Satpura narrow gauge lines

Satpura narrow gauge lines
Overview
System	Steam/ diesel
Status	Partly operational
Locale	Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra
Operation
Owner	Indian Railway
Operator(s)	South East Central Railway
Technical
Track gauge	2 ft 6 in (762 mm); 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

The Satpura narrow gauge lines consist of just over 1,000 km of a network of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge lines in central India. Some parts of it have been converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) and the rest is still functional as narrow gauge line.

History

Following the Great Famine of 1876–78, the Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) was formed for the purpose of upgrading the Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway and then extending it via Bilaspur to Asansol, in order to develop a shorter Howrah-Mumbai route than the one via Allahabad. The Bengal Nagpur Railway main line from Nagpur to Asansol was opened for goods traffic on 1 February 1891. It was only after Kharagpur was linked from the west and the south that it was connected to Howrah in 1900.

10 years after the opening of the BNR, the company began planning to open a low-cost railway that would unite the region, allowing both access to the agricultural and mineral resources of the region, further safeguarding the inhabitants should another famine arise.

The railway connected Jabalpur with Gondia, Mandla Fort, Chhindwara and Nagpur.^[1] Nainpur was the focal point of the network and was even bestowed with the prestige of being a divisional headquarters for some time.^[1]^[2] The lines came up in the early years of the 20th century. The first portion of the Gondia-Nainpur line was opened on 13 April 1903, Nainpur and Chhindwara were connected in 1904 and Jabalpur in 1905. The Chhindwara-Pench Coalfield line came up in 1906-07 and the Nainpur-Mandla Fort link in 1909.^[3]^[4] The extensive network of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge tracks measured just over 1,000 km.^[2]^[5]

Gauge conversion

Conversion of the narrow gauge line to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) is an approved project.^[3]

The gauge conversion programme includes the 147 km Nagpur-Chhindwara line, the 141 km Chhindwara-Nainpur line, the 110 km Jabalpur-Nainpur line, the 76 km Nainpur-Balaghat line and the 42 km (26 mi) Nainpur-Mandla Fort line.^[6]

Jabalpur-Nainpur gauge conversion has been completed in 43.4 km patch from Jabalpur to Sukari Mangela and this section is operatinal now. 2 pairs of BG passenger trains run on this section. Almost 80% of track being laid is on new alignment to decrease curve which will increase speed of trains. Narrow gauge trains still run on branch sections but trains between Nainpur and Sukari Mangela have been stopped for gauze conversion. The remaining 70.1 km patch from Sukari Mangela to Nainpur may be converted in 2019 if the required land is made available in Seoni district.

On Nagpur-Chhindwara route, work for a 750-metre tunnel between Chhindwara and Saunsar patch is in progress.

Satpura Express

The Satpura Express was a showpiece of these narrow gauge lines. It used to travel the 228 km distance between Jabalpur and Gondia in eight hours.^[2] With line being converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in), it has been stopped after 30 September 2015. After gauze conversion new train with same name may be started on broad gauze line.

References

1 2 R.R.Bhandari. "Railways of the Raj". Retrieved 2012-12-10.
1 2 3 Vohra, Bharat. "Satpura NG Explorer". IRFCA. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
1 2 "Nagpur Division" (PDF). South East Central Railway. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
↑ "Major Events in the Formation of S.E. Railway". South Eastern Railway. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
↑ "India's Satpura Narrow Gauge Lines, 1981". The International Steam Pages. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
↑ "Funds crunch hits gauge conversion work". The Times of India, 27 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-10.

External links

External video
Madla-Nainpur Narrow Gauge Passenger Train

Railways in Central India

National network / trunk lines	Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line New Delhi–Chennai main line

Branch lines /sections	Bina–Katni rail route Katni–Bilaspur line Satpura narrow gauge lines Tatanagar–Bilaspur section Bilaspur–Nagpur section Nagpur–Bhusawal section Allahabad–Jabalpur section Jabalpur–Bhusaval section Agra–Bhopal section Bhopal–Nagpur section Nagpur–Hyderabad line Narkhed–Amravati Railway

Monorail	Indore Monorail

Defunct lines revived/under revival	Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway

