Bardhaman–Katwa line

Railway line in India

Bardhaman–Katwa line

Katwa Junction is one of the termini
of the 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

Legend

|  |  |

|
|
|
|

Bardhaman–Asansol section

|  |

| Barddhaman Junction
|  |

| Kamnara
|  |

| Kshetia
|  |

| Chamardighi
|  |

| Karjana
|  |

| Karjanagram
|  |

|  |

Khari River

|  |

| Amarun
|  |

| Bhatar
|  |

| Balgona
|  |

| Saota
|  |

| Nigan
|  |

|  | Mangalkot

(planned)

|  |

| Kaichar Halt
|  |

| Bankapasi
|  |

| Srikhanda
|  |

| Sripat Srikhanda
|  |

| Barharwa–Azimganj–

Katwa loop

|  |

| Katwa Junction
|  |

Bandel–Katwa line

|  |

|  |  |  |  |  |
Sources: [1]

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 open to the public again on 12 January 2018.[2]

## History

[edit]

### McLeod's Light Railways

[edit]

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 railway had a maximum speed of 30 kilometres per hour (19 mph).[5][6]

### Gauge Conversion

[edit]

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

[edit]

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. [dead link]
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.[permanent dead link]
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.

* v
* t
* e

Railways in Eastern India

National network/
trunk lines|

* Barauni–Guwahati line
* Grand Chord
* Howrah–Chennai main line
* Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line
* Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line
* Howrah–New Delhi main line
* Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line
* Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line
* Sahibganj loop

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–Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction 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
* Jogbani–Katihar line
* Mansi–Saharsa 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–Daniyawan–Bihar Sharif–Sheikhpura line
* Patna–Gaya line
* Patna–Mughalsarai section
* Patna–Sonepur–Hajipur section
* Saharsa–Purnia line
* Saharsa–Forbesganj 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|

* Kolkata Metro
* Kolkata Suburban Railway
* Kolkata Circular Railway

Monorail|

* Kolkata Monorail
* Patna 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
* Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya
* Samastipur
* Sonpur

East Coast|

* Sambalpur
* Khurda Road
* Waltair

North Eastern|

* Varanasi

Northeast Frontier|

* Katihar
* Alipurduar

South Eastern|

* Adra
* Chakradharpur
* Kharagpur
* Ranchi

Production units/
workshops|

* Chittaranjan Locomotive Works
* Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam
* Braithwaite & Co.
* Burn Standard Company Limited
* Bharat Wagon and Engineering
* Braithwaite, Burn & Jessop Construction Company
* Carriage Repair Workshop, Harnaut
* Electric Locomotive Factory, Madhepura

Transit points
with Bangladesh|

| Active|

* Haldibari–Chilahati
* Singhabad–Rohanpur
* Radhikapur–Biral
* Gede–Darshana
* Petrapole–Benapole

|

Defunct|

* Mahisasan–Shahbajpur
* Changrabandha–Burimari
* New Gitaldaha–Mogalhat

Indian railheads
near India–Nepal border|

* Raxaul Junction
* Bairgania
* Jaynagar
* Jogbani
* Laukaha Bazar
* Thakurganj

Railway companies|

* East Indian Railway Company
* Bengal Nagpur Railway
* Indian Branch Railway Company
* Indian Railways
* Martin's Light Railways

See also|

* Bholu (mascot)
* Suburban rail in India

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