Ajmer Junction railway station is a major railway junction located in the city of Ajmer in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is one of the principal stations on the North Western Railway (NWR) zone of Indian Railways and serves as an important hub for passenger services connecting Rajasthan with Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and other major cities.
| Station name | Ajmer Junction |
|---|---|
| Station code | AII |
| Location | Ajmer, Rajasthan, India |
| Operator | Indian Railways |
| Zone | North Western Railway (NWR) |
| Division | Ajmer railway division |
| Type | Junction station |
| Electrified | Yes |
Ajmer Junction is situated in the heart of Ajmer city, close to the historic Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and at the foot of the Aravalli Range. The station handles a substantial volume of pilgrim and tourist traffic owing to Ajmer's religious significance for both the Dargah and the nearby Hindu pilgrimage town of Pushkar. It also serves as the headquarters of the Ajmer railway division of the North Western Railway.
The railway line through Ajmer was developed during the colonial period under the Rajputana–Malwa Railway, a metre-gauge system constructed in the latter half of the 19th century to connect Delhi with the western and central regions of India through Rajputana. Ajmer became an early operational and workshop centre for this network.
The Ajmer Locomotive Works, established in the 19th century adjacent to the station, became one of the most important steam locomotive workshops in India and later evolved into the Carriage and Wagon Workshop, Ajmer, which continues to operate as a major railway production and overhaul facility.
With the unification of Indian Railways after independence, Ajmer was incorporated into the Western Railway zone. Following the reorganisation of railway zones, the Ajmer division was transferred to the newly created North Western Railway zone in 2002, with Jaipur as the zonal headquarters. The Delhi–Ahmedabad main line passing through Ajmer was progressively converted from metre gauge to broad gauge as part of Project Unigauge and was subsequently electrified.
Ajmer Junction lies on the Delhi–Ahmedabad main line, one of the busiest broad-gauge corridors in western India. Key routes from the station include:
The station is served by a wide range of trains including Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Duronto, Superfast Express, mail/express and passenger services. The Ajmer Shatabdi Express linking Ajmer with New Delhi via Jaipur has historically been one of the prominent trains originating from the station. A Vande Bharat Express service operates between Ajmer and Delhi Cantt, providing high-speed connectivity to the National Capital Region.
The station has multiple platforms equipped with passenger amenities including waiting rooms, retiring rooms, food stalls, computerised reservation counters, and foot overbridges. Suburban and short-distance services connect Ajmer with nearby towns such as Beawar, Kishangarh, Phulera and Pushkar.
Ajmer Junction's significance arises from several factors: