Bardhaman–Katwa line

The Bardhaman–Katwa line is a 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge branch line connecting Bardhaman and Katwa in Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal. It is under the jurisdiction of Eastern Railway. The line was a narrow gauge line, before its gauge conversion began on 2010. The gauge conversion was done in two phases along with electrification and the full broad gauge line was thrown open for public again on 12 January 2018.[2]

Bardhaman–Katwa line
Katwa Junction is an important railway station on Bardhaman–Katwa line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	West Bengal
Termini	Bardhaman Katwa
Stations	16
Service
System	Electrified
Operator(s)	1915-1966 McLeod's Light Railways 1966-present Eastern Railway
History
Opened	1 December 1915 (NG), 11 February 2014 (BG) (Bardhaman - Balgona Section), 12 January 2018 (BG) (Balgona - Katwa Section)
Closed	15 April 2010 (Bardhaman - Balgona section); 1 December 2014 (Balgona - Katwa section)
Technical
Line length	53 km (33 mi)
Track gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Old gauge	2 ft 6 in (762 mm)
Electrification	25 kV AC overhead since 11 February 2014 (Bardhaman - Balgona section); since 12 January 2018 (Balgona - Katwa Section)
Route map km Bardhaman–Asansol section 0 Barddhaman Junction 6 Kamnara 7 Khetia 10 Chamardighi 11 Karjana 12 Karjanagram 15 Amarun 19 Bhatar 25 Balgona 30 Saota 32 Nigan Mangalkot (planned) 36 Kaichar 41 Bankapasi 45 Shrikhanda 46 Shripat Shrikhanda Barharwa–Azimganj– Katwa loop 53 Katwa Junction Bandel–Katwa line km Sources: [1]

History

McLeod's Light Railways

McLeod's Light Railways (MLR) consisted of four 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge lines in West Bengal in India. The railways were built and owned by McLeod & Company, which was the subsidiary of a London company of managing agents, McLeod Russell & Co. Ltd.[3]

Burdwan-Katwa Railway connecting Bardhaman (earlier known as Burdwan) and Katwa in now Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal was opened to traffic on 1 December 1915. The railway was built in 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge and total length was 53 kilometres (33 mi).[4]

The engines chugged along at the maximum speed of 30 km per hour.[5][6]

Gauge Conversion

The 53 km long railway section was converted to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge,[7][8] work for which began on 15 April 2010.[9]

The Bardhaman-Balogna section of the line, after conversion from narrow gauge to electrified broad gauge, was opened to the public on 11 February 2014.[10] The Balogna-Katwa section of the line, after conversion from narrow gauge to electrified broad gauge, was opened to the public on 12 January 2018.[11]

References

1. "Howrah Division System Map". ER Railway.
2. "Baro rail Katwae, jamlo bhidr (Big railway in Katwa, crowd gathers)". Bengali. Ananda Bazar Patrika, 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
3. "McLeod's Light Railways". Retrieved 22 August 2009.
4. "Burdwan-Katwa Railway". Retrieved 22 August 2009.
5. "Narrow gauge gets a new lease of life". The Statesman, 14 October 2004. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
6. Manning, Ian. "The Katwa Railways". From Bengal Towards Nagpur. Indian Railway Fan Club. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
7. "Burdwan-Katwa Railway". fibis. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
8. Siddiqui, Kanchan. "Burdwan bids adieu to vintage narrow gauge trains". The Statesman, 14 April 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
9. "Villagers stall rail project in Burdwan". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
10. "Bardhaman-Balogna new EMU service introduced". Indian Railways. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
11. "Baro rail Katwae, jamlo bhidr (Big railway in Katwa, crowd gathers)". Bengali. Ananda Bazar Patrika, 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.