The Howrah–Delhi main line was the first trunk route in India connecting two metropolises. It was opened in 1866.[3] The second trunk route was Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line, opened in 1870.[4] The Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line was opened in 1900 as the third trunk route in the country. Close on its heels was the Howrah–Chennai main line in 1901.[5]
The first train service in southern India was operated from Royapuram/Vyasarpadi Jeeva in Chennai to Walajah Road, near Vellore, covering around 100 km (62 mi) long, and operated by Madras Railway Company, on 1 July 1856. Several other lines were also developed.[3] During the period 1893 to 1896, 1,287 km (800 mi) of the East Coast State Railway, from Vijayawada Junction to Cuttack was built and opened to traffic,[5][6] and construction of the Vijayawada–Chennai link in 1899 enabled the through running of trains along the eastern coast of India.[4]Bengal Nagpur Railway was working on both the Howrah–Kharagpur and Kharagpur–Cuttack lines, completed the bridge over the Rupnarayan in 1900 and the Mahanadi in 1901, thus completing the through connection between Chennai and Kolkata.[5]
Railway reorganization
The southern part of the East Coast State Railway (from Waltair to Vijayawada) was taken over by Madras Railway in 1901.[7] The 514 km (319 mi) long northern portion of the East Coast line to Cuttack, including the branch line to Puri, was taken over by Bengal Nagpur Railway in 1902.[6][8]
In the early 1950s legislation was passed authorizing the central government to take over independent railway systems that were there. On 14 April 1951 the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway Company and Mysore State Railway were merged to form Southern Railway. Subsequently, Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway was also merged into Southern Railway. On 2 October 1966, the Secunderabad, Solapur, Hubli and Vijayawada Divisions, covering the former territories of Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway and certain portions of Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway were separated from Southern Railway to form the South Central Railway. In 1977, Guntakal division of Southern Railway was transferred to South Central Railway and the Solapur division transferred to Central Railway. Amongst the seven new zones created in 2010 was South Western Railway, which was carved out of Southern Railway.[11]
Howrah–Chennai Mail was the first train in South Eastern Railway to be hauled by a diesel engine (WDM-1) in 1965.[13]
The Howrah–Chennai route was completely electrified by 2005.[14]
Speed limits
The New Delhi–Chennai Central line (Grand Trunk route), of which the Vijayawada–Chennai section is a part, and Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line, of which the Howrah–Kharagpur section is a part, are classified as "Group A" lines which can take speeds up to 160 km/h. The Kharagpur-Vijayawada sector is classified as a Group B line which can take speeds up to 130 km/h.[15]
The Howrah–Chennai main line is a part of the golden quadrilateral. The routes connecting the four major metropolises (New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata), along with their diagonals, known as the golden quadrilateral, carry about half the freight and nearly half the passenger traffic, although they form only 16 per cent of the length.[17]
References
^"Coastal Plains of India". Country facts – the world at your finger tips. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
^"The Coastal Plains of India". Zahie.com. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
^ ab"IR History: Early Days – I". Chronology of railways in India, Part 2 (1832–1865). Retrieved 27 October 2012.
^ ab"IR History: Early Days – II". Chronology of railways in India, Part 2 (1870–1899). Retrieved 27 October 2012.
^ abc. South Eastern Railway. Archived from the original on 1 April 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
^ ab. Mannanna.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
^ ab"IR History: Part III (1900-1947)". IRFCA. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
^. East Coast Railway. Archived from the original on 31 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
^Railways. The Cambridge Economic History of India. Vol. 2. Orient Longmans Private Limited. 2005. p. 755. ISBN9788125027317. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
^"Third oldest railway station in country set to turn 156". Indian Railways Turn Around News. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
^"Geography – Railway Zones". IRFCA. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
^ abcd"Geography – Railway Zones". IRFCA. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
^ ