Mughalsarai–Kanpur section

Mughalsarai–Kanpur section
Overview
Status Operational
Locale Gangetic Plain in Uttar Pradesh
Termini Mughalsarai Junction
Kanpur Central
Operation
Opened 1859 (partial, locally)
1866 (through main line)
Owner Indian Railway
Operator(s) North Central Railway for main line
North Eastern Railway and Northern Railway for certain branch lines
Depot(s) Mughalsarai and Kanpur
Rolling stock WDM-2, WDM-3A and WDS-5 diesel locos; WAM-4, WAP-4 and WAG-7 electric locos
Technical
Track length Main line: 346 km (215 mi)
Branch lines:
Varanasi-Allahabad City 130 km (81 mi)
Varanasi-Phaphamau 122 km (76 mi)
Allahabad-Kanpur via Unnao249 km (155 mi)
Track gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Electrification 25kV 50Hz AC OHLE in 1968
Operating speed up to 160 km/h

The Mughalsarai–Kanpur section is a railway line connecting Mughalsarai Junction and Kanpur Central. This 346 km (215 mi) track is part of the Howrah-Delhi main line and Howrah-Gaya-Delhi line. The main line is under the jurisdiction of North Central Railway. Mughalsarai is under the jurisdiction of East Central Railway. Some branch lines are under the jurisdiction of the North Eastern Railway and Northern Railway.

Geography

The main line was laid in the Gangetic Plain, south of the Ganges.[1][2] Between Naini and Allahabad, it crosses the Yamuna and enters the doab region or the inland peninsula between the Ganges and Yamuna, still keeping south of the Ganges.[3]

Some branch lines came up on the northern side of the Ganges and got interlinked as bridges came up across the Ganges.[2]

Two places on these tracks are major pilgrimage centres Allahabad on the main line and Varanasi, a little off the main line, on a branch line. Varanasi is connected by rail to places throughout India.[4][5] The railways make special arrangements for the huge influx of pilgrims for the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad.[6]

The railways played a major role in the development of Kanpur as an industrial centre.[7]

The 1050 MW Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Plant, in this section, consumed 5,022,000 tonnes of coal in 2006-07, which was transported by the railways.[8]

History

The East Indian Railway Company initiated efforts to develop a railway line from Howrah to Delhi in the mid nineteenth century. Even when the line to Mughalsarai was being constructed and only the lines near Howrah were put in operation, the first train ran from Allahabad to Kanpur in 1859 and the Kanpur-Etawah section was opened to traffic in the 1860s. For the first through train from Howrah to Delhi in 1864, coaches were ferried on boats across the Yamuna at Allahabad. With the completion of the Old Naini Bridge across the Yamuna through trains started running in 1865-66.[9][10][11]

In 1867, the Indian Branch Railway Company opened the Kanpur-Lucknow line.[9]

The construction of the Dufferin Bridge (later renamed Malviya Bridge), across the Ganges, in 1887, connected Mughalsarai and Varanasi.[12]

The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway opened the line from Varanasi to Lucknow in 1872.[12]

The opening of the Curzon Bridge, across the Ganges, in 1902, linked Allahabad to regions north of or beyond the Ganges.[13]

The Varanasi-Allahabad City (Rambagh) line was constructed as a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in) wide metre gauge line by the Bengal and North Western Railway between 1899 and 1913. It was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide broad gauge in 1993-94.[14][15]

Electrification

Electrification in the Mughalsarai-Kanpur sector started in 1964-65 with the Mughalsarai-Dagmagpur section. In 1965-66, Mughalsarai Yard was electrified, along with the Dagmagpur-Cheoki and the Cheoki-Subedarganj sections. The Subedarganj-Manoharganj-Athasarai-Kanspur Gugauli-Panki and Chandari loops were electrified in 1966-67. Kanpur-Panki was electrified in 1968-69.[16] The entire Mughalsarai-Allahabad-Kanpur section is considered to have been electrified with AC overhead line in 1968.[17]

The Kanpur-Kanpur Bridge-Unnao-Lucknow section was electrified in 1999-2000.[16]

As of 2012, electrification work was in progress in the Varanasi-Lohta-Janghai-Phaphamau-Unchahar and the Phaphamau-Prayag-Allahabad sections.[18]

Railway reorganisation

Around 1872, the Indian Branch Railway Company was transformed into Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway.[9][19][20] Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway was merged with East Indian Railway Company in 1925.[21]

