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Jamrud-Dakka-Jalabad Portable Railway

Background

A railway from India to Afghanistan via Khyber Pass had first been surveyed 1879; finally construction started in 1905 from a place called Kacha Garhi between Peshawar and Jamrud. The track made progress westwards and 32km of track was laid by 1907, this was uplifted in 1909. See separate page 'Khyber Railway' for more information

Portable Railway

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Later Developments

See separate page 'Khyber Railway' for more information

Colonel Gordon Hearn was assigned to the work of surveying and recommending the best route through Khyber Pass. Previously all surveys recommended a metre gauge(MG) track. However the proposal to use broad gauge(BG) was adopted and construction restarted in 1920. Victor Bailey was the engineer who was assigned the construction of the line. The section from Jamrud to Landi Kotal was opened on November 3, 1925 by the wife of the engineer Victor Bailey. [4] The Khyber Pass Railway was a line from India to Afghanistan via Khyber Pass; built as a strategic line to thwart any Afghan or Russian invasion of India and opened in 1925. [1]

Place Names and Locations

The "Imperial Gazetteer of India" describes the road route as it existed in 1908:-

The Khyber Pass is the great northern route from Afghanistan into India ... the pass begins near Jamrud, 10½ miles(17km) west of Peshawar, and twists through the hills for about 33 miles(53km) in a north-westerly direction till it debouches at Dakka. The most important points en route are Ali Masjid, a village and fort 10¼ miles(16.4km) from Jamrud, Landi Kotal, the summit of the pass, 10 miles(16km) farther; and Tor Kham, at which point the pass enters Afghan territory, about 6 miles(10km) beyond Landi Kotal

By interpretation of the above, which now forms the National Highway N5, Jamrud-Torkham (was Tor Kham) Border Crossing is 38.5km; Torkham Border Crossing-Jalalabad is 74km. Dakka (not shown on map) would be about 20km on this route from Torkham.