Bhusawal–Kalyan section

Bhusawal–Kalyan section
Overview
Native name	भुसावळ-कल्याण विभाग
System	Main line and some branch lines electrified. Some branch lines: diesel
Status	Operational
Locale	Maharashtra, Gujarat
Termini	Bhusawal Kalyan
Services	Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line New Delhi-Bhopal-Mumbai line
Operation
Opened	Around 1865
Owner	Indian Railway
Operator(s)	Central Railway, Western Railway for a part of a branch line
Depot(s)	Bhusawal, Kalyan, Manmad, Igatpuri
Rolling stock	WAM-4, WAP- 4, WAG-5, WAG-7 , WCM-6, WCG-2, WCAM-3, WCAG-1 electric locomotives
Technical
Track length	Main line: 390 km (242 mi) Branch lines Manmad-Daund 238 km (148 mi) Pachora-Jamner 56 km (35 mi) NG Chalisgaon-Dhule 56 km (35 mi) Jalgaon-Surat 313 km (194 mi)
No. of tracks	Main line: 2
Track gauge	Main line and three branch lines: 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge Pachora-Jamner: 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge
Electrification	1.5 kV DC overhead system in 1929 for Kalyan-Igatpuri sector, Igatpuri-Bhusawal with 25 kV AC overhead system in 1967-69. DC system being converted to AC system
Operating speed	Main line: up to 160 km/h

Bhusawal–Kalyan section

Legend to Central Line 0 Kalyan to Pune on Mumbai Dadar–Solapur section Kalyan Flyover Shahad Flyover 3 Shahad Ulhas River 6 Ambivli 11 Titwala Kaalu River 19 Khadavli Vasind plant of JSW Steel Ltd 26 Vasind 32 Asangaon 42 Atgaon 48 Thansit MN Expressway 54 Khardi 61 Umbermali MN Expressway 68 Kasara MN Expressway Thul Ghat tunnels Mahindra & Mahindra automotive factory 82 Igatpuri MN Expressway NAM express highway 100 Ghoti 107 Padi 116 Asvali 119 Lahavit 127 Devlali 133 Nasik Road / Ozar Airport Nashik TPS of Mahagenco Godavari River 144 Odha 151 Khervadi 158 Kasbe Sukene 164 Ugaon 181 Lasalgaon 193 Summt 238 Daund / to Mumbai Dadar–Solapur section Bhima River 225 Kashti 217 Shrigonda Road 202 Belwandi 189 Visanagar 183 Ranjangaon Road 172 Sarola 167 Akoiner to Beed 154 Ahmednagar 147 Nimblak 138 Vilad 127 Vambori 113 Rahuri 108 Taklimiya 99 Padhegaon 93 Nipani Bhadgaon 87 Belapur 75 Chitali 69 Sainagar Shirdi Shirdi Airport 57 Puntamba Godavari River 50 Kahegaon 46 Sanvatsar 42 Kopargaon 26 Yeola to Manmad-Purna line 8 Ankai HAL factory 205 /0 Manmad FCI warehouses Central Engineering Workshop of IR 211 Panavedi 219 Hisvahal 222 Panjhan 228 Nandgaon 239 Pimpar Khed State Highwy 24 251 Naydongri State Highwy 24 261 Rohini State Highwy 24 265 Hirapur 273 / 0 Chalisgaon 7 Bhoras Budrukh 14 Jamdha 23 Rajmane 28 Mordad Tanda 36 Shirud 43 Boryhir 54 Mohadi Pargane Laling NH 3 56 Dhule Dhule Airport 282 Vaghli 292 Kajgaon 297 Nagardevla 307 Galan 318 / 0 Pachora (change for NG) 12 Varkhedi 20 Pimpalgaon 29 Shendurni 40 Pahur 48 Bhagdara 56 Jamner 330 Padhande 334 Maheji State Highwy 185 344 Mhasvad 353 Shirsholi to Ahmedabad-Mumbai Main Line 337 Surat 333 Udhna to Ahmedabad-Mumbai Main Line 331 Niyol 321 Chalthan 317 Bagumra 310 Gangadhara 304 Bardoli 300 Timbarva 297 Mangrolla 295 Lotarva 289 Madhi 284 Kahet 274 Vyara 265 Kikakui Road 260 Dosvada Ukai TPS of GSECL 255 Ukai Songadh 249 Lakkad Kot 243 Bhadbhunia 232 Navapur 215 Kolda Maharashtra-Gujarat border 212 Chinchpada 205 Khatgaon 196 Khandbaara 183 Dhekvad 174 Nandurbar 167 Choupale 161 Tisi 150 Ranala 140 Dondaicha Vanane River 132 Vikhran 127 Shonshelu 120 Sindkheda Buria River 113 Hol NH 3 107 Nardana Panzara River 100 Betavad 95 Padse 87 Bhortex 79 Amalner Bori River 69 Tarakhede 62 Bhone 54 Dharangaon 43 Paldhi Girna River Jalgaon Airport NH 6 Surat-Hazira Bypass 365 / 24 Jalgaon Jalgaon-Asoda Road 372 / 17 Tarsod 377 / 12 Bhadi 390 / 0 Bhusawal to Nagpur-Bhusawal section to Jabalpur-Bhusaval section Source:Google maps, 51153 Mumbai-Bhusawal Passenger Indiarailinfo, 59014 Surat Passenger indiarailinfo, 52121 Pachora Jamner NG Passenger indiarailinfo 5115 Chalisgaon Dhule Mix Passenger indiarailinfo 51402 Manmad Pune Passenger indiarailinfo

The Bhusawal–Kalyan section is part of the Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line and Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line. It connects Bhusawal and Kalyan both in the Indian state of Maharashtra. One of the branch lines, Jalgaon-Surat line, runs partly in Gujarat.

