Sealdah–Ranaghat line

Sealdah–Ranaghat line

Legend km to Lalgola Branch line to Gede Branch line 74 Ranaghat to Ranaghat-Bangaon line NH 34 68 Payradanga 62 Chakdaha 60 Palpara 58 Simurali 53 Madanpur 53 Kalyani Simanta 52 Kalyani Ghoshpara 50 Kalyani Shilpanchal 48 Kalyani 46 Kanchrapara 42 Halisahar to Howrah-Bardhaman Main Line to Katwa Bandel to Howrah Hooghly Ghat Jubilee Bridge across Hooghly Garifa 38 Naihati 36 Kankinara 34 Jagaddal 31 Shyamnagar 27 Ichapore 25 Palta 23 Barrackpore 21 Titagarh 19 Khardaha 16 Sodepur 14 Agarpara 12 Belghoria to Howrah-Bardhaman Chord 22 Dankuni NH 6, NH 2 to Santragachi Belanagar 18 Rajchandrapur Belghoria Expressway 16 Bally Halt Howrah, Bardhaman via Main GT Road 15 Bally Ghat Vivekananda Setu across Hooghly 14 Dakshineswar 12 Baranagore Road Belghoria Expressway to Barasat 7 Dum Dum rly / Dum Dum metro to Kolkata Metro Patipukur Kolkata Railway Station to Kolkata Circular Railway 4 Bidhannagar Road Sir Gurudas Banerjee Halt 0 Sealdah North & Main 0 Sealdah South 3 Park Circus to Sealdah South lines Source: Google maps, Indian Railway Time Table

The Sealdah–Ranaghat line connects Sealdah and Ranaghat in the Indian state of West Bengal. It includes Kolkata Railway Station, the Calcutta Chord link to Dankuni on the Howrah-Bardhaman Chord, the link to Bandel on the Howrah-Bardhaman Main Line, and the Kalyani Simanta link. This line has change-over facilities to Kolkata Metro and Kolkata Circular Railway. It is part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway system and is under the jurisdiction of Eastern Railway.

History

The main line of the Eastern Bengal Railway from Sealdah to Ranaghat, was opened in 1862 and extended to Kushtia, now in Bangladesh, within two months. The Calcutta terminus of the Railway was opened the same year in a tin-roofed shed at Sealdah. The line was extended to Goalundo Ghat in 1864, although it was opened in 1871.^[1][2]

Naihati station

The busy market area near Dum Dum railway station.

The name board at Ranaghat station

The Eastern Bengal Railway, which operated east of the Hooghly, was linked with the East Indian Railway, which operated west of the river, when Jubilee Bridge, linking Bandel and Naihati was opened in 1887. The Calcutta Chord Railway constructed the line from Dum Dum to Dankuni over the Willingdon Bridge in 1932. The bridge was later renamed Vivekananda Setu.^[1]

The original station at Sealdah, designed by Walter Glanville, was built in 1869. It was then called the Calcutta Station. It was renamed Sealdah Station only after the partition of India in 1947.^[1]

Looking back

There is a vivid description of the railway system of Nadia district, in which Ranaghat lies, about a century ago, in the District Gazetteer. The district then included areas now part of Bangladesh.

"The district is now (1909) very well served with railways. About 170 miles of the Eastern Bengal State Railway, all broad gauge, lie within its borders. The main line from Calcutta to Siliguri passes through the district, roughly from south to north; the distance from Kanchrapara on the southern boundary to Damukdia on the Padma is about 92 miles, and this section has 21 stations. The Lal Gola branch takes off from Ranaghat junction; it passes in a north-westerly direction; the portion within the district is about 48 miles in length, and there are 8 stations upon it. This branch traverses the Kalantar, which is the tract that is most liable to famine in the district and generally contains the lowest stock of food grains. In the 1896-97 famine the supply of food suddenly gave out in this tract, and, in the absence of the railway, which had not then been constructed, the greatest difficulty was experienced in importing enough grain to prevent deaths from starvation. If another famine should unfortunately occur, this line will save the District Officer much of the anxiety which his predecessors had to bear. The central branch of the Eastern Bengal State Railway also takes off from Ranaghat junction; only about nine miles of it (with two stations) lies within the boundaries of the district; it passes in an easterly direction through the Ranaghat subdivision into the Bangaon subdivision of the Jessore district. The Goalundo branch takes off from Poradah."^[3]

Tracks

The Sealdah-Ranaghat Line presently has two tracks. It is expected that the proposal for a third line will be part of the budget proposals in 2012.^[4]

The Sealdah - Dumdum - Naihati - Kalyani - Ranaghat – Krishnanagar track is classified as a C-class track, which is not a speed classification but one used for suburban sections of metropolitan areas.^[5]

Electrification

The Sealdah-Ranaghat Line was electrified in 1963. Dum Dum-Dankuni, Dum Dum-Chitpore Yard, and Bandel-Naihati sections were electrified in 1965.^[2][6]

Passengers

Line-wise or route-wise passenger data is not available, but Sealdah Station handles 1.5 million passengers arriving or departing in 704 trains daily (including EMU locals) and a good proportion of that uses this line as it is the main line out of that station.^[7]

Trains

Among the important trains from Sealdah using this track are: Maitree Express to Dhaka, Rajdhani Express to New Delhi, Duronto Express to New Delhi, Annanya Express to Udaipur, Akal Takht Express to Amritsar, Darjeeling Mail to Haldibari, Bhagirathi Express to Lalgola, Gour Express to Balurghat, and Uttar Banga Express to New Cooch Behar.^[8]

The Sealdah-Puri Duronto Express which was introduced in February 2012 is the first train from Sealdah to South Eastern Railway bypassing Howrah Station. It runs over a part of this track.^[9]

References