Trans-Baluchistan Railway

Hubert SC Waters, civil engineer c 1918, with a group of British sappers & miners who were building the Nushki Extension Railway to Zahidan in Persia

(Trans-Balochistan Railway)

This railway route is included as one of the one hundred great railway routes around the world, in the book Illustrated Book of Steam and Rail by Colin Garratt.

The Trans Baluchistan, Quetta-Zahidan Railway was constructed as part of a strategic military route between India and Persia (now Iran).

The Quetta to Nushki branch line was opened on November 15, 1905.

The railway construction west of Nushki towards Iran was named the Nushki Extension Railway. Work started on it in September 1916 under the charge of Mr. P.C. Young as Engineer-in-Chief and the railway line reached the Iranian town of Duzdap (now Zahidan (Zahedan)) on October 1, 1922.

By the time the railway line reached Duzdap, the British had already demobilized their forces in East Persia. This demobilization happened in March 1921 and it took away the importance of the newly built railway. So much so that in 1931, the 221 km section between Nok-Kundi and Duzdap (Zahidan) was closed down and track removed to be used elsewhere.

World War 2 however, renewed interest in Quetta-Zahidan link. British forces wanted to aid Russian forces against Germany in Persia (Iran). The aid never materialized but the Quetta-Zahidan link was reopened on 20 April 1940 in Zahidan.

There are only 14 Railway Stations in the last 553 km section of the track. The total length of track from Quetta to Zahidan is 732 km with the last 100 km section being inside Iran.

The first major town is Nushki, 158 km from Quetta.
21 km west of Nushki is the town of Ahmedwal
West of Ahmedwal the desert landscape for which this section of track is world famous, begins. Dalbandin is located 164 km west of Ahmedwal.
58 km west of Dalbandin is the town of Yakmach
There is a 110 km section to the next town called Nok-Kundi.
122 km west is the border check post of Koh-i-Taftan.
There are then 100 km of line in Iran.

The above information has been taken from the website "All Things Pakistan", refer below.

External links

• History of rail transport in Pakistan: Trans-Balochistan Railway Wikipedia
• The Trans-Baluchistan Railway All Things Pakistan July 13, 2007, now an archived website
• Pilgrimage to Dalbandin by Salman Rashid December 8, 2011. The author’s father was an Assistant Engineer with North Western Railway at Dalbandin from April 1943 to December 1944