NEW DELHI: For thousands entering New Delhi Railway Station via Paharganj, the journey begins well before the train. Caught in a tangle of unmoving traffic, overflowing markets, and encroached footpaths, passengers often find themselves walking the last 200–300 metres — not out of choice, but compulsion.
A family of five sits restlessly inside a taxi, stuck approximately 250 metres from the station entrance. They’ve been here for nearly half an hour. The clock is ticking, and the train won’t wait. A coolie in a faded red shirt knocks gently on the window, motioning to the bags piled in the trunk. “It’ll take you another 30–40 minutes to get in if you wait,” he says — not as a threat, but as a fact.
The father sighs, pays the driver, and the family begins to unload. Bags are handed over, and they join the silent procession of passengers on foot — weaving past food carts, broken pavements, and encroachments that spill out from every corner.
Reaching the station
This is Paharganj — where getting to the station is often harder than the journey ahead. This is the reason why reaching the New Delhi Railway Station from the Paharganj side feels like a test of patience.
A tangled mess of honking traffic, haphazardly parked auto-rickshaws, and makeshift food stalls greets commuters with chole kulche and paani puri long before they even catch a glimpse of the station.
The traffic light at the main junction blinks pointlessly — a silent spectator to the chaos unfolding beneath it. Encroachers occupy every inch of road space, and during peak hours, passengers are forced to abandon taxis nearly 250 metres from the station gates. The rest of the journey takes place on foot — often faster than the gridlocked vehicles can crawl.
One of the commuters who was in a rush to catch his Janshatabdi train to Karnal on a weekday, Aniket, said, “I assumed that it’s a weekday, so there wouldn’t be much crowd outside the Paharganj area. But unfortunately, the situation has remained the same, and nothing will ever change here because at least the entry to the railway station requires major infrastructural changes.”
Another traveller walking with her two bags and one suitcase from the Paharganj market area to the railway station, Shruti Mehta, said, “The excitement to reach the railway station gets overpowered by our frustration. In this humid, sultry weather, no one likes to wait unnecessarily for half an hour just to get inside. So it’s better if you get out of the taxi and walk. But walking to the station with luggage is a challenge, because for a 6–7-minute walk to the station’s entry, the coolie charges no less than Rs 400.” She added, “Think mathematically — I’ve already spent Rs 900 on my ticket to Chandigarh in Shatabdi Express, and I have come via auto, which charges Rs 250. Then I give Rs 400 to a coolie. How terrible is this?”
Other commuters also complained about the porters charging exorbitant prices despite the dedicated rates set by the railway authorities.
Adding to the chaos is the old market of Paharganj, spilling out onto the street with food stalls, reception desks of guest houses, roadside vendors, and encroachments that leave barely any room for pedestrians to squeeze through. The aroma of fried snacks mingles with the smell of exhaust fumes and the open urinals just outside the station, as commuters shuffle forward, dodging potholes and pushcarts alike.
Footpath overcrowded
The footpath, where commuters could otherwise stand or wait for taxis or autos, is encroached by hundreds of shops selling watches for Rs 50–100, handkerchiefs, socks, power banks, chargers, designer earbuds, and fancy phone covers worth Rs 100–200.
Avoiding the chaos
Rishabh John, one of the travelers at the railway station, said, “There is no dedicated bus stop or taxi stand, simply because this area is always overcrowded irrespective of the time. Instead of waiting for a taxi at Paharganj for 20 minutes and then facing rejections from the drivers, I prefer walking, crossing all 15 platforms, and getting down at the Ajmeri Gate side of the railway station, where the situation is slightly different.”
Plans still pending
In 2023, Northern Railway had planned to decongest the area around the Paharganj side of New Delhi Railway Station, as part of which it was to construct 11 km of elevated corridors terminating at the station. The proposed corridors were to offer multiple entries to the station from Basant Lane, Chelmsford Road, and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg. The exit ramp of the elevated structure was planned on Asaf Ali Marg and Bhavbhuti Marg. For this, the Rail Development Authority had already floated a tender in June 2023 — but to no effect.
The official from the RLDA did not respond to the query.