Satpura Railway

Satpura Railway was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge railway in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in central India.

Satpura Railway
Overview
OwnerIndian Railways
LocaleMadhya Pradesh, Maharashtra
Service
SystemSteam/diesel
Operator(s)South East Central Railway
History
Opened1903
Closed2015
Technical
Track gauge2 ft 6 in (762 mm)

History

After the Great Famine of 1876–78 in central India, the Bengal Nagpur Railway began planning to open a low-cost railway track 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. 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 line in 1909.[3][4] The extensive network of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge tracks measured just over 1,000 km.[2][5]

Conversion to broad gauge

The Satpura Railway is under conversion to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge.[3][6]

The section between Gondia and Balaghat was converted to broad gauge in 2005–2006 connecting Balaghat to India's national network for the first time. Work is underway to convert the Balaghat–Jabalpur section to broad gauge. The narrow gauge trains running between Jabalpur and Balaghat were stopped in October 2015 and the track was closed for gauge conversion.[7] The gauge conversion is expected to be completed by 2018–2019. The 85 km broad-gauge track from Jabalpur to Ghunsore railway station was operational in September 2017 and the 28 km track from Ghunsore to Nainpur also has been operational since 2018. Now the work between Nainpur to Samnapur is going on rapidly and expected to be operational in mid 2020.

References
  1. R.R.Bhandari. "Railways of the Raj". Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  2. Vohra, Bharat. "Satpura NG Explorer". IRFCA. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  3. "Nagpur Division" (PDF). South East Central Railway. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  4. "Major Events in the Formation of S.E. Railway". South Eastern Railway. Archived from the original on 1 April 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  5. "India's Satpura Narrow Gauge Lines, 1981". The International Steam Pages. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  6. "Funds crunch hits gauge conversion work". The Times of India. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  7. The End Of A Much Loved Indian Railway Line
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