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|route= [[Howrah]] to [[SheakhallaSheakhala]]

|stations= [[Howrah]], [[SheakhallaSheakhala]]

See also page '''[[Howrah Tramways (Light Railways)]]''' The '''Howrah-Sheakhalla Light Railway''' (HSLR) was a short 2ft/610mm narrow gauge([[Rail_gauge#Narrow_Gauge|NG]]) railway which ran from [[Howrah]] north-westwards to [[SheakhallaSheakhala]].<refname=Admin>[https://archive.org/stream/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System#page/n253/mode/2up "Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page 245]; Retrieved 5 Feb 1 Sep 2016</ref>. [[File:Howrah-Sheakhalla Light Railway.png|thumb|'''Howrah-Sheakhalla Light Railway''']][[File: Howrah-Sheakhalla Light Railway Map 1909.png|thumb| Howrah-Sheakhalla Light Railway Map 1909]]'''Spelling'''*Sheakhalla, is the spelling used in all documentation relating to the ‘Howrah-Sheakhalla Light Railway Company’, hence we use this for the name of the railway.*Sheakhala, is the spelling used five times in the the [[Imperial Gazetteer of India]] which we use as the definitive spelling, it also in Wikimapia, hence we use this for the town name.*Siakhala, is used on Google Maps*Shiakhala, is used in Wikipedia <ref name=Martins/>, the spelling appears to be in error.

<refname=Martins>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin%27s_Light_Railways Wikipedia “Martin's Light Railways” ]; Retrieved 1 Sep 2016</ref> ==History==On 12 June 1889 an agreement was signed between the District Board of Howrah and Messrs. Walsh, Lovett & Company on behalf of the Bengal District Road Tramways Company; this gave the Company the right to construct and work a tramway over a portion of roads <ref name=Admin/>. This was subsequently renewed with [[Martin's Light Railways]] Co Ltd and sanctioned by Government notification in the Calcutta Gazette of 27 March 1895 <ref name=Martins/>. On the 19 Jun 1895 the ‘Howrah-Sheakhalla Light Railway Company’ was formed and worked by [[Martin's Light Railways"]] (MLR).  The first 2½ miles(4km) from Telkal Ghat on the Hooghly river was owned by [[Howrah-Amta Light Railway]] to Kadamtala station and also used by the Howrah-Sheakhalla Light Railway, both being worked by MLR.  Here the lines separated with the Howrah-Amta line running west, chiefly along the side of the Jagatballabhpur road, and then went south-west to [[Amta]].  The Howrah-Sheakhalla Light Railway started from Kadamtala station running north-west along the Benares road to the border of the district, and thence to [[Sheakhala]] in the Hooghly district. <ref name=Martins/>.  The Howrah- Sheakhalla Railway line from Kadamtala was reached [[Sheakhala]] in November 1897, a line length of 17.3 miles(28km) and the Chanditala-Janai Branch Line of 2.4 miles(3.8km) opened in 1898 <ref name=Admin/>. A line from Autpur to Rajbalhat was sanctioned but never built <ref name=Maiden>”Two foot gauge at Howrah Maiden” by P J Bowcutt and H C Hughes. ‘Railway Magazine’ September 1965 Vol III No 773 pages 497-501</ref> The Amta and Sheakhala companies both prospered and by 1904 the shareholders were already getting dividends of 7 and 5 per cent respectively. By 1914 over 2,500,000 passengers were being carried annually on the two lines, and by 1928 the number was nearly 4,000,000. Working frequent trains through the streets of Howrah, each preceded by a runner with a bell to warn pedestrians, became a major headache and from September 26, 1939, after the Municipality had refused to renew the existing agreement, Kadamtala became the terminus and the line to Howrah Ghat was abandoned <ref name=Maiden/>.The lines continued to operate privately long after Independence in 1947 <ref name=Martins/>, and this line was finally closed in 1971 <ref>[https://indianrailwaynotes.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/south-eastern-railway.pdf “Indian Railway South Eastern - Notes and Sources” by Keith Scholey” ]; Retrieved 18 Dec 1 Sep 2016</ref> ==HSLR System==The following is the progress in opening<ref name=Hist1937>[https://ia801605.us.archive.org/30/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.36650/2015.36650.India-Railway-Board-History-Of-Indian-Railways-Constructed-And-In-Progress.pdf US Archive .org pdf download of ‘History Of Indian Railways, constructed and in progress’, 31 March 1937 by ‘The Government of India - Railway Department’ page 284 pdf 327]; Retrieved 1 Aug 2020</ref>:-* ‘Main Line’** Telkul Ghat(Howrah) to Kadamtala, 2 miles(km), opened 1897 . Owned by the ‘[[Howrah-Amta Light Railway]]’ and running powers granted to the HSLR ** Kadamtala to Sheakhala via Chanditala and Kistrampur, 17 miles, opened 1897* Janai Branch** Chanditala to Jahai, 2.4 miles(4km), opened 1898 The ‘Statistics of Working’ show the year-by-year financial results from 1913-14 through to 1936-37 <ref name=Hist1937/> == Classification ==[[Indian Railway Classification]] of 1926 - Class III railway system. ==Stations==From Kadamtala via Utter Bantra, Kong, Jagdispur Beuhatti, Chanditala, Kristrampur to [[Sheakhala]].<br>The section from Kadamtala via Utter Bantra to Kong was abandoned and replaced with a line from the HALR from Dasnagar to Kong ==Further Information==See page '''[[Howrah Tramways (Light Railways)]]'''<br>and page '''[[Martin's Light Railways]] '''