Sir Rawland McDonald Stephenson, the first Agent and Managing Director of the East India Railway Company submitted the first traffic and engineering report for a line from Calcutta to Mirzapur to the East India Company in 1844. He established the East Indian Railway Company(EIR) with headquarters in Englandin May 1845.
The first deed of contract between the East India Company and the East India Railway Company was signed on 17.08.1849.
It took 6 years of hard work to complete the line of 5’6” gauge from Howrahto coal fields of Raniganj. On 4.2.1855, during the period of Lord Dalhousie, the first train ran on this section of 125 miles.
A fresh contract was entered into for extending the Railway line to Delhi. For the construction of the section falling under the North West Provinces, EIR created a separate administration under a Deputy Agent and Chief Engineer at Allahabad. Work stated in 1852 from Allahabad towards Kanpur. In February 1857 a locomotive was run 26 miles (41.8 Kms.) out of Allahabad towards Kanpur. The section from Allahabad to Kanpurwas initially opened only for strategic purposes for movement of troops and equipment. The section was opened for public on 03.03.1859.
The opening of other sections were as below:
| Kanpur to Etawah | | 01.07.1861 |
| Etawah to Shikohabad | | 13.11.1861 |
| Shikohabad to Tundla (Including Tundla Jn. To Yamuna Bridge towards Agra City). | | 01.04.1862 |
| Tundla to Aligarh | | 01.03.1863 |
| Aligarh to Chola | | 01.04.1864 |
| Chola to Ghaziabad | | 01.08.1864 |
| ETW-MNQ | | 26-12-2016 |
| Merger of PCOI-MKP | | 04-04-2017 |
The section from Mughalsarai to the YamunaBridge at Naini, Allahabad was opened in 1864. On 1stAugust 1864 first train from Howrah reached Delhi station. Coaches were ferried on boats across the river at Allahabad.
The Allahabad Yamuna Bridge was opened on 15.08.1865.
Around the same time, track laying was proceeding apace on the Oudh Rohilkhand Railway and G.I.P.R. By 1875, Kanpur city was connected to Lucknow and by 1886 G.I.P.R. connected Jhansi to Kanpur. In April 1879, construction of Burhwal-Kanpur Meter gauge link was established and by 1909 B.B.C.I. entered Kanpur, thus making the present Allahabad Division an important link on the North-South and East-West routes.
Allahabad was a natural location for setting up a Railway District and later Divisional Headquarter. The station soon grew into an independent junction, locomotive and crew changing station and point from which EIR controlled all ‘UP’ country operations.
Allahabad Division (between Mughalsarai and Ghaziabad), part of East Indian Railway from 1845 to 1952, became a part of erstwhile Northern Railway in 1952 during regrouping of Railway after Independence. It became a part of North Central Railway in the year 2003 when some more zones became operational.
Allahabad Division renamed as Prayagraj Division on 22.02.2020
