Santragachi–Amta branch line

Overview

Status

Operational

Owner

Indian Railways

Locale

West Bengal

Termini

Santragachi (SRC)
Amta (AMZ)

Service

Services

Kolkata Suburban Railway

Operator(s)

South Eastern Railway zone

Technical

Electrification

25 kV AC (1967–69)

Operating speed

60 kilometres per hour (37 mph)

Route map

(under construction)

(under construction)

Calcutta Chord

to Dankuni

Bhattanagar

Calcutta Chord

to Dum Dum

Baltikuri

Bankranayabaz

Howrah–Kharagpur line

Andul

NH 117 (Kona Epressway)

Mourigram

Hindustan Industries

and Engineering

Santragachi

Padmapukur

Guest Keen Williams

Shalimar │

Shalimar

rail yard

NH 117 (Kona Expressway)

Ramrajatala

Dasnagar

Tikiapara

Howrah–Bardhaman main line

& Howrah–Bardhaman chord

Howrah

Source: Google Maps

This line is a part of South Eastern Railway zone, on which the Kolkata Suburban local train runs from Howrah to Amta. Its total distance is about 35 km, which takes about one hour from Santragachi to Amta.^[1]

History

The Howrah Amta Light Railway was owned and worked by the Howrah–Amta Light Railway Company (agents: TA Martin & Co, Calcutta). The Howrah–Amta Light Railway was closed on 1 January 1971. The track bed was used for South Eastern Railway's Amta branch.

Howrah–Amta line (Narrow (2 ft) gauge: 28 miles)
Howrah to Dumjur (9 miles) opened 1 July 1897
Dumjur to Bargachia (7 miles) opened 2 October 1897
Bargachia to Maju (6 miles) opened 4 May 1898
Maju to Amta (7 miles) opened 1 June 1898–closed 1 January 1971
Amta branch (Broad gauge: 28 miles)
Santragachi Junction to Domjur (12 miles) opened 22 April 1984
Domjur to Bargachia (5 miles) opened c. 1985
Bargachia to Mahendra Lalnagar (3 miles) opened 22 July 2002
Mahendra Lalnagar to Amta (8 miles) opened December 2004

Construction

The union railway minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, formally inaugurated the 6 km-long Bargachia–Munshirhat broad-gauge line section in the South Eastern Railway system.

This section, mainly to benefit the daily commuters, is a part of the much-awaited 73.5 km-long Howrah–Amta new BG line, including the Bargachia–Champadanga branch line. The entire stretch is expected to be completed by the end of 2001 or early 2002. The new line project is estimated to cost Rs. 124 crores.

The minister announced a trial run for seven days, mainly on account of safety and security, and declared that two pairs of trains would be pressed into service between Howrah and Munshirhat (Mahendralal Nagar) from 29 July. Currently, six pairs of EMU locals run between Howrah and Bargachia every day.

Unveiling the plaque signalling the formal commissioning of the Bargachia–Munshirhat BG section at the Mahendra Lal Nagar terminal station, the Minister complimented SER and its workforce for having completed the project four months ahead of schedule.

The Howrah–Amta new BG line project including the branch line was sanctioned way back in 1974–75 at an initial cost of Rs. 32 crores. The first 24-km stretch of the section from Howrah to Bargachia was completed in 1984 by SER along with electrification, and commissioned soon after.

Work on further construction beyond Bargachia was frozen by the Railway Board for more than a decade, and was revived in 1995–96, when the next block section (with two halts at Pantihal and Munshirhat) was sanctioned.

The original narrow-gauge line, connecting Howrah and Calcutta to Amta (built in 1897), was part of the Martin's Light Railway in British India. The NG line connecting Howrah to Amta, Champadanga and Seikhala, was terminated on the bank of the Damodar river on the north west side. After running for a number of years, the line was abandoned in 1971, as operations became unprofitable owing to various reasons.

Route

Stations between Santragachi and Amta are Bankra Nayabaz–Baltikuri–Kona–Dansi–Jhalurberi–Makardaha–Domjur Road–Domjur–Dakshinbari–Bargachia–Pantihal–Munsirhat–Mahendralalnagar–Maju–Jalasi–Harshidadpur.

