Bathinda Junction railway station (station code: BTI) is a major railway junction located in the city of Bathinda in the Indian state of Punjab. It is one of the largest railway junctions in north-western India, with multiple broad-gauge lines radiating in different directions, and it is administered by the Ambala division of the Northern Railway zone of Indian Railways.
| Name | Bathinda Junction |
|---|---|
| Station code | BTI |
| Location | Bathinda, Punjab, India |
| Owner | Indian Railways |
| Operated by | Northern Railway zone |
| Division | Ambala division |
| Line type | Broad gauge, electrified |
| Station type | Junction |
Bathinda lies in the Malwa region of Punjab and serves as a strategic rail hub connecting Punjab with Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. Lines radiating from the junction connect it to Delhi via Rohtak, to Ambala via Dhuri, to Firozpur, to Sri Ganganagar and Suratgarh in Rajasthan, and to Hanumangarh and Hisar. This radial pattern makes Bathinda one of the busiest junctions in the Northern Railway network.
The railway reached Bathinda during the late 19th century as part of the expansion of metre-gauge and broad-gauge networks across British Punjab and Rajputana, with lines built and operated under various princely state and colonial undertakings before being grouped under the North Western Railway. After Independence, the station passed to Indian Railways and was incorporated into the Northern Railway zone, which was constituted in 1952. Subsequent decades saw the conversion of metre-gauge sections to broad gauge under Project Unigauge and progressive electrification of the routes serving the junction.
Bathinda Junction is significant both as a passenger interchange and as a freight node. The Bathinda region houses thermal power stations, a refinery and large grain markets, and the junction handles substantial freight traffic in coal, petroleum products and foodgrains in addition to long-distance passenger trains linking Punjab with Rajasthan, Delhi and beyond.