Ahmedpur Katwa Railway
Encyclopedia
Ahmedpur Katwa Railway is a narrow gauge line, built and operated as part of McLeod’s Light Railways, in Birbhum
and Bardhaman
districts in the India
n state
of West Bengal
.
McLeod & Company was the subsidiary of a London company of managing agents, McLeod Russell & Co. Ltd, formed to build and operate four narrow gauge railways (McLeod's Light Railways) – Burdwan Katwa Railway
, Bankura Damodar Railway, Kalighat Falta Railway
and Ahmedpur Katwa Railway.
The 53 kilometres (32.9 mi) long Ahmedpur Katwa Light Railway connecting Ahmedpur
and Katwa
, built on 760 millimetres (29.9 in), was opened to traffic on 29 September 1917.It has remained a single track line since its inception. In order to facilitate the crossing of trains there are special crossings at five places along the track.
In 1966 the Indian Railway had taken over the operation of this narrow gauge railway from McLeod & Company. As of 2004 four trains plied each way. Trains took more than four hours to cover the distance. The maximum speed limit fixed by the engineering division of the Eastern Railway is just 15 km per hour.
Here is a description of the ride in 2002-2003, “These coaches are decrepit even by Indian narrow-gauge standards, being little more than metal-clad wooden boxes on wheels, with gaps rather than doors and windows, a few wooden benches and the lighting ripped out. The line runs through pleasant agricultural countryside, often following a low embankment among rice fields, serving tidy villages. The train provides not only free rides but a free distribution service. Villagers clambered on with all manner of agricultural produce and sacks of coal which they delivered to more isolated settlements by occasionally kicking items off the train as it rambled along. Presumably passers-by learn to look out for and dodge such deliveries. On the train people filled every space and then clung to the sides.”
Birbhum district
Birbhum district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the three administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is located at Suri...
and Bardhaman
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
districts in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
.
McLeod & Company was the subsidiary of a London company of managing agents, McLeod Russell & Co. Ltd, formed to build and operate four narrow gauge railways (McLeod's Light Railways) – Burdwan Katwa Railway
Burdwan Katwa Railway
Burdwan Katwa Railway is a narrow gauge line, built and operated as part of McLeod’s Light Railways, in Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The narrow gauge track is being converted to broad gauge....
, Bankura Damodar Railway, Kalighat Falta Railway
Kalighat Falta Railway
The Kalighat Falta Railway was one of four lines built in the early part of the 20th Century by McLeod & Company, a subsidiary of a London company of managing agents, McLeod Russell & Co. Ltd, to open up undeveloped parts of India, all of them in and around Kolkata. The running of the trains were...
and Ahmedpur Katwa Railway.
The 53 kilometres (32.9 mi) long Ahmedpur Katwa Light Railway connecting Ahmedpur
Ahmedpur, Birbhum
Ahmedpur is a town in the Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Ahmedpur is a village panchayat under Sainthia panchayat of Birbum Zilla Parishad...
and Katwa
Katwa
Katwa is the head quarters of Katwa subdivision in the district of Bardhaman, West Bengal. The area has a rural charm and natural beauty, but many trading and other business activities has made it clumsy and congested. It is mostly a middle class residential area.-History:The small town has a five...
, built on 760 millimetres (29.9 in), was opened to traffic on 29 September 1917.It has remained a single track line since its inception. In order to facilitate the crossing of trains there are special crossings at five places along the track.
In 1966 the Indian Railway had taken over the operation of this narrow gauge railway from McLeod & Company. As of 2004 four trains plied each way. Trains took more than four hours to cover the distance. The maximum speed limit fixed by the engineering division of the Eastern Railway is just 15 km per hour.
Here is a description of the ride in 2002-2003, “These coaches are decrepit even by Indian narrow-gauge standards, being little more than metal-clad wooden boxes on wheels, with gaps rather than doors and windows, a few wooden benches and the lighting ripped out. The line runs through pleasant agricultural countryside, often following a low embankment among rice fields, serving tidy villages. The train provides not only free rides but a free distribution service. Villagers clambered on with all manner of agricultural produce and sacks of coal which they delivered to more isolated settlements by occasionally kicking items off the train as it rambled along. Presumably passers-by learn to look out for and dodge such deliveries. On the train people filled every space and then clung to the sides.”