Sealdah South lines

Sealdah South lines
EMU Train of Sealdah South Lines between Dhakuria and Jadavpur
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	Kolkata South 24 Parganas
Termini	Sealdah Budge Budge Canning Diamond Harbour Namkhana
Stations	Total stations: 67 Interchange stations: 5
Website	Eastern Railway
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Kolkata Suburban Railway
Services	Sealdah–Namkhana Ballygunge–Budge Budge Sonarpur–Canning Baruipur–Diamond Harbour
Operator(s)	Eastern Railway
Depot(s)	Sonarpur Junction
History
Opened	2 January 1862;159 years ago (1862-01-02)
Technical
Line length	190 km (120 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Character	At grade
Track gauge	5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Electrification	25 kV AC overhead line
Operating speed	up to 100 km/h (62 mph)
Route map Legend km Sealdah–Ranaghat line Howrah–Bardhaman chord Sealdah–Bangaon line Dum Dum 7 Dum Dum Junction Kolkata Metro Patipukur Kolkata Circular Railway Kolkata 4 Bidhannagar Road km Sealdah North & Main 00 Sir Gurudas Banerjee Halt Sealdah South 00 Park Circus 03 6 Ballygunge Junction 7 Dhakuria 8 Jadavpur Kavi Subhash 10 Baghajatin Lake Gardens 08 12 New Garia Rabindra Sarobar 13 Garia Tollygunge 09 15 Narendrapur Kolkata Metro 17 Sonarpur Junction New Alipore 10 Majerhat 12 0 20 Bidyadharpur Kolkata Circular Railway 23 Kalikapur Kalighat Falta Railway (closed NG section) Ghatakpukur planned extension Gholeshapur 2 Minakhan Sakherbazar 5 24 Champahati Thakurpukur 8 27 Piali Pailan 11 29 Gourdaha Halt Bhasa 15 32 Ghutiari Sharif Halt No. 1 (Bagirhat) 16 35 Betberia Ghola Udairampur 18 39 Taldi Amtala Hat 19 42 Chandkhali Halt Halt No. 2 (Gangarampur) 21 45 Canning Halt No. 3 (Rajarhat) 23 planned extension Shirakole 24 Matla River Halt No. 3/A (Banganagar) 26 Bhangankhali Shivanipur 29 Sonakhali Dighirpar 32 Basanti Harindanga 35 Jharkhali Halt No. 4 (Belsingha) 37 Sararhat 39 Falta 44 Brace Bridge 14 Santoshpur 17 Akra 19 Nangi 23 K.M Budge Budge 25 IBP Siding HPCL Siding BPCL Siding IOC Siding FCI Siding CESC Siding planned extension Pujali 20 Subhashgram to Uluberia 22 Mallikpur Bankrahat 25 Baruipur Junction Kalyanpur 28 27 Shasan Road Dakshin Durgapur 30 29 Krishna Mohan Hotar 32 31 Dhapdhapi Dhamua 35 33 Surjyapur Uttar Radhanagar 37 35 Gocharan Magra Hat 40 38 Hogla Bahirpuya Halt 43 41 Dakshin Barasat Sangrampur 45 44 Baharu Krishnachandrapur (planned) Deula 50 49 Jaynagar Majilpur Netra 53 to Raidighi (planned) Basuldanga 55 54 Mathurapur Road Gurudas Nagar 57 59 Madhabpur to Bankrahat (planned) 62 Lakshmikantapur Diamond Harbour 60 68 Udairampur to Kulpi (planned) 72 Kulpi 77 Karanjali km 83 Nischintapur Market 84 Nischintapur 88 Madhabnagar 92 Kashinagar 95 Kakdwip to Sagar Island via Budhakholi (planned) 103 Ukilerhat 108 Namkhana planned extension Chandranagar Bakkhali km Source: Indian Railway Time Table

Sealdah South lines are a set of four lines from Sealdah connecting Kolkata with southern suburbs. It is a part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway and is under the jurisdiction of the Sealdah railway division in the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways.

The Sealdah South line has four corridors, and bifurcates as branch lines linking the southern suburbs to Kolkata. The main line starts at Sealdah terminating at Namkhana with a length of 108 km (67 mi). The main line is double-tracked until Lakshmikantapur and single-tracked from Lakshmikantapur to Namkhana. The first branch line of this corridor starts at Ballygunge Junction terminating at Budge Budge with a length of 19 km (12 mi). The second branch line starts at Sonarpur Junction terminating at Canning with a length of 28 km (17 mi). The third branch line starts at Baruipur Junction terminating at Diamond Harbour with the length of 35 km (22 mi). ^[1]

The Sealdah South line has a sole depot at Sonarpur Junction. This line has three interchange stations, at Majerhat and Park Circus with Circular line and at Sealdah for Eastern line.

History

The 45 km (28 mi) long line from Calcutta to Port Canning via Jadavpur, Sonarpur, constructed and completed on 2 January 1862 by the Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway, was the first railway track on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River. It ran from what was then Beliaghata railway station (presently Sealdah) to Canning on the Matla River. Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway was formed in 1859 as a private company but was taken over by the government in 1868 after it incurred extensive losses because of floods and other problems. It was the first case in India of the railway being taken over by the state. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

The 33 km (21 mi) long line from Sonarpur to Jaynagar Majilpur via Baruipur, constructed in 1882 by the Eastern Bengal Railway. It was extended up to Lakshmikantapur in 1928. ^{[2] [3] [4]} Thereafter the line was extended up to Kakdwip in 2001 and up to Namkhana in 2006. ^[5]

The 35 km (22 mi) long line from Baruipur to Diamond Harbour, constructed in 1883 by the Eastern Bengal Railway. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

The 19 km (12 mi) long line from Ballygunge to Budge Budge, constructed in 1890 by the Eastern Bengal Railway. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Kalighat-Falta Railway

The Kalighat-Falta Railway (KFR) was a 40 km (25 mi) long narrow gauge (762 mm) railway line constructed by Kalighat-Falta Railway Company, and operated as part of McLeod's Light Railways, opening to traffic on 28 May 1917. ^[6] In 1920 a short, 1 mi (1.6 km), extension from Gholeshapur (near Kalighat) to Majherat opened. This was described as a ‘temporary connection with the ‘East Bengal Railway’. ^[7] The railway line was closed on 1957 due to ever increasing losses. The tracks were dismantled and the land was reclaimed to build a road, .now called James Long Sarani in Behala. ^[8]

Electrification

The Sealdah South lines are fully electrified with 25 kV AC overhead system. The electrification process was started in 1965 from Sealdah to Lakshmikantapur line and the other lines in this division with the different phases and completed up to 1966 from that time the whole division is also fully electrified. ^[9]

Stations with Routes

Routes

The Sealdah South line consists of the following routes:

• Sealdah – Namkhana
• Ballygunge – Budge Budge
• Sonarpur – Canning
• Baruipur – Diamond Harbour

Stations

Names in bold indicate that the station is a galloping train stop as well as important terminal station.

Main line

Main line
#	Distance from Sealdah (km)	Station Name	Station Code	Connections
1	0	Sealdah	SDAH	Chord link line / Eastern line
2	3	Park Circus	PQS	Circular line
3	6	Ballygunge Junction	BLN	Circular line / Budge Budge (South lines)
4	7	Dhakuria	DHK	None
5	8	Jadavpur	JDP	None
6	10	Baghajatin	BGJT	None
7	12	New Garia	NGRI	Kolkata Metro (Kavi Subhash)
8	13	Garia	GIA	None
9	15	Narendrapur	NRPR	None
10	17	Sonarpur Junction	SPR	Canning (South lines)
11	20	Subhashgram		None
12	22	Mallikpur	MAK	None
13	25	Baruipur Junction	BRP	Diamond Harbour (South lines)
14	27	Shasan Road	SSRD	None
15	29	Krishna Mohan	KRXM	None
16	31	Dhapdhapi	DPDP	None
17	33	Surjyapur	SJPR	None
18	35	Gocharan	GCN	None
19	38	Hogla	HGA	None
20	41	Dakshin Barasat	DBT	None
21	44	Baharu	BARU	None
22	49	Jaynagar Majilpur	JNM	None
23	54	Mathurapur Road	MPRD	None
24	59	Madhabpur	MDBP	None
25	62	Lakshmikantapur	LKPR	None
26	68	Udairampur	URP	None
27	72	Kulpi	KLW	None
28	77	Karanjali	KNJI	None
29	83	Nischintapur Market	NCPM	None
30	84	Nischintapur	NCP	None
31	88	Madhabnagar	MDGB	None
32	92	Kashinagar	KHGR	None
33	95	Kakdwip	KWDP	None
34	103	Ukilerhat	UKLR	None
35	108	Namkhana	NMKA	None

Main line Branches

The main line branches is bifurcates into three following lines:

