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Shakuntala Railway

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Shakuntala Railway
Overview
OwnerCentral Provinces Railway Company
LocaleMaharashtra, India
Termini
Service
Operator(s)Central Railway
History
Opened1903
Closed2016
Technical
Line length189 km (117 mi)
Track gauge2 ft 6 in (762 mm)
Route map

76
Achalpur 
Sapan River
72
Nowbagh
65
Chamak
63
Khusta Buzurg
59
Pathrot
50
Anjangaon
43
Kapustalni
35
Kokalda
30
Lehgaon
Bhuleshwari River
22
Banosa
12
Lakhpuri
60
0
Murtizapur Junction
2
Murtazapur Town
12
Kinkhed
Uma River
19
Vilegaon
24
Bhadshivni
27
Pohe
32
Karania
33
Karania Town
46
Somthan
49
Sangwi
Adan River
53
Warudkhed
71
Darwha Moti Bagh
83
Tapona
88
Ladkhed
93
Ling
101
Lasina
113
Yavatmal Yavatmal Airport

Shakuntala Railway was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge railway line between Yavatmal and Achalpur in Maharashtra in central India. Originally called YavatmalMurtizapur JunctionAchalpur railway, it was renamed after Shakuntala Deshmukh née Jadhav, who was wife of freedom fighter Balwantrao Deshmukh.

History

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Killick, Nixon and Company, set up in 1857, created the Central Provinces Railway Company (CPRC) to act as its agents. The company built the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge line in 1903.[1] The company built this narrow-gauge line in 1903 to carry cotton from cotton-rich interior areas of Vidarbha to the Murtizapur Junction on main broad gauge line to Mumbai from where it was shipped to Manchester in England. Murtizapur Junction was the focal point of this railway. In 1920 line from Darwha-Pusad was dismantled. Though, working autonomously, the CPRC was grouped in 1952 under the Central Railways.[1][2] A ZD-steam engine, built in 1921 in Manchester, pulled the train for more than 70 long years after being put in service in 1923. It was withdrawn on 15 April 1994, and replaced by a diesel engine.

In 1944, Shakuntala Jadhav married a Daryapur landlord, Balawantrao Deshmukh, who was also a freedom fighter. Deshmukh family took the newlyweds home by boarding this train. A British railway officer offered them the first-class coach for travel as they were newlyweds. It was a dream come true for Shakuntala, the bride, and years later she narrated this experience to Sudam Deshmukh, a MP, who took efforts to get the railway renamed to Shakuntala Railway.[3]

Conversion to broad gauge

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In 2016, Indian Railways announced that the Shakuntala Railway would be converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge.[4] The conversion to broad gauge started in 2020.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "British Company Still Gets Royalty For Shakuntala Railway". IndiaTV. 15 August 2011.
  2. ^ Hardikar, Jaideep (26 November 2004). "A railway ride into history". BBC.
  3. ^ "Yavatmal-Murtizapur Shakuntala Railways Only Train Named After a Citizen » Ddyatra". 21 October 2022.
  4. ^ Government to take over Shakuntala, only private railway line, convert to broad gauge