The Government of India took over the Bengal and North-Western Railway and merged it with the Rohilkhand and Kumaon Railway to form the Oudh and Tirhut Railway in 1943.[22]

In 1952, Eastern Railway, Northern Railway and North Eastern Railway were formed. Eastern Railway was formed with a portion of East Indian Railway Company, east of Mughalsarai and Bengal Nagpur Railway. Northern Railway was formed with a portion of East Indian Railway Company west of Mughal Sarai, Jodhpur Railway, Bikaner Railway and Eastern Punjab Railway. North Eastern Railway was formed with Oudh and Tirhut Railway, Assam Railway and a portion of Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway.[23] East Central Railway was created in 1996-97.[24] North Central Railway was formed in 2003.[25]

Sheds and workshops

Mughal Sarai diesel loco shed is home to WDM-2, WDM-3A and WDS-5 diesel locos. There was a Northern Railway diesel loco shed at Mughalsarai. It was decommissioned in 2001. Mughalsarai electric loco shed can hold more than 150 electric locos. Amongst them are WAM-4, WAP-4 and more than 70 WAG-7 locos. Kanpur Central electric loco shed accommodates WAP-4 and WAG-7 electric locos.[26]

The largest wagon repair workshop of Indian Railways is located at Mughalsarai. There are engineering workshops at Allahabad.[26]

Marshalling yard

Mughalsarai marshalling yard is the largest in Asia.[27][28][29] It is 12.5 km long and handles around 1, 500 wagons daily. Wagon handling has come down after the railways discontinued piecemeal loading. At its peak, it handled 5,000 wagons a day.[27][30] The Mughalsarai marshalling yard is located at 25°17′20″N 83°08′22″E / 25.288796°N 83.139435°E / 25.288796; 83.139435.

Speed limits

The entire Howrah-Delhi line, via Howrah-Bardhaman chord and Grand Chord is classified as a "Group A" line which can take speeds up to 160 km/h.[31]

Passenger movement

Mughalsarai Junction, Allahabad and Kanpur Central on the main line, and Varanasi Junction on a branch line are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.[32]

References

  1. The Indian Empire — Its People, History and Products, by Sir William Wilson Hunter, page 546, Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, First published 1886. OCLC 224519160.
  2. 1 2 Manning, Ian. "The Rohilkhand and Kumaon". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  3. "History of Allahabad" (PDF). Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  4. "Varanasi". Trip to India. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  5. "Varanasi". Target Tours. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  6. "Railways puts in place arrangements to check rush of Maha Kumbh pilgrims". Times of India, 25 February 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  7. Planning and Development of an Industrial Town: A Study of Kanpur by S.N.Singh, page 38, Mittal Publications, New Delhi. ISBN 978-81-7099-241-7
  8. "Coal supply to various power stations" (PDF). Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 "IR History: Early History (1832-1869)". IRFCA. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  10. "Allahabad Division: A Historical Perspective". North Central Railway. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  11. "Railways enter 159th year of its journey". The Times of India, 12 April 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  12. 1 2 "IR History: Early Days II (1870-1899)". IRFCA. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  13. "India Office Select Materials". Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  14. "Indian Railway History – North Eastern Railway" (PDF). Former Bengal & North Western Railway lines. Wordpress. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  15. "Varanasi Division". North Eastern Railway. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  16. 1 2 "History of Electrification". IRFCA. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  17. "IR History: IV (1947-1970)". IRFCA. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  18. "Brief on Railway Electrification". Central Organisation for Railway Electrification. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  19. "The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway" (PDF). Old Martinian Association. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  20. "Indian Branch Railway". fibis. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  21. "IR History III : (1900-1947)". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  22. "Bengal and North-Western Railway". fibis. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  23. "Geography – Railway Zones". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  24. "East Central Railway". ECR. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  25. "North Central Railway". NCR. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  26. 1 2 "Sheds and workshops". IRFCA. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  27. 1 2 "Freight Sheds and Mashalling Yards". IRFCA. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  28. "General Information" (PDF). East Central Railway. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  29. "Mughalsarai: Tracks to Nowhere". Outlook India, 8 January 2001. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  30. "Marshalling Yards". Indian Railway Employee. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  31. "Chapter II – The Maintenance of Permanent Way". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 May 201. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  32. "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. IRFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
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