Geography

Part of some of the major trunk lines in the country, this line passes through a section of the Deccan Plateau, starting with Khandesh, It crosses the Western Ghats across the Thul Ghat and enters the Western Coastal Plains.

Thul Ghat

Thul Ghat (incline) is a series of mountain slopes in the Western Ghats traversed by this line. From Kalyan to Kasara, the line covers a length of 42 mi (68 km) and rises to an altitude of 948 ft (289 m) above sea level at Kasara. The next section from Kasara to Igatpuri is 9.5 mi (15 km) across Thul Ghat and within that distance the line rises from 289 ft (88 m) to 1,918 ft (585 m) the gradient in the section being 1:37. The line negotiates this steep incline with the help of curves. The Ehegaon viaduct along this line is 719 ft (219 m) long and 180 ft (55 m) high. According to IRFCA, "The viaduct is situated in a steep valley nestling in the midst of hills that skirt around it in the tunnels and then is carried across the yawning chasm on a tall imposing structure… Some of the viaducts and tunnels on this line are considered outstanding achievements in Civil Engineering and are among the finest works in the world."

Economy

This line serves two coal based thermal power stations: the 880 MW Nashik Thermal Power Station of Mahagenco and 850 MW Ukai Thermal Power Station of Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited. Nasik TPS consumed 4,626,000 tonnes of coal in 2006-07 and Ukai TPS consumed 3,200,000 tonnes the same year. Coal transportation forms 42 per cent of the total freight earnings of Indian railways.

History

Main line

The first train in India traveled from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station in Mumbai, then known as Boribunder, to Thane on 16 April 1853. Within about a year Great Indian Peninsula Railway connected the Mumbai-Thane line to Kalyan. Service up to Igatpuri (across the Thul Ghat) was started in 1865. Before that, Bhusawal station was set up in 1860 and most of the line between Bhusawal and Igatpuri was laid in 1861-62 but the line was activated in mid-1860s, after completion of the line across Thul Ghat.

Branch lines

The 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Tapti Valley Railway linked Surat, on the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway, to the Great Indian Peninsula system at Amalner in the Khandesh region, in 1900. It was one of the railways set up by Killick Nixon Limited.

The 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Manmad-Daund line was opened in 1878 and connects the two main sections (the south-east and north east) of GIPR. The line is being doubled.

The Hyderabad-Godavari Valley Railways opened the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) metre gauge Manmad-Secunderabad line (not shown in the route chart) in 1900.

The 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Chalisgaon-Dhule line was opened in 1900.

The Pachora-Jamner 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge line was opened by Central Province Railway in 1919.

Shirdi

The 17.5 km (11 mi) long 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide broad gauge Puntamba-Shirdi link, connecting Shirdi to the Manmad-Daund branch line was completed in 2009. The Manmad-Puntamba-Sainagar Shirdi line was electrified in 2011-12.

New lines

Indian Railways have cleared the construction of Manmad-Indore and Nashik-Pune new lines after sixteen years of active lobbying.

Railway reorganisation

The Great Indian Peninsula Railway was taken over by the state in 1925. In 1951, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, the Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway, the Scindia State Railways and the Dholpur Railways were merged to form Central Railway. In the same year, the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway, the Saurashtra Railway, the Rajasthan Railway, the Jaipur Railway and the Cutch State Railway were merged to form Western Railway.

Electrification and electric loco sheds

The Kalyan-Igatpuri section was electrified with 1.5 kV DC overhead system in 1929. Subsequent electrification with 25 kV AC overhead system in the Igatpuri-Manmad sector, with AC/DC change over at Igatpuri, was carried out in 1967–69. The Manmad-Bhusawal sector was electrified in 1968–69. The change over of the Mumbai area from DC to AC is in an advanced stage.

There are large loco sheds at Bhusawal and Kalyan, and the smaller trip sheds at Manmad and Igatpuri. The loco shed at Bhusawal was established by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway in 1919. At that time it was the largest in Asia and third largest in the world. WAM-4, WAP- 4, WAG-5, WAG-7, WCM-6, WCG-2, WCAM-3 and WCAG-1 electric locomotives find a place in these sheds. Kalyan also houses some diesel locomotives.

Speed limits

The entire Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line is classified as a "Group A" line which can take speeds up to 160 km/h. The branch lines have speed limits within 100 km/h.

Passenger movement

Bhusawal and Manmad on this line, are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.

The tourist train Deccan Odyssey passes through a part of the route.

External links

External video
Manmad Godavari Express: Kasara to Igatpuri (Thul Ghat)
Panchvatti Express: Igatpuri to Kasara (Thul Ghat)
Train on bridge at Thul Ghat

• Trains at Bhusawal
• Trains at Manmad
• Trains at Kalyan