Howrah–Barddhaman main line
Konnagar Railway Station, an important suburban railway station of the line
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerIndian Railways
LocaleWest Bengal
Termini
Stations34
Service
SystemCommuter rail
Operator(s)Eastern Railway
History
Opened1854
Technical
Line length108 km (67 mi)
Number of tracks4
Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Electrification1958 with 25 kV AC
Operating speedup to 130 km/ h
Route map

km
km
Up arrow
Barddhaman Down Yard
Up arrow
Left arrowRight arrow
Bardhaman#Road Barddhaman Junction
107
00
143
53
Katwa Junction
136
Dainhat
Barddhaman Up Yard
Barddhaman Diesel Loco shed
Gangpur
100
LowerLeft arrow
Dainhat–Manteswar
–Memari line
(planned)
Saktigarh
95
Down arrow
LowerLeft arrow
Manteswar (planned)
Palsit
91
87
Rasulpur
Nimo
84
UpperRight arrow
Dainhat–Manteswar
–Memari line
(planned)
81
Memari
Bagila
78
74
Debipur
Bainchi
70
67
Bainchigram
Simlagarh
65
60
Pundooah
Khanyan
55
50
Talandu
Up arrow
Up arrow
Dhaniakhali Halt
00
46
Magra
(planned)
Tarakeswar–Dhaniakhali
–Magra line
Left arrow
Saraswati river
Down arrow
43
Adisaptagram
Bandel EMU car shed
Up arrow
Bandel goods yard
Bandel#Road_and_bus Bandel Junction
39
Bandel Steam Loco shed
Right arrow
Hooghly
37
35
Chuchura
Chandannagar
32
30
Mankundu
Victoria jute mill siding
Bhadreshwar jute mill siding
Angus jute mill siding
Bhadreshwar
28
Champdani coal depot siding
30
Bhadreshwar Ghat
North Brook jute mill siding
Dalhousie jute mill siding
Champdani jute mill siding
24
Baidyabati
Left arrow
22
Seoraphuli Junction
(planned) Shrirampur
19
Shrirampur
(planned)
Howrah Maidan–Dankuni
–Srirampur metro
Down arrow
Standard Pharma siding
Grasim Industries factory siding
Wellington jute mill siding
16
Rishra
Rishra cotton mill siding
Berger Paints factory siding
Hindustan Motors factory siding
13
Konnagar
11
Hind Motor
9
Uttarpara
Condemned Coach Dismantling
& Cutting Yard
Bone mill siding
Bally Khal
Up arrow
Bally jute mill siding
8
Bally
Left arrow Right arrow
6
Belur Math Belur,_West_Bengal#Transport
Belur Railway Scrap Yard
Belur
5
Belur Store Yard
4
Liluah
Up arrow
Liluah C & W Workshop
Santragachi Locomotive Shed
Santragachi Coaching Yard
Hindustan Industries
& Engineering siding
Right arrow
(planned)
Howrah–Santragachi
–Dhulagarh metro
Up arrow
Santragachhi#Roadways Santragachi Junction
07
10
Santragachi (planned)
(planned)
Howrah–Santragachi
–Dhulagarh metro
Down arrow
Liluah Sorting Yard
Ramrajatala
06
Howrah Diesel Loco Shed
Dasnagar
04
Tikiapara–Liluah line
(Howrah bypass line)
Tikiapara
02
Tikiapara EMU Car Shed
Padmapukur Coaching Yard
Tikiapara Coaching Yard
Padmapukur
08
(planned)
Howrah–Santragachi
–Dhulagarh metro
Up arrow
Howrah EMU Car Shed
ferry/water interchange Shalimar
05
Shalimar (planned)
Shalimar Goods Shed
Salt Golah Goods Yard (abandoned)
(planned) Coal Depot
Up arrow
Howrah Maidan–Dankuni
–Srirampur metro
(planned)
(planned) Foreshore Road
Jheel Siding Coaching Yard
Howrah–Shalimar line
(abandoned)
 KM Line 2  (u/c)
Howrah Goods Shed
0
Howrah Transport in Kolkata Buses in Kolkata Trams in Kolkata
Down arrow
 KM Line 2  (u/c)
km
km
Key
Indian Railways broad gauge (1676 mm)
Kolkata Metro (KM) standard gauge (1435 mm)
in use
out of use, planned, or
under construction (u/c)
tunnel

The Howrah–Barddhaman main line is a broad-gauge railway line connecting Howrah and Barddhaman via Bandel. The 107 kilometres (66 mi) railway line operates in Howrah, Hooghly and Purba Barddhaman districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of the Howrah–Delhi main line and the Kolkata Suburban Railway system.

History

The East Indian Railway Company which was formed on 1 June 1845, planned to construct a line from Howrah to Delhi. After surveys, construction began in 1851.

Howrah station was a tin shed and to reach it from Kolkata one had to cross the Hooghly River in a ferry. On 15 August 1854, the first passenger train in the eastern section was operated up to Hooghly railway station, 39 kilometres (24 mi) away. On 1 February 1855 the first train ran from Howrah to Raniganj, 195 kilometres (121 mi) from Howrah.

Access to Howrah station

A pontoon bridge was built across the Hooghly River in 1874 to provide easy access to Howrah Station, and in 1943 the cantilever Howrah Bridge, later renamed Rabindra Setu, was built.[1]

First train of the East Indian Railway, 1854
A Howrah-bound EMU train leaving Bandel Jn.

Other routes

The Sheoraphuli–Tarakeswar branch line was constructed in 1885, and the Howrah–Barddhaman chord line, a shorter link to Barddhaman, was constructed in 1917.[2] (See route diagram for Sheoraphuli-Tarakeswar Line with this page also).

With the construction of the Jubilee Bridge in 1887 across the Hooghly, railway lines on the eastern side of the Hooghly were linked to the main line at Bandel. In 1932, the Calcutta chord line was built over the Willingdon Bridge joining Dum Dum with Dankuni.

In 1913, the Hooghly–Katwa Railway constructed a line from Bandel to Katwa, and the Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa Railway constructed the Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop.(See route diagram for the Bandel–Katwa line with this page).

The railway track was extended to Belur Math in 2003.[3]

In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the third line between Rasulpur and Magra of this route to reduce the congestion of the trains in this route.

Electrification

Electrification of the Howrah–Barddhaman main line was initiated up to Bandel in 1957, with the 3000 v DC system, and the entire Howrah–Barddhaman route completed with AC system, along with conversion of earlier DC portions to 25 kV AC, in 1958.

Tracks

There are 5 tracks between Howrah and Bally, 3 tracks between Bally and Serampore, 4 tracks between Serampore and Seoraphuli Junction, 3 tracks between Seoraphuli Junction and Bandel Junction and 3 tracks between Bandel Junction and Saktigarh and from Saktigarh up to Barddhaman Junction 4 tracks. This line uses automatic block signalling [4]

Loco and car sheds

Howrah has a diesel and an electric loco shed. Both of them rank among the largest in India. The diesel loco shed houses WDM-2, WDM-3(A, B and D), WDP-4D and WDS-6 locos. Some WDS-4 are also occasionally seen shunting alongside the regular WDS-6 ones . The electric loco shed houses WAP-4 and WAP-7 locos. Commissioned in 2001, it is one of the largest WAP-4 sheds in Indian Railways. There used to be a time when, 60% of the shed was occupied by WAP-4 alone. It is also growing in stature as it can also now handle large no. of locos of one of the premier passenger WORKHORSE locos of India...i.e.WAP-7.it currently holds ownership of more than 30+ WAP-7 locos. It has facilities for handling 100+ locos. Some of these, like WAM-4 and WAG-5 are borrowed in temporarily from the Asansol electric loco shed, The main hub for handling WAM and WAG types (except WAG-9., whose ownership resides with Howrah shed ). The Howrah electric loco shed has a very detailed planning of the infrastructure that allows it to hold and maintain its own locos as well as locos from other sheds. There is a diesel loco shed at Bamangachi with WDM-2(not more than 7 generally ), WDS-4 and WDS-6(some of them being diesel hydraulic shunters). Barddhaman has a diesel loco shed with WDG-3(A and B), WDM-6(generally a couple of them), WDM-2 and WDM-3(A, B, D) locos. It can handle 35+ locos. There is a diesel loco shed at Liluah and an Electrical multiple unit (EMU) car shed at Howrah and Bandel. Liluah Carriage & Wagon Workshop maintains coaches and freight wagons.[5]

Tikiapara Coaching Depot maintains 22 primary base trains and 6 round trip trains. Total coach holding capacity is 744 coaches. It handles prestigious trains like Rajdhani Express and Duronto Express. The Coaching Depot is under Howrah Division, Eastern Railway. Barddhaman Coaching & Wagon Depot can maintain four passenger trains, including one DEMU rake. It has a capacity of holding 71 coaches.[6]

Speed limits

The Howrah–Barddhaman main line is classified as 'B' class line where trains can run at up to 130 km per hour .[7]

References

  1. "Bridge Highlights". Archived from the original on 18 November 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  2. "The Chronology of Railway development in Eastern Indian". Rail India. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  3. "New rail link to Belur Math from August 16". The Times of India. 13 August 2003. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  4. "Howrah Division Operating Department". Eastern Railway. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  5. "Sheds and Workshops". IRFCA. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  6. "Carriage and Wagon / Howrah Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  7. "Permanent Way". Track Classifications. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
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