The evening MEMU service between Barabanki Junction & Kanpur Central via Lucknow Jn (NER) arriving Malhaur for a scheduled halt. The MEMU rake (base: GZB) is equipped with modified driver cabs with better aerodynamics.
Here onwards the train will leave Northern Railway & run in North Eastern Railway territory for the next one hour till Lucknow Junction.
Malhaur...
more... isn't labelled as a junction in IR records but it is one ! The station falls under NR & there are two paths to reach Lucknow from here. The shorter one is a straight track to Lucknow NR via Dilkusha or Lucknow Block Hut (LBH) with no intermediate stations. Under ideal operating conditions trains generally take 20-30 mins to reach Lucknow NR (LKO). The longer one diverges to the right & immediately NER territory begins. This path leads all the way to Lucknow Junction NER (LJN) via Gomtinagar, Badshahnagar, Daliganj Jn, Lucknow City, Aishbagh. Trains running on this path take usually take 40 mins-1 hour to reach Lucknow Jn.
Previously, trains which didn't terminate at Lucknow Jn, continued their onwards journey after undergoing reversal at LJN. At present, many trains bypass Lucknow Jn after giving halts at Aishbagh or/and Lucknow City.
Nostalgia hits hard when I recall the name Aishbagh, which used to be one of the terminals of NER's MG network till mid of 2016. MG & BG tracks ran parallel to each other between Daliganj Jn & Aishbagh. Ruhelkhand, Sanctuary, Nainital Express are some pouplar MG names from those days.