The Ludhiana–Fazilka line is a railway line connecting and both in the Indian
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* '' Our ...
of the
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
. The line is under the administrative jurisdiction of
Northern Railway.
History
The Southern Punjab Railway Co. opened the long
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...
–
Jind
Jind is one of the largest and oldest city in Jind district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is administrative headquarter of Jind district. Rani Talab is the main destination for tourists while Pandu-Pindara and Ramrai are the main rel ...
-
Bhatinda
Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda District. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth l ...
–
Fazilka
Fazilka, also known as Bangla, is a city and a municipal council in Fazilka district of Punjab, India. In 2011, it was made the headquarter of the newly created Fazilka district. The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAPI) project originating in Tu ...
-
Bahawalnagar
Bahawalnagar (Punjabi, ur, ), is the capital city of Bahawalnagar District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city of Bahawalnagar is the headquarter of the district and tehsil as well. -
Samma Satta
Samma Satta (Also spelled Samasatta or Samasata) ( ur, ) is a town in Bahawalpur District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 29°21'0 North 71°32'60 East and has an altitude of .
Railway
Samasata Junction railway station is located in middle ...
line in 1897. The line passed through
Rohtak
Rohtak () is a city and the administrative headquarters of the Rohtak district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies north-west of New Delhi and south of the state capital Chandigarh on National Highway 9 (India), NH 9(old NH 10). Rohtak fo ...
-
Jind
Jind is one of the largest and oldest city in Jind district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is administrative headquarter of Jind district. Rani Talab is the main destination for tourists while Pandu-Pindara and Ramrai are the main rel ...
-
Bhatinda
Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda District. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth l ...
-Muktasar-Fazilka-
Bahawalnagar
Bahawalnagar (Punjabi, ur, ), is the capital city of Bahawalnagar District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city of Bahawalnagar is the headquarter of the district and tehsil as well. and provided direct connection through
Samma Satta
Samma Satta (Also spelled Samasatta or Samasata) ( ur, ) is a town in Bahawalpur District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 29°21'0 North 71°32'60 East and has an altitude of .
Railway
Samasata Junction railway station is located in middle ...
(now in Pakistan) to Karachi. The extension from the Macleodganj (later renamed Mandi Sadiqganj and now in Pakistan) railway line to Ambala via Qasamwala-Hindumalkote-
Abohar
Abohar is a city and municipal corporation in the Fazilka district of the Indian state of Punjab, southeast of Fazilka city and northeast of Sri Ganganagar. It is near the India-Pakistan border. Abohar's population is 211745. The city is know ...
-
Bhatinda
Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda District. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth l ...
-
Patiala
Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the '' Qila Mubarak'' (the 'Fortunate Castle') constru ...
was opened by the same company in 1902.
Railway border crossings
Fazilka and Hussainiwala on this line are two defunct railway border crossing points on the India–Pakistan border. Before
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947, there were long
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...
-
Samma Satta
Samma Satta (Also spelled Samasatta or Samasata) ( ur, ) is a town in Bahawalpur District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 29°21'0 North 71°32'60 East and has an altitude of .
Railway
Samasata Junction railway station is located in middle ...
& long
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...
-
Raiwind
Raiwind (Punjabi & ur, ) is a town (now promoted to Tehsil Head Quarter) located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annua ...
railway lines, which were operational. After
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
, a line linked Amruka on the Pakistan side of the India–Pakistan border, opposite Fazilka, towards
Samma Satta
Samma Satta (Also spelled Samasatta or Samasata) ( ur, ) is a town in Bahawalpur District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 29°21'0 North 71°32'60 East and has an altitude of .
Railway
Samasata Junction railway station is located in middle ...
. The only train running through these tracks was withdrawn after 1965 war. long Amruka-
Samma Satta
Samma Satta (Also spelled Samasatta or Samasata) ( ur, ) is a town in Bahawalpur District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 29°21'0 North 71°32'60 East and has an altitude of .
