How To Reach Indore

Indore is the most populated and the biggest city of Madhya Pradesh. It is an education hub and the first city in the state that has a campus each for both IIT and IIM. It is 190 km from Bhopal, the capital of MP. It is a Tier 2 city of India and covers an area of about 530 sq. km.

The story of Indore is one of continuous fight among the Mughals, the Marathas and the British, all of whom struggled to gain control over the central part of India. In the 16^th century Indore had an established trading centre between Delhi and the Deccan. It came under the Marathas on 18 May 1724 when the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I gained total control over Malwa. Once the rulers of Indore State acceded to the Indian Government, Indore was the capital of the state of Madhya Bharat during 1950-1956. Although Bhopal is now the capital of MP, Indore has remained the financial capital of the state. It is one of the cities being developed as a Smart City and has remained the cleanest city of India for three consecutive years. Today Indore is well known as an industrial hub for textile, IT and automobile among others. The best way to reach Indore is by air, although there are other options as well.

The road connectivity between Indore and the rest of the country is fairly good. One can drive on the NH52 from Mumbai and reach Indore, a distance of 584 km, in about 10 h 32 min. Similarly, the distance of 837 km from Delhi will take around 14 h 46 min to cover on the NH52.

Indore Junction falls within the Western Railway Zone of the Indian Railways. There are 6 platforms and 65 trains arriving every day. Historically, in 1870, the reigning Holkar II helped the rail line to Indore to be laid with his loan of 10 million pounds! Because of the Vindhya Ghats, laying the rail line was not a simple task and several tunnels and bridges had to be made before the railway line became a reality.

There are 7 trains between Indore and New Delhi. Four of these are mail/express while there are 3 Super Fast Trains. Similarly, there are 7 trains between Indore and Mumbai with 1 Duronto and 3 Super Fast trains and 2 Mail/Express trains and 1 Humsafar train.

Indore airport is named after the famous Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar. Constructed in 1945, it is today the busiest airport in MP and is only 8 km from Indore City. After the runway expansions took place in 1996, it is now an international airport as well. Today a number of airlines operate on this airport which is connected to Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. There are between 30 to 40 weekly flights between Indore and Mumbai or Delhi. There are international flights to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Sharjah as well.

Indore is a modern city with a modern outlook. The city has one of the most developed public transport systems in the state and perhaps in the country too. There are a number of options for you to travel within the city. The first of these is the bus service. Considered to be the best in India, the seats in the bus are very comfortable for the passengers, especially for those in the back seats. The front seats have been reserved for ladies while the display system at each bus stop shows the time for the arrival and departure of different buses. The bus service is cheap and comfortable and it covers most of the places in the city and nearby areas. The other means of conveyance include mini buses, also known as Nagar Sevas, tempos and auto rickshaws.