Union Budget 2023-24 green flags Sarai Rohilla turnaround

Delhi's Sarai Rohilla (DEE) railway station, the first station in Delhi to run lines towards Ahmedabad via Alwar and Jaipur on the Rajputana-Malwa Railway in olden times, was established in 1872, even before the construction of New Delhi.

For most Delhiites, Sarai Rohilla is a name synonymous with Rewari, a railway station on the narrow gauge line towards Jaipur and Ajmer.

But in the western part of the country, this roadside 'sarai' was one of the busiest stops on the Delhi-Ajmer route in the olden days and served as an inn for travellers in the Mughal period.

Most people associate 'Rohilla' with the Rohillas of Rohilkhand during the Mughal rule, but very few are aware of one Ruhullah Khan in the area which was later corrupted to Rohilla, from whom the settlement takes its name.

Not much is known about Ruhullah Khan except that he was one of the three sons of Khalilullah Khan, a distant relative of Mumtaz Mahal. Khalilullah was the governor of Delhi province during the reign of Shah Jahan.

Today, Ahata Thakur Das is situated on the south-west side of the station and a railway colony is built on the opposite side.

Also, a small area which may still be called 'Sarai Rohilla,' is half a kilometre away to the north-east of the station.

Sarai Rohilla (DEE) is only four kilometres from the Old Delhi Railway Station and is managed by the Delhi division of Northern Railway zone.

Twenty four trains from Delhi to Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat stop and depart from this station.

About 24 trains stop here and the same number of trains run, including Porbandar Express, Ranikhet Express, Rajasthan Sampark Kranti, Corbett Park Link Express, Mussoorie Express, Duronto and other air-conditioned trains.

The station has 7 platforms and 12 tracks and was mainly fixed for the metre gauge railway line.

Sarai Rohilla is relatively small compared to other major stations such as New Delhi Railway Station, Delhi Junction Railway Station and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station.

When the station was established in 1872, the metre gauge railway line was being laid from Delhi to Jaipur and Ajmer and was a small station just outside Delhi.

At present, all metre gauge trains from Delhi to Rewari, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat pass through this station.

The track from Delhi Junction to Sarai Rohilla Terminal was initially double. The single track from Sarai Rohilla to Rewari was doubled up to Rewari, from where the single tracks split into five directions.

However in 1991, the Ajmer-Delhi line metre gauge was converted to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge.

Within two years, both the tracks from Sarai Rohilla to Delhi railway station were converted to broad gauge and all metre gauge trains were discontinued from Delhi station.

As a result, all metre gauge trains were terminated and started from Sarai Rohilla, which became the railway terminus.

By September 2006, the second metre gauge track from Sarai Rohilla to Rewari was also converted to broad gauge and all metre gauge trains stopped operating between Rewari and Sarai Rohilla.

Today, Sarai Rohilla is a congested colony with rows of shanties converted into pucca houses with low ceilings on one side and workshops and factories running from haphazard buildings on the other.

The way to reach the station lies in the same area and is not fully organised which leads to passengers losing a lot of time on their way.

However, Shastri Nagar metro station, located around five minutes away from Sarai Rohilla, is a convenient means to reach the station.

The redevelopment work of Sarai Rohilla Railway Station has been in progress for quite some time and it is expected to be built on the lines of smart city projects.

As per Railways plans, areas ranging from 300 acres to 800 acres are being redeveloped.

In January, the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) had invited e-proposals for consultancy contracts for carrying out techno-economic feasibility study, detailed master planning, urban designing, engineering and preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for integrated redevelopment of the railway station.

A target to complete the work in around seven months has been set. The structures in the nearby settlements will be rehabilitated if the need arises.

Along with this, in the 2023-24 budget, it was announced that the Sarai Rohilla station would be modernised under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

As per railway officials, the renovation work will be done in the coming three years.