Bankura–Masagram Line
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The Bankura–Masagram line is an Electrified broad-gauge rail line connecting
Bankura Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word or (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced af ...
town and
Masagram Masagram is a village in Ajhapur gram panchayat of Jamalpur CD block in Bardhaman Sadar South subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Masagram is located at . It is located near the ba ...
. The railway line operates in
Bankura Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word or (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced af ...
and Purba Bardhaman districts in the Indian state of
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
. It falls under
Adra railway division Adra railway division is one of the four railway divisions under South Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 14 April 1961 and its headquarter is located at Adra town in Purulia district in the state of Wes ...
of South Eastern Railway Zone of Indian Railways.


History

The old
Narrow Gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
route of
Bankura Damodar Railway Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word or (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced af ...
(closed in 1965) was planned to be revived by South Eastern Railway of Indian Railways in 1998 as a Broad Gauge line. The plans were to convert the old track with some minor diversions to a broad-gauge one and connect it with the
Howrah–Bardhaman chord The Howrah–Bardhaman chord is a broad-gauge rail line connecting Howrah and Bardhaman. The railway line operates in Howrah, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman districts in the state of West Bengal. It is part of the Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line, How ...
near
Masagram Masagram is a village in Ajhapur gram panchayat of Jamalpur CD block in Bardhaman Sadar South subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Masagram is located at . It is located near the ba ...
. The work has been scheduled to be completed in three phases: Bankura–Sonamukhi, Sonamukhi–Rainagar, and Rainagar–Masagram. The Bankura–Sonamukhi broad-gauge section was completed and opened to the public in 2005. The Sonamukhi–Rainagar broad-gauge section was completed and opened to the public in 2008 and one stop extension to Mathnasipur was completed in 2011. According to Indian Railways, the missing link between Mathnasipur and was planned to open in the financial year 2012–2013. On completion of the Rainagar–Masagram new broad-gauge section, the distance between Howrah and Bankura was to be reduced from (via
Kharagpur Kharagpur () is a planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Kharagpur subdivision. It is the largest, most populated, multicultural and cosmopol ...
) to . The last section involved the construction of a bridge across the
Damodar River Damodar River (Pron: /ˈdʌmoˌdaː/) is a river flowing across the Indian states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. Rich in mineral resources, the valley is home to large-scale mining and industrial activity. Earlier known as the Sorrow of Bengal bec ...
. The bridge over the Damodar was constructed and work on the Mathnasipur-Masagram new project was completed with the addition of four new halts – Gram Masagram (Mustafachak), Habaspur, Dadpur and Berugram. Construction on the new broad-gauge railway line between Bankura–
Chhatna Chhatna is a village and a gram panchayat in the Chhatna CD block in the Bankura Sadar subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. History According to the historian Binoy Ghosh, three places claimed to be the ho ...
Mukutmanipur Mukutmanipur is a village in Bankura district of West Bengal, India. It is located at the confluence of the Kangsabati and Kumari rivers close to the Jharkhand border. Geography Area overview The map alongside shows the Khatra subdivision o ...
has also been inaugurated.


Route description

The previous
Narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
line near Bankura was a bit different. The former NG station was physically isolated from the BG station. It was after the adjacent road, so if anyone wanted to change from BG to NG, he/she should cross the road to entrain the NG train. To continuing journey from
Adra The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA or ADRA International) is a humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the purpose of providing individual and community development and disaster relief. I ...
to , the new broad gauge line is branching just before Bankura Jn. (going towards Kharagpur from Adra), then it turns as a semicircle, and then meets on the old narrow-gauge line alignment. On the rest portion it completely follows the old line's alignment. The line is entirely single. There are crossings at Sonamukhi, Patrasayer, Bowaichandi, Seharabazar and Rainagar. It passes through land of red soil and part of a partly cut jungle.


Train service

As of April 2021, MEMU services are available between and Masagram. On 20 February 2021 South Eastern Railway has decided to introduce two pairs of MEMU trains between Bankura and Masagram from 21 February 2021.


See also

*
Bankura Damodar Railway Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word or (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced af ...


References

, {{DEFAULTSORT:Bankura-Masagram line 5 ft 6 in gauge railways in India Rail transport in West Bengal Railway lines opened in 2005