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During First World War, a railway line was laid Khanai (30 km north of Quetta) to Hindubagh (renamed as Muslimbagh in 1960s). Hindubagh had Chrome mines, which was used in munitions of First World War. The railway line at that time was a private siding for the Balochistan Chrome Ore Company. The work started on Khanai-Hindubagh line in 1916 and was opened for rail traffic in 1921. In 1927, the Hindubagh to Qila Saifullah section was opened and finally the section up to Zhob was opened in 1929. It had been intended to extent the railway from Zhob to Bannu, but this never eventuated.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20130122144541/http://pakistaniat.com/2008/06/05/zhob-valley-railway-zvr-of-pakistan/ "All Things Pakistan" / Zhob Valley Railway (ZVR) of Pakistan] by Owais Mughal, June 5, 2008. "All Things Pakistan", now an archived website.]; Retrieved 14 Dec 2015</ref>

Its length of three hundred kilometres made it the longest Narrow Gauge line in the subcontinent. At 2224 metres above the sea, Kan Mehtarzai station was one of the highest Narrow Gauge railway station in the world. During midwinter, the line could be buried by snow.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110829045812/http://sajshirazi.blogspot.com/2011/03/breakfast-at-kan-mehtarzai.html "Breakfast at Kan Mehtarzai"] by Salman Rashid 28 April 2011, now archived.]; Retrieved 14 Dec 2015</ref>