Orientation: a railway town first
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar, still widely called Mughalsarai, is a city and municipal board in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh, and its identity is built around the railway. The town grew up around the junction Indian Railways established here in the late nineteenth century, and the station — Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction — remains the anchor of the place and one of the busiest railway stations in India. For a visitor, that means the practical geography of your trip is simple: most journeys begin and end at the station, and the town spreads out around it.
The city is bisected by NH 19, the old Grand Trunk Road, which divides it into distinct parts. The southern side is dominated by railway colonies — Vasant Vihar, New Central Colony, Diesel Colony, Haper Colony, Shastri Colony, RPF Colony, European Colony, Subhash Nagar, Loco Colony, Roza Colony, Plant-Depot Colony and Saresar, Alampur — while a handful of mohallas sit close to the station itself. The Kailashpuri and Ravinagar colonies on the west side are described as the poshest area of the city. Knowing which side of the highway your hotel or contact is on will save you confusion, because the highway is a real barrier to movement on foot.
How tourists get around
This is not a city with a tourist-oriented transport network. There is no metro, no tram and no suburban rail system within the town; the railway here is long-distance and intercity, not a way of moving between neighbourhoods. Visitors generally rely on a mix of auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws, local buses and hired cars or taxis, arranged locally rather than through a single integrated system. Because the town is compact and its landmarks are few, most visitors treat it as a stopover on a longer rail journey rather than a place to tour extensively.
Rail: the junction is the hub
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction is the fourth busiest station in India, with roughly 125 passenger trains passing through it, so it connects the town directly to a very wide range of destinations across the country. If you are arriving by train, you will almost certainly step out into the station forecourt, where local transport can be found. For onward planning, the junction is served by direct trains from major cities; from Lucknow, for example, direct services run roughly every two hours through the day, with a journey of around five and a half hours and fares ranging from very cheap to moderately priced depending on class. Book tickets in advance through Indian Railways' official channels, especially for overnight or long-distance legs, as the station's importance means demand is steady.
Note that the town has no metro or tram network, so the junction is your rail gateway rather than a local transit option.
Buses and other public transport
Long-distance bus services do not generally run directly to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar itself; the practical approach is to take a bus to nearby Varanasi and continue from there by road or rail. From Lucknow, for instance, operators such as Zingbus run frequent services to Varanasi, and a number of other private operators cover the same route, with total journey times of roughly six hours and fares varying by operator and class. Within the town, local buses and shared auto-rickshaws serve the main roads, but schedules are informal and best confirmed locally on arrival.
Taxis and ride-hailing
For point-to-point trips, taxis and hired cars are the most comfortable option, particularly if you are carrying luggage or travelling between the station and the western colonies. For longer intercity transfers, a car is the fastest choice: the road journey from Lucknow, for example, takes around four and a half hours by taxi, with fares in the region of US$45–60. Ride-hailing apps have limited coverage in a town of this size, so it is safer to arrange a car through your hotel or a local operator, or to agree the fare with a driver in advance.
Walking
Walking works well for short hops near the station and within individual colonies, but it is not a realistic way to cross town. NH 19 cuts the city into separate parts, and the distances between the station area, the railway colonies to the south and the western colonies are long enough that most visitors will take a rickshaw or car. If your accommodation is close to the station, you can comfortably walk to nearby shops and eateries; for anything beyond that, arrange transport.
Getting from the airport into the city
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar has no airport of its own. The nearest practical air gateway is Varanasi Airport (VNS), from which you continue by road or rail into the town. If you are flying in from elsewhere in India, note that connections to Varanasi are typically indirect — flights from Lucknow, for example, route via Delhi, Kolkata or similar hubs, taking roughly five to seven and a half hours in total and costing anywhere from about US$60 to US$210 depending on the routing. From Varanasi, arrange a taxi or take a train onward to the junction; the town is a short road journey from Varanasi and is well connected by rail.
Practical tips
- Treat the railway junction as your reference point for orientation and for arranging onward transport.
- Book long-distance train tickets in advance; the junction is a major one and services fill up.
- For intercity bus travel, plan to route through Varanasi rather than expecting a direct service to the town.
- Agree taxi fares beforehand, and ask your hotel to arrange cars where possible.
- Check which side of NH 19 your destination lies on before setting out on foot.
- Verify schedules and fares with operators on arrival — aggregator estimates are indicative only.