Asansol–Tatanagar–Kharagpur line

Asansol–Tatanagar–Kharagpur line (including Adra-Gomoh and Tatanagar-Badampahar branch lines)
A MEMU train travelling on the bridge across Damodar River
Overview
Type	Rail line
Status	Operational
Locale	West Bengal, Jharkhand
Termini	Asansol Kharagpur
Operation
Opened	1891 onwards
Owner	Indian Railway
Operator(s)	South Eastern Railway
Technical
Track gauge	Broad gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1961-63 with 25 kV AC overhead line
Route map km km Steel Authority of India Limited Bokaro Steel Plant Asansol-Gaya section Bokaro Steel City Asansol-Gaya section Ispat Nagar Bardhaman-Asansol section Chas 0 Asansol Junction Grand Chord to Grand Chord (Asansol-Gaya section) Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Gomoh Steel Authority of India Limited IISCO Steel Plant Mahuda 5 Burnpur Damodar River Kalipahari (freight line) Colliery sidings Talgora 11 Damodar Shewbabudih Damodar River Railways in Jharia Coalfield to Sudamdih 16 Madhukunda Bhojudih 71 23 Muradi West Bengal Jharkhand border Parbeliya Colliery WBPDCL Santaldih Thermal Power Station 28 Ramkanali Santaldih 64 33 Bero Rukn 56 38 Joychandi Pahar Sanka 49 42 Adra Kharagpur–Bankura–Adra line Gomoh-Muri line 49 Gardhrubeswar Kotshila 56 Anara Garhjaipur 62 Bagalia Chas Road 65 Kushfaur Gourinathdham 73 Charrah 80 Purulia Kangsabati River 87 Tamnah 95 Kantadih 103 Urma 111 Barabhum 117 Biramdih West Bengal Jharkhand border 125 Nimdih Tatanagar-Barkakana line 133 Chandil 138 Manikul Subarnarekha River 143 Kunki 147 Kandra Tatanagar-Bilaspur section Sini Birrajpur Birbans 158 Gamharia 165 Adityapur Kharkai River Tatanagar 170 Tata Steel Jamshedpur Steel Plant Haldipokhar Tata Motors Jamshedpur Plant Jharkhand Odisha border Asanbani Bahalda Road Rakha Mines Aonlajhari Subarnarekha River Mahulia Gorumahisani Ghatshila Tata Steel Gorumahisani Iron Ore Mines Dhalbhumgarh Rairangpur Kokpara Kuldiha Chakulia Chhanua Jharkhand West Bengal border Badampahar Gidhnisini Badampahar Iron Ore Mines Jhargram Sardha Khemasuli Kalaikunda Nimpura Kharagpur–Bankura–Adra line Kharagpur-Puri line Kharagpur Howrah-Kharagpur line

The Asansol–Tatanagar–Kharagpur line is part of Howrah and eastern India's links with Mumbai and Chennai. It is also a major freight line for transporting iron ore, coal and steel products. This page includes the Adra-Gomoh branch line and Tatanagar-Badampahar branch lines.

History

The Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line, a joint effort of Great Indian Peninsula Railway and East Indian Railway Company came up in 1870.^[1] The Bengal Nagpur Railway was formed in 1887 for the purpose of upgrading the Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway and then extending it via Bilaspur to Asansol, in order to develop a shorter Howrah-Mumbai route than the one via Allahabad.^[2] The Bengal Nagpur Railway main line from Nagpur to Asansol, on the Howrah-Delhi main line, was opened for goods traffic on 1 February 1891.^[3] However, it was only after Kharagpur was linked from the west and the south that it was connected to Howrah in 1900.^[4]

The closing years of the 19th century and the opening years of the 20th century were momentous for the area. 800 miles of East Coast Railway was built and opened for traffic between 1893 and 1896. The most vital sections of Bengal Nagpur Railway, Sini-Kharagpur-Kolaghat and Kharagpur-Cuttack, were opened to traffic in 1898-99. The Purlia-Ranchi branch was opened for traffic on 15 November 1907. BNR lines were extended to Gomoh, on EIR’s main line, in 1907. The Mohuda-Chandrapura branch line was opened in 1913.^[3]

A 40-mile branch line from Tatanagar to Gorumahisani was opened to traffic in 1911 mainly for transportation of iron ore.^[3]

The Purulia-Ranchi line was opened as a narrow gauge railway of BNR in 1907.^[5]

Steel plants and freight traffic

India’s first integrated steel plant, Tata Steel’s plant at Jamshedpur, became operational in 1908.^[8]IISCO Steel Plant was established at Burnpur in 1918.^[9]Steel Authority of India’s Durgapur Steel Plant was established in the late fifties,^[10] and Bokaro Steel Plant became operational in the seventies.^[11]

Although the Asansol-Gaya section of Grand Chord and Bardhaman-Asansol section of Howrah-Delhi main line serves as the principal links for Jharia Coalfield and Raniganj Coalfield, this line also links to both the coalfields.

With four steel plants served by these lines South Eastern Railway transports bulk of the raw materials like coal and iron ore used by the steel industry. It loaded 61.24 million tonnes during the period April to September 2012.^[12][13] Indian Railway handled 456 million tonnes of coal in 2011-12. It was the single largest item of freight traffic. It handled 104.71 million tonnes of Iron ore in 2011-12.^[14]

Electrification

The Asansol-Purulia, Purulia-Chakradharpur, Kandra-Gamharria and Sini-Adityapur sectors were electrified in 1961-62. The Tatanagar-Kharagpur sector was electrified in 1962-63.^[15]

Passenger movement

Asansol, Tatanagar and Kharagpur, on this line, are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.^[16]

References