Defunct lines	Rajputana–Malwa Railway

Named trains	Ahilya Nagari Express Ajmer–Hyderabad Meenakshi Express Amarkantak Express Avantika Express Azad Hind Express Bhopal Bharat Teerth Express Bhopal Jan Shatabdi Express Bhopal Janata Express Bhopal Rajya Rani Express Bhopal–Indore Intercity Express Bhopal–Indore Passenger Bhopal–Jabalpur Intercity Express Bhopal–Mumbai Express Bhopal–Ujjain Passenger Bhopal–Bilaspur Express Bhopal–Bina Passenger Bhopal–Gwalior Intercity Express Bhopal–Howrah Express Bhopal–Indore AC Double Decker Intercity Express Bhopal–Indore AC Double Decker Non-Stop Express Bhopal–Indore Passenger Bhopal–Jaipur Express Bhopal–Jodhpur Passenger Bhopal–Lucknow Express Bhopal–Lucknow–Pratapgarh Express Bhopal–Pratapgarh Express Bina – Katni 505 Passenger Coimbatore Express Chambal Express Chhattisgarh Express Chhindwara - Amritsar Chhattisgarh Express Chitrakoot Express Damoh–Kota Passenger Dayodaya Express Durgavati Express Gondwana Express Grand Trunk Express Gwalior–Chhindwara Express Hazrat Nizamuddin – Indore Express Hazrat Nizamuddin – Jabalpur Express Hazrat Nizamuddin–Bhopal Express Hazrat Nizamuddin–Gwalior Express Himsagar Express Indore–Jaipur Express via Ajmer Indore Express Indore–Bandra Express Indore–Rewa Express Indore Express Indore Tri Shatabdi Indore–Dehradun Express Indore–Hazrat Nizamuddin Express Indore–Maksi Passenger Indore – Nagda Passenger Indore–Nagpur Express Indore–Patna Express Indore – Rajendra Nagar Via. Faizabad Express Indore–Ujjain Passenger Indore–Ajmer Express Indore–Ajmer Link Express Indore–Amritsar Express Indore–Bandra Express Indore–Bhind Express Indore–Bhopal Non-Stop Express Indore Duronto Express Indore–Gwalior Intercity Express Indore–Jabalpur Express Indore–Jabalpur Intercity Express Indore–Jaipur Express Indore–Kota Intercity Express Indore–Pune Express Indore–Rewa Express Indore–Surat Express Indore–Udaipur City Express Indore–Yesvantpur Express Intercity Express – Agra Jabalpur–Indore Intercity Express Jabalpur–Ambikapur Express Jabalpur – Mumbai Central Garib Rath Special Express Jabalpur–Mumbai Garibrath Express Jabalpur–Amravati Express Jabalpur–Bhopal Express Via. Bina Jabalpur–Bhopal Intercity Express Jabalpur Habibganj Jan Shatabdi Express Jabalpur–Indore Express Jabalpur–Jammu Tawi Express Jabalpur–Nagpur Express Jabalpur–New Delhi Express Jabalpur–Rewa Intercity Express Jabalpur Somnath Express Jaipur Superfast Express Lashkar Express Lucknow Bhopal Garibrath Express Madhya Pradesh Sampark Kranti Mahakoshal Express Mahanadi Express Malwa Express Nagpur – Indore Tri Shatabdi Express Narmada Express New Delhi Habibganj Shatabdi Express Panchvalley Express Patalkot Express Rajendra Nagar Patna – Indore Express Ranthambore Express Rewa – Delhi Anand Vihar Express Rewanchal Express Sarguja Express Satpura Express Shaan-e-Bhopal Express Shaktipunj Express Shanti Express Shipra Express Shramik express Surat Bhagalpur Express Surat–Muzaffarpur Express Taj Express Tapti Ganga Express Thiruvananthapuram–Indore Express Udhna Varanasi Express Ujjaini Express Vindhyachal Express

Railway companies	Bengal Nagpur Railway Great Indian Peninsula Railway South East Central Railway Central Railway Western Railway West Central Railway

See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Datia rail accident Akola–Ratlam (metre gauge trains) Indore–Ajmer metre-gauge trains Rail transport in Madhya Pradesh Dalli-Rajhara–Jagdalpur rail line

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