway zone of Indian Railways, it is one of the principal stations on the Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line and serves as an interchange between broad gauge and the historic Akola–Khandwa metre gauge route, which has been undergoing conversion to broad gauge.
Key facts
| Station name | Akola Junction |
|---|---|
| Station code | AK |
| Location | Akola, Maharashtra, India |
| Owned by | Indian Railways |
| Operated by | Central Railway |
| Division | Bhusawal railway division |
| Line | Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line; Akola–Khandwa line; Akola–Purna line |
| Tracks | Broad gauge (with metre gauge legacy on the Khandwa route, under conversion) |
Location and layout
The station lies in central Akola and functions as the principal railhead for the district. It is a junction where the east–west Mumbai–Bhusawal–Nagpur main line meets the north–south corridor running from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh through Akola to Purna and Hyderabad/Secunderabad. The station has multiple platforms handling long-distance, mail/express, and passenger services.
History
Akola was connected to the railway network during the British colonial era through the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR), as part of the Bombay–Nagpur trunk route in the late 19th century. A separate metre gauge line linking Khandwa with Hyderabad through Akola was developed under the Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway, making Akola an important interchange between the GIPR broad gauge and the Nizam's metre gauge system.
After Independence, the broad gauge route became part of the Central Railway when the zone was constituted on 5 November 1951. The metre gauge Akola–Khandwa and Akola–Purna sections were later integrated with the South Central Railway and subsequently brought under broader gauge conversion programmes (Project Unigauge). The Akola–Purna section was converted to broad gauge, while conversion of the Akola–Khandwa section, which traverses the Melghat Tiger Reserve, has been pursued in phases.
Services
Akola Junction handles a large number of mail, express, superfast, and passenger trains connecting Maharashtra with cities such as Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Bhopal, New Delhi, Kolkata, Amritsar, Bengaluru, and Tirupati. The station is also a halt for several long-distance trains traversing the Mumbai–Howrah corridor.
Facilities
- Computerised passenger reservation system
- Waiting halls and retiring rooms
- Foot overbridges connecting platforms
- Catering and refreshment stalls
- Parcel and goods handling services
Significance
As the largest railway station in the Akola district, the junction is central to passenger and freight movement in western Vidarbha. It supports the cotton trade for which Akola has historically been known, and serves educational, agricultural, and administrative travel to and from the city. The completion of gauge conversion on the Akola–Khandwa route is expected to provide a shorter rail link between central India and southern India via Akola.
Related topics
- Akola
- Bhusawal railway division
- Central Railway zone
- Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line
- Akola–Khandwa line
- Project Unigauge
- Indian Railways
References
- Indian Railways – Central Railway zone, official information on Bhusawal division stations.
- Wikidata entity Q15178766.