Satpura Railway
The Satpura Railway was a 2ft 6in/762mm narrow gauge(NG) network developed by the Bengal Nagpur Railway(BNR) from 1903 to 1913.
Nainpur was the focal point of the network which connected Jabalpur with Gondia, Mandla Fort, Chhindwara and Nagpur. When completed the extensive network of NG tracks measured just over 1,000 km. [1]
At Nagpur and Gondia there were connections with BNR's Nagpur Chhattisgarh section broad gauge(BG) mainline that crossed the Satpura network.
Origins
Some ten years after the Bengal Nagpur Railway Company(BNR) was formed, engineering surveys were carried out in the then Central Provinces with a view to open a low-cost railway that would unite the region into a whole. The object of the railway was two-fold: first, to open up the agricultural and mineral resources of the region; and secondly, to safeguard the inhabitants of the area should a famine arise. The gauge selected for the purpose was 2 feet 6 inches [2]
BNR signed a contract with Government of India(GoI) for the Narrow Gauge Satpura Railway on 23rd January 1902 for constructing the Gondia-Jabalpur, Nainpur-Mandla Fort, Nainpur-Seoni-Chhindwara lines. [3]
Satpura Network
- Gondia-Nainpur Railway, opened 1903
- Nainpur-Chhindwara Railway, opened 1904
- Nainpur-Jabalpur Railway, opened 1905
- Chhindwara-Pench Coal Fields Railway opened 1906-7
- Nainpur-Mandla Fort Railway opened 1909
- Nagpur-Chhindwara Railway opened 1913
Worked by BNR's Satpura Railway
- Tumsar-Katangi Light Railway, a 2ft NG private line built to carry manganese ore deposits found in the region; this line ceased operation in 1929.[2]
References
- ↑ Wikipedia "Satpura Narrow Gauge Lines"; Retrieved 13 Dec 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "A Tribute to the Satpura Railway (Part I)"; Retrieved 13 Dec 2015
- ↑ Indian Railways "History of Nagpur Division"; Retrieved 13 Dec 2015
