Bankura–Masagram line
| Bankura-Masagram line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Partially operational |
| Locale | West Bengal |
| Termini | Bankura Masagram |
| Stations | 21 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 2005 (as broad gauge railway) |
| Owner | Indian Railway |
| Operator(s) | South Eastern Railway |
| Technical | |
| Line length | Broad gauge: 116 km (72 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad Gauge |
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The Bankura–Masagram line is a broad-gauge rail line connecting Bankura and Masagram. The 116-kilometre long (72 mi) railway line operates in Bankura and Bardhaman districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. .
History
The old narrow gauge route of Bankura Damodar Railway was planned to be revived by South Eastern Railway of Indian Railways in 1998 as a broad gauge line. The plans were to convert the old track with some minor diverisions to a broad gauge one and connect it with the Howrah-Bardhaman Chord near Masagram. The work has been scheduled to be completed in three phases: Bankura - Sonamukhi, Sonamukhi-Rainagar, and Rainagar-Masagram.[1]
The 41 kilometres (25 mi) long Bankura-Sonamukhi broad gauge section was completed and opened to the public in 2005.[2] The 55 kilometres (34 mi) long Sonamukhi-Rainagar broad gauge section was completed and opened to the public in 2008[3] and one stop extension to Mathnasipur was completed in 2011. According to Indian Railways, the missing link between Mathnasipur and Masagram is planned to open in the financial year 2012-2013. On completion of the 20 kilometres (12 mi) long Rainagar-Masagram new broad gauge section, the distance between Howrah and Bankura will be reduced from 231 kilometres (144 mi) (via Kharagpur) to 185 kilometres (115 mi). The last section involves the construction of a bridge across Damodar River.[3][4] The 510 m long bridge over the Damodar has already been constructed and work on the Mathnasipur-Masagram new project is nearing completion with the addition of four new halts – Gram Masagram (Mustafachak), Habaspur, Dadpur and Berugram.[5]
Construction on the 48.25 kilometres (29.98 mi) long new broad gauge railway line between Bankura-Chhatna-Mukutmanipur has also been inaugurated.[6]
Route Description
The previous NG line near Bankura was a bit different. The former NG station was physically isolated from the BG station. It was after the adjacent road, so if anyone wanted to change from BG to NG, he/she should cross the road to entrain the NG train. To continuing journey from Adra to Rainagar, the new BG line is branching just before Bankura Jn. (going to Adra from Kharagpur), then it turns as a semicircle, and then meets on the old Narrow gauge line alignment. On the rest portion it completely follows the old line’s alignment. The line is entirely single. There are crossings at Sonamukhi, Patrasayer, Bowaichandi, Seharabazar and Rainagar. It passes through land of red soil and part of a partly cut jungle.
Train Service
At present (2012), two DMU trains run between Bankura Jn. and Mathnasipur,[7] and one between Bankura Jn. and Seharabazar. Since 2012, The line between Masagram and Mathnasipur has been completed and one pair of DMU runs on this line.
See also
References
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