Budge Budge Branch line

Budge Budge Branch line
#	Distance from Ballygunge (km)	Station Name	Station Code	Connections
1	0	Ballygunge Junction †	BLN	Main (South lines) / Circular line
2	2	Lake Gardens	LKF	Circular line
3	3	Tollygunge	TLG	Circular line
4	4	New Alipore	NACC	Circular line
5	6	Majerhat	MJT	Circular line
6	8	Brace Bridge	BRJ	None
7	11	Santoshpur	SSP	None
8	13	Akra	AKRA	None
9	17	Nangi	NAI	None
10	19	Budge Budge	BGB	None
† – Branch Line starts at Ballygunge Junction

Canning Branch line

Canning Branch line
#	Distance from Sonarpur (km)	Station Name	Station Code	Connections
1	0	Sonarpur Junction †	SPR	Main (South lines)
2	3	Bidyadharpur	BDYP	None
3	6	Kalikapur	KLKR	None
4	7	Champahati	CHT	None
5	10	Piali	PLF	None
6	12	Gourdaha Halt	GOD	None
7	15	Ghutiari Sharif	GOF	None
8	18	Betberia Ghola	BTPG	None
9	22	Taldi	TLX	None
10	25	Chandkhali Halt	CDKLI	None
11	28	Canning	CG	None
† – Branch Line starts at Sonarpur Junction

Diamond Harbour Branch line

Diamond Harbour Branch line
#	Distance from Baruipur (km)	Station Name	Station Code	Connections
1	0	Baruipur Junction †	BRP	Main (South lines)
2	3	Kalyanpur	KYP	None
3	5	Dakshin Durgapur	DKDP	None
4	7	Hotar	HT	None
5	10	Dhamua	DMU	None
6	12	Uttar Radhanagar	UTN	None
7	15	Magra Hat	MGT	None
8	18	Bahirpuya Halt	BHPA	None
9	20	Sangrampur	SNU	None
10	25	Deula	D	None
11	28	Netra	NTA	None
12	30	Basuldanga	BSD	None
13	32	Gurudas Nagar	GURN	None
14	35	Diamond Harbour	DH	None
† – Branch Line starts at Baruipur Junction

Expansion

On the southern part of the Eastern Railway side, there is an expansion of the line between Canning and Jharkhali with a length of 42 km (26 mi). ^[10] The second expansion is at Kakdwip and Budhakholi with a length of 5 km (3.1 mi). It extends to Sagar Island on the Hooghly River delta. The island can only be reached by boat; expansion of this line is a boon for the people of island providing better connectivity. ^[11] The third expansion is at Namkhana and Bakkhali with a length of 31 km (19 mi), and a fourth expansion between Jaynagar Majilpur and Raidighi with a length of 20 km (12 mi). ^[12]

Services

Currently in 2017-18 all services of the Sealdah South lines running on 12 cars. Sealdah South line has 398 services of 12 rakes EMU. Which it handles the 100% suburban network of Eastern Railway. ^[13]

The Gangasagar mela, which attracts thousands of pilgrims during Makar Sankranti in mid-January, is approached through this line. Kakdwip and Namkhana railway stations serve as handy rail heads for travel to the mela. Eastern Railway runs around 80 special trains for the mela. ^[14] There also are special trains from New Delhi to Namkhana via Lucknow Junction and Allahabad Junction. ^[15]

References

1. Brief Detail of Sealdah Division Archived 2018-06-25 at the Wayback Machine , Eastern Railway
2. Indian Railway Board History Construction and Progress, Indian Railways, Retrieved 6 October 2020
3. "Indian Railway History Time line". Indian Railways. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
4. "The Chronology of Railway development in Eastern Indian". railindia. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
5. "Travel: A Great Escape". The Statesman, 13 June 2006. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
6. "Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page 232" . Retrieved 18 September 2021.
7. "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 291 pdf 334;" (PDF). Retrieved 18 September 2021.
8. "Kalighat-Falta Railway FIBIS Wiki" . Retrieved 18 September 2021.
9. "History of Electrification". IRFCA. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
10. "Rail link to tiger territory". Calcutta, India: The Telegraph, 15 November 2009. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
11. Gupta, Jayanta (23 June 2011). "Land reclaim for Sagar port soon". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
12. New Projects, Eastern Railway, 29 November 2018
13. ER Features Archived 2018-12-15 at the Wayback Machine , Eastern Railways, 04 December 2018
14. "Eastern Railway to run 80 spl trains for Ganga Sagar Mela". newkerala.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
15. "Sagar trains". Calcutta, India: The Telegraph, 30 November 2009. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2012.