References

^ [1], www.irfca.org, Retrieved = 10 August 2017

Railways in Eastern India

National network/
trunk lines

Other lines/sections

Interstate	Asansol–Gaya section Asansol–Patna section Asansol–Tatanagar–Kharagpur line Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines Barkakana–Son Nagar line Barsoi–New Farakka section Barsoi–Radhikapur branch line Dumka–Bhagalpur line Gaya–Mughalsarai section Hatia–Rourkela line Jasidih–Dumka–Rampurhat line Jharsuguda–Vizianagaram line Katihar–Siliguri line Kharagpur–Puri line Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section Kothavalasa–Kirandul line New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section Tatanagar–Bilaspur section
Bihar	Bakhtiyarpur–Tilaiya line Barauni–Katihar section Barauni–Samastipur section Fatuha–Tilaiya line Gaya–Kiul line Mokama–Barauni section Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur line (via Hajipur, Raxaul and Sitamarhi) Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur main line Muzaffarpur–Sitamarhi section Muzaffarpur–Hajipur section Narkatiaganj–Bhikhna Thori branch line Neora–Jatdumari–Daniyawan–Bihar Sharif–Sheikhpura line Patna–Gaya line Patna–Mughalsarai section Patna–Sonepur–Hajipur section Raxaul–Sagauli line Samastipur–Muzaffarpur section
Jharkhand	Barkakana–Netaji S.C.Bose Gomoh line Barkakana–Muri–Chandil line Dhanbad–Chandrapura line Railways in Jharia Coalfield Koderma–Hazaribagh–Barkakana–Ranchi line Madhupur–Giridih–Koderma line Netaji S.C.Bose Gomoh–Hatia line
Odisha	Khurda Road–Bolangir line Cuttack–Sambalpur line
West Bengal	Ahmadpur–Katwa line Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line Andal–Sainthia branch line Andal–Sitarampur loop line Bandel–Katwa line Bankura–Masagram line Bardhaman–Asansol section Bardhaman–Katwa line Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Eklakhi–Balurghat branch line Haldibari–New Jalpaiguri line Howrah–Barddhaman main line Howrah–Bardhaman chord Howrah–Kharagpur line Kharagpur–Bankura–Adra line New Mal–Changrabandha–New Cooch Behar line Santragachi–Amta branch line Sealdah Main and North section Calcutta Chord link line Kolkata Circular Railway Sealdah–Bangaon line Sealdah–Ranaghat–Gede line Ranaghat–Krishnanagar City–Lalgola line Sealdah South section Sheoraphuli–Bishnupur branch line

Suburban
rail transport

Monorail

Defunct lines

Revived/ Under revival	Ahmedpur–Katwa Railway Bankura–Damodar Railway Barasat–Basirhat Light Railway Burdwan–Katwa Railway Bakhtiarpur–Bihar Light Railway Futwah–Islampur Light Railway
Inactive	Bengal Provincial Railway East Coast State Railway Kalighat Falta Railway Mayurbhanj State Railway Dehri Rohtas Light Railway Patna–Digha Ghat line Parlakimedi Light Railway

Zones & Divisions

Eastern	Asansol Howrah Malda Sealdah
East Central	Danapur Dhanbad Mughalsarai Samastipur Sonpur
East Coast	Sambalpur Khurda Road Waltair
North Eastern	Varanasi
Northeast Frontier	Katihar Alipurduar
South Eastern	Adra Chakradharpur Kharagpur Ranchi

Production units/
workshops

Transit points
with Bangladesh

Active	Haldibari–Chilahati Singhabad–Rohanpur Radhikapur–Biral Gede–Darshana Petrapole–Benapole
Defunct	Mahisasan–Shahbajpur Changrabandha–Burimari Gitaldaha–Mogalhat

Indian railheads
near India–Nepal border

Railway companies

Santragachi–Amta branch line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

History

Construction

Route

References