Martin's Light Railways
| Industry | Railways |
|---|---|
| Founded | ? |
| Defunct | ? |
| Area served | British India |
| Services | Rail transport |
Martin's Light Railways was a private company operating railways in India. The routes on which trains were run by Martin's Light Railways (or by Martin & Co.) are as shown below:[1]
- Howrah Maidan-Amta and Shiakhala lines 2 ft (610 mm) gauge (closed on January 1, 1971).
- Bukhtiarpur Bihar Light Railway taken over by the local district board in 1950, taken over by Indian Railways (IR) and replaced by 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) (BG) in 1962.
- Barasat Basirhat Railway 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge. Closed 1955, partly replaced by BG in 1962 by IR.
- Fulwah-Islampur Light Railway in Bihar
- Arrah-Sasaram Light Railway in Bihar
- Delhi Shahdra to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh
Howrah Maidan-Amta/Shiakhala
The light railways had their origin in an agreement, dated 12 June 1889 between the District Board of Howrah and Messrs. Walsh, Lovett & Co., which was subsequently renewed with Messrs. Martin & Co., and sanctioned by Government notification in the Calcutta Gazette of March 27, 1895.[2] The Howrah-Amta line was opened up to Domjur in 1897, and to Amta in 1898. An extension from Bargachhia (Bargechhe) junction to Antpur was opened in 1904, and a further extension to Champadanga in 1908. This extension, however, lies almost exclusively in Hooghly district. Both the Howrah- Amta and Howrah-Shiakhala lines start from Telkalghat on the Hooghly river, and skirting the Court maidan pass through the crowded Panchanantala road to Kadamtala station. Here they separate, the Howrah-Sliiakhala line running north-west along the Benares road to the border of the district, and thence to Shiakhala in Hooghly district. The Howrah-Amta line runs west, chiefly along the side of the Jagatballabhpur road, and then goes south-west to Amta.[2]
The new Howrah-Amta broad gauge line project, including the Bargachia-Champadanga branch line, was sanctioned in 1974-75. The first 24-km stretch of the section from Howrah to Bargachia was completed in 1984 by South Eastern Railway along with electrification, and commissioned soon after. The 6 km long Bargachhia-Munsirhat stretch was inaugurated in 2000.[3] The Mahendralal Nagar-Amta section was opened in 2005.[4] However, the Bargachhia-Champadanga branch line is yet to be completed. According to the reply to a parliamentary question in 2006, land to be provided free of cost by the State Government as per Memorandum of Understanding, was still to be handed over.[5]
Bukhtiarpur Bihar Light Railway
Bukhtiarpur-Bihar line (or Bakhtiarpur-Bihar line) was a narrow gauge railway line running between Bakhtiarpur and Rajgir.[6] Bukhtiarpur-Bihar line of Martin's Light Railways was taken over by the local district board in 1950. This line was later taken over by Indian Railways in 1961 and replaced by 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) (Indian gauge) line in 1962.[7]
Arrah-Sasaram
The Arrah-Sasaram line was opened as a narrow gauge (2’ 6”) section of Martin’s Light Railways in 1914 and was closed in 1978.[8][9] A new broad gauge line was laid by Indian Railways from Sasaram to Arrah in 2006-07.[10]
See also
References
- ↑ "[IRFCA] Indian Railways FAQ: Non-IR Railways". IRFCA. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Howrah District (1909)". IRFCA. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ↑ "Howrah-Amta BG line section inaugurated". The Hindu Business Line, 24 July 2000. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ↑ "Lalu remote-launches 2 S-E Rly projects". The Hindu Business Line, 1 January 2005. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ↑ "RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 2689 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2006". Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ↑ [IRFCA] Indian Railways FAQ: Non-IR Railways
- ↑ consultant
- ↑ R.P.Saxena. "Indian Railway History timeline". Retrieved 2011-11-20.
- ↑ "Non-IR Railways in India". IRFCA. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
- ↑ "Speech of Shri Lalu Prasad Introducing the Railway Budget 2006-07 On 24th February 2006". New lines. Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 2011-12-01.