Ahmedabad–Udaipur line

The Ahmedabad–Udaipur Line is a railway route of both the Western and North Western Railway zones of the Indian Railways. It plays an important role in short-connectivity transport, reaching to North India and Eastern India from Gujarat and the coastal areas of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.

  • Ahmedabad–Udaipur line
  • with Shamlaji–Modasa–Nadiad branch line
Last metre-gauge train between Ahmedabad–Udaipur line
Overview
OwnerIndian Railways
LocaleGujarat, Rajasthan
Termini
Stations33
Service
Operator(s)
History
Opened
  • 1879: Ahmedabad–Himmatnagar section
  • 1891: Himmatnagar–Udaipur section
  • 1901: Himmatnagar–Khed Bramha branch
  • 1916: Nadiad–Kapadvanj branch section
  • 1961: Kapadvanj–Modasa branch section
Technical
Line length
  • Main line:
  • 296 kilometres (184 mi)
  • Branch lines:
  • Himmatnagar-Junction–Khed Bramha 55 kilometres (34 mi)
  • Nadiad–Kapadvanj–Modasa‍–‍Shamlaji Road 138 kilometres (86 mi)
Track length296 kilometres (184 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Old gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) metre gauge
ElectrificationYes
Route map

km
to Mathura–Vadodara section
0 Udaipur City
10 Umra
24 Kharwa Chanda
41 Zawar
50 Padla
64 Jai Samand Road
77 Sur Khund Ka Khera
85 Semari
91 Kundalgarh
99 Rikhabdev Road
109 Kotana
116 Dungarpur
123 Shalashah Thana
131 Shri Bhavnath
138 Bechhiwara
Rajasthan
Gujarat
150 Jagabor
157 Lusadiya
169\0 Shamlaji Road
186 Raigadh Road
0 Khed Bramha
197 Viravada
10 Vadali
3 Tintoi
17 Kadiyadra
8 Jivanpur
24 Idar
18 Gajan
37 Jadar
23 Modasa
44 Mahadevpara
27 Kalladaka
55\211 Himmatnagar Junction
33 Rahiiyol
217 Hapa Road
40 Dhansura
224 Sonasan
47 Navalpura
233 Prantij
56 Beyad
239 Khari Amrapur
62 Demai
245 Talod
68 Kashipura
250 Kherol
75 Vadali Luter Road
257 Rakhiyal
83 Kapadvanj
261 Jaliya Math
101 Kathalal
270 Nandol Dehegam
103 Bhaner Minawada
277 Dabhoda
107 Mahudha
283 Medra
115 Nadgam
290 Naroda
118 Vina
292 Sardargram
293 Sahijpur
296 Asarva
to Jaipur–Ahmedabad line
299 Ahmedabad Junction
More Info:Ahmedabad–Mumbai main line
128 Nadiad Junction
to Ahmedabad–Mumbai main line
;Sources


19943/44 Udaipur–Ahmedabad Express

52923/24 Khed Bramha–Ahmedabad Passenger

79461/62 Nadiad–Modasa DEMU

With a stretch of 299.55 kilometres (186.13 mi), this corridor passes through the Aravalli Ranges of North Gujarat and the Udaipur division of Rajasthan, where there are zinc and phosphate mines in Zawar and Umra, making it a direct and important mineral transportation route to the rest of India.

Routes and divisions

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This mainline route is divided into two sections:

  1. The first section is of Ahmedabad–Himmatnagar Junction, with the length of 88 kilometres (55 mi), comes under the jurisdiction of Western Railways.
  2. The second section is Himmatnagar Junction–Udaipur City, with a length of 210 kilometres (130 mi), comes under the jurisdiction of North Western Railways.[1]

It also contains two branch lines of this corridor; both come in the Western Railways zone. These are:

  1. The first branch line is Himmatnagar Junction–Khed Bramha with a length of 58 kilometres (36 mi)
  2. The second branch line is Nadiad–Kapadvanj–Modasa Branch line with the length of 138 kilometres (86 mi)[2]

History

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This route was opened in 1879 by Ahmedabad–Parantij Railway up to Prantij and Himmatnagar, and later it was extended in two phases: The first phase was Himmatnagar–Idar which was opened in the same year; then in 1901, the second phase of Idar–Khed Bramha was opened. This gave a total length of 146 kilometres (91 mi) from Ahmedabad and was a metre-gauge railway line.[3][4]

In 1886 the survey and construction of a 210-kilometre-long (130 mi) Himmatnagar–Udaipur line, also a metre-gauge railway line, was started; rail operations began in 1891 with flagging off Delhi Sarai Rohilla–Ahmedabad Express for direct connection to Delhi and Udaipur from Ahmedabad via Himmatnagar.[5][6] This 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) line came to be known as the metre-gauge mainline with the other metre-gauge line via Palanpur Junction, Marwar Junction, and Ajmer Junction being called the Chord Line. In 1997, this metre-gauge "Chord Line", via Palanpur, Marwar, and Ajmer Junctions, became a 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad-gauge line called the Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad Mainline.

The branch-line of Nadiad–Kapadvanj, a narrow-gauge railway section, was opened on 5 March 1916 by Guzerat Railway Company, with a length of 49 kilometres (30 mi).[7] In 1961, it was converted to broad gauge and in the same year the survey and construction of Kapadvanj–Modasa section, an extension of the branch line, was started with a planned length of 89 kilometres (55 mi).[8] It was halted for two decades, with construction only revived in 2000; it became operational on 28 October 2001, with a total length of 138 kilometres (86 mi) and direct connections to Nadiad.[9][10][11]

Gauge conversion

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The broad-gauge conversion of the whole mainline from Udaipur to Ahmedabad is complete. Ongoing conversion of the branch lines, jointly carried out by Western Railways and North Western Railways, commenced 1 January 2017.[12] The Modasa–Shamlaji rail line with a length of 26 kilometres (16 mi) is planned for construction; this will connect the Nadiad–Modasa branch line with the Ahmedabad–Udaipur mainline, shortening the routes of Mumbai, Ahmedabad and the rest of Gujarat to North India, with additional direct passenger services.[13]

In this joint project, the first section of the mainline from the Western Railways zone side was fully converted into broad gauge; DEMU (diesel-electrical multiple unit) trains started running on the route from 15 October 2019.[14] The broad-gauge conversion was completed on 10 August 2022, but trains are yet[when?] to start. There has as yet been no official inauguration.[needs update]

 
A Trial Run of an empty train on the newly constructed broad gauge line.

Current broad-gauge trains

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Post completion of the broad-gauge (BG) line, Indian Railways is running a small number of trains on this line, with may be expanded later.[timeframe?] Trains currently running on this line are as follows:

Expected route extensions or re-introductions

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Trains which are slated for extension or re-introduction in the near-future are:[vague]

References

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  1. ^ Western Railways, Retrieved 16 August 2020
  2. ^ nic.in, Retrieved 15 August 2020
  3. ^ "Administration Report on Railways 1918"
  4. ^ "Summary of the principal measures of the viceroyalty of the Earl of Elgin in the Public Works Department Jan 1894 to Dec 1898"
  5. ^ RailBudget 1956-57, Retrieved 15 August 2020
  6. ^ Rail Budget 1961-62, Retrieved 15 August 2020
  7. ^ Indian Railway Board History and Progress
  8. ^ Government of India, Retrieved 15 August 2020
  9. ^ timesofindia.com, Retrieved 15 August 2020
  10. ^ Rail Budget 2001-02, Retrieved 15 August 2020
  11. ^ Rail Budget 2013-14, Retrieved 15 August 2020
  12. ^ Western Railways, Retrieved 15 August 2020
  13. ^ deshgujarat.com, Retrieved 15 August 2015
  14. ^ Western Railways, Retrieved 15 August 2020