Khatipura hub to ease Jaipur Junction load, boost NWR rail ops

Jaipur: The newly developed Khatipura maintenance hub, to be inaugurated by Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday, will take over a major share of train stabling and maintenance work from Jaipur Junction, easing congestion at one of North Western Railway’s busiest stations.Railway officials said the satellite station and maintenance complex has been designed to reduce dependence on Jaipur Junction, where rising passenger traffic and an increasing number of originating and terminating trains have put heavy pressure on platforms and yards.Spread over a large area, the Khatipura depot can maintain and repair up to 12 trains in a 24-hour cycle. Officials said trains can now be cleaned, examined, repaired and readied for onward journeys at Khatipura instead of occupying platform and yard space at Jaipur Junction.“It is equipped with modern facilities for coach examination, repairs, washing, stabling and detachment of coaches. We can undertake routine maintenance work without routing trains to the already congested Jaipur coaching yards,” said an engineer at the facility.“The new facility will help shift a substantial portion of maintenance-related operations to Khatipura, freeing up tracks and platforms at Jaipur Junction for train movements and passenger handling,” he added.

Amit Sudarshan, chief public relations officer, NWR, said the depot is the largest such facility in the zone. “The Khatipura maintenance depot is the largest facility in North Western Railway and is even bigger than the Shakur Basti coaching depot in Delhi. It will strengthen our maintenance capabilities and help improve operational efficiency,” he said.The depot also has NWR’s first Bogie Drop Pit system, a key upgrade for faster coach repairs. “The technology allows railway engineers to detach and remove bogies directly from coaches for repair and replacement work without lifting the entire coach, reducing maintenance time, improving safety and lowering operational risks,” Sudarshan said.The Jaipur (Khatipura)-Darbhanga Amrit Bharat Express, to be flagged off by Vaishnaw on Sunday, will be the first train to originate and terminate from Khatipura.NWR has also received approval for a ₹50-crore Phase-III expansion project, which will add more stabling lines and maintenance infrastructure by Dec 2027.KHATIPURA COACH CARE COMPLEX: KEY HIGHLIGHTSKhatipura station being developed as Jaipur’s satellite coaching terminal, helping decongest Jaipur Junction and easing pressure on train maintenance and rake management facilities₹205 crore state-of-the-art Coach Care Complex being built to maintain all types of rolling stock, including Vande Bharat, LHB and DEMU trains, at a single locationFacility to include 2 washing lines, 2 inspection bay lines, 2 heavy repair lines, 4 stabling lines, 3 spur lines and a wheel lathe line for comprehensive train maintenance operationsAdvanced technologies such as Bogie Drop Pit, Retractable OHE, Four-Tier Examination System, Synchronised Coach Lifting System, Automatic Coach Washing Plant and Body Under-Gear Scanning System being introduced to improve efficiency and safetyPhase-III expansion worth ₹50 crore approved; will add 2 more stabling lines and additional wheel lathe line, with completion targeted by Dec 2027