Prayagraj, Mar 3 (PTI) It was on this very day in 1859 that a 119-mile-long Allahabad-Kanpur section was fully opened, marking a significant milestone in the history of the railways in India, barely two years after the great Mutiny whose tumultuous events in these two cities had impacted its original planning.
Allahabad (now Prayagraj) just hosted the Maha Kumbh from January 13-February 26, and the railways besides other means of transportation, played a critical role in ferrying pilgrims to the holy city from various parts of the country, as it has done in the past over 160 years.
The city has nine functional railway stations, but the bulk of the passengers’ burden during this 45-day mega religious festival was handled by the Prayagraj Junction (earlier Allahabad Junction), a senior railway official said on Monday.
According to data shared by Indian Railways, over 17,000 trains were operated during this period, and authorities had taken a number of steps to manage crowds aiming to prevent any untoward incident.
During the Maha Kumbh Mela, massive crowds were seen daily at stations here, especially at the Prayagraj Junction, all of them having a sole aim — to take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
“The nine stations in Prayagraj come under different zones — Prayagraj Junction, Naini, Chheoki and Subedarganj fall under the North Central Railway (NCR); Prayag, Prayagraj Sangam and Phapamau under the North Eastern Railway (NER); and Rambagh and Jhusi stations under the Northern Railway (NR). Prayagraj thus also in a ‘sangam’ of three railway zones,” Shashi Kant Tripathi, Chief Public Relations Officer, NCR Zone, told PTI.
Prayagraj Sangam (earlier Prayagghat) station is located the closest to the Sangam point and had remained closed for passengers for a large period last month, till February 28, he said.
“On other occasions, a day before an auspicious ‘snan’, on each bathing day and two days after it, this station is closed as a norm during any Kumbh to control crowd,” the CPRO said.
Prayagraj Junction, which was redeveloped in the 1950s, and the old Kanpur (earlier Cawnpore) station, are among the most historic railway stations in India and intrinsically linked with the Kumbh too.
On the 166th anniversary of the opening of the full section between Allahabad and Kanpur, PTI spoke to some of railways officials and experts who have done extensive research on old stations, bridges and the erstwhile East Indian Railway (EIR) that built the line between Howrah and Delhi.
P K Mishra, a former additional general manager of South Western Railway (SWR) and an ex-divisional railway manager of Asansol Division, said, “The full section was opened in March 1859, but partially train services were running from 1857.” “Allahabad and Cawnpore stations were burnt during the 1857 Mutiny and had to be constructed again. They were constructed after 1858,” Mishra, an ardent railway heritage enthusiast, told PTI.
While the glimpse of the colonial-era look of the old Allahabad station can be seen in some old photos and postcards, the old Cawnpore station has been preserved by the railway as a heritage landmark and houses a training institute. Rail operations take place mainly from over 90-year-old Kanpur Central station now.
An original tablet bearing “From Calcutta 632 miles 962 to Bombay CAWNPORE 414 Feet Above Sea Level” is still embedded in a wall facing the old tracks in what was earlier a platform area.
“The old Kanpur station’s rail side features include a wide platform, offices, waiting rooms, etc. that open on to the platform, with a barrel roof structure resting on an arcade across the platform line,” reads a description about the building on Google Arts & Culture website.
An engraving of this iconic building, significant both from architectural standpoint and India’s railway history, had even featured in The Illustrated London News in the 1860s.
In these 166 years, much water has flown below the iron bridges of Ganga and Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh, and the railway has transformed from the steam locomotives to semi-high speed trains, but perhaps what has remained constant is the rush of pilgrims to Allahabad, from Kanpur and beyond.
During the Maha Kumbh 2025, many pilgrims travelled from the once famed industrial city to the holy city.
The then EIR system laid the line from Howrah to Delhi, and operations on it began phase-wise from early 1850s to late 1860s, which included construction of the iconic bridge over Sone river at Koelwar and a bridge each over Yamuna at Allahabad and Delhi, all major feats of civil and railway engineering.
According to the website of the NCR zone, “Work started in 1852 from Allahabad towards Kanpur. In February 1857, a locomotive was run 26 miles (41.8 kms) out of Allahabad towards Kanpur. The section from Allahabad to Kanpur was initially opened only for strategic purposes for movement of troops and equipment. The section was opened for public on 3.3.1859.” Allahabad Division, which was renamed as Prayagraj Division in 2020, completed 100 years in 2025.
“To manage crowds at Prayagraj Junction, we created holding areas and allowed controlled movement of passengers to platforms. Entry was made from City side and exit from Civil Lines side to maintain smooth flow of passengers,” Tripathi said. PTI KND KND KVK KVK
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