Railway
Samasata Junction railway station is located in middle ...
line & long
Kasur
Kasur (Urdu and pa, ; also romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The city serves as the headquarters of Kasur District. Kas ...
-
Raiwind
Raiwind (Punjabi & ur, ) is a town (now promoted to Tehsil Head Quarter) located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annua ...
lines are operational in Pakistan now. The
Hussainiwala
Hussainiwala is a village near Firozpur city in Firozpur district in Punjab state, India. It lies near the bank of the Sutlej river. The village is on the border with Pakistan, opposite the Pakistani village of Ganda Singh Wala. It is a border ...
–
Ganda Singh Wala
Ganda Singh Wala (Punjabi/ ur, ) is a village, just 58 km from Lahore City in Kasur District in the Punjab, Pakistan. Until 1986, it served as the main border crossing between Pakistan and India. The Sutlej River flows by Ganda Singh Wala, and ...
railway crossing, near Firozpur, became defunct with the
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
. The broad gauge line from Kasur Junction in Pakistan has been closed. A strategically important Kaiser-E-Hind
Rail-cum-Road Bridge was blown up during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the
Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Dec ...
at Hussainiwala, and was never rebuilt. In 2013, Sutlej Barrage Bridge on Hussainiwala was opened after restructuring.
Loco sheds
Ludhiana diesel shed holds 170+ locos including WDM-2, WDM-3A and WDG-3A. Ludhiana electric loco shed was commissioned in 2001 and houses WAM-4, WAG-5 and WAG-7 locos.
Developments
The long
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
line between
Fazilka
Fazilka, also known as Bangla, is a city and a municipal council in Fazilka district of Punjab, India. In 2011, it was made the headquarter of the newly created Fazilka district. The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAPI) project originating in Tu ...
&
Firozpur
Firozpur, also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who di ...
was laid in 1950, destroyed in 1965 & 1971 wars & finally re-laid in 1972 as a long
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
line. The new -wide
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
line between Fazilka and Abohar declared on 2010, was opened in 2012.
The Indian Railways have been considering proposals for converting the existing Ludhiana–Firozpur single line into a double line.
Passenger movement
is the only station on this line which is amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.
Railway reorganisation
Sind Railway (later reorganised as
Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway
The Scinde, Punjab, Delhi Railway was formed in 1870 from the incorporation of the Scinde Railway, Indus Steam Flotilla, Punjab Railway and Delhi Railway companies. This was covered by the ''Scinde Railway Company's Amalgamation Act'' of ...
) was formed a guaranteed railway in 1856. It constructed broad-gauge railways from Delhi to Multan via Lahore, and from Karachi to Kotri. Multan and Kotri were connected by ferry service on the
Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kash ...
. In 1871–72, Indus Valley Railway was formed to connect Multan and Kotri. At the same time, Punjab Northern State Railway started constructing from Lahore towards Peshawar. In 1886, Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway was acquired by the state and amalgamated with Indus Valley Railway and Punjab Northern State Railway to form
North-Western State Railway. Southern Punjab Railway was taken over by the state and merged with
North Western Railway
The North Western Railway (abbreviated NWR) is one of the 19 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Jaipur, Rajasthan with 59,075+ employees, 658+ stations and a route length of more than 5761 km across at least some parts of fo ...
in 1930.
With the
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947, North Western Railway was split. While the western portion became Pakistan West Railway, and later
Pakistan Railways
Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger servic ...
, the eastern part became Eastern Punjab Railway. In 1952,
Northern Railway was formed with a portion of
East Indian Railway Company
The East Indian Railway Company, operating as the East Indian Railway (reporting mark EIR), introduced railways to East India and North India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, South Indian Railway, Bombay, Ba ...
west of Mughalsarai, Jodhpur Railway, Bikaner Railway and Eastern Punjab Railway.
References
External links
Trains at Ludhiana Trains at FirozpurTrains at Fazilka
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludhiana - Fazilka line
5 ft 6 in gauge railways in India
Rail transport in Punjab, India
*
Railway lines opened in 1905
Transport in Ludhiana
Transport in Firozpur
1905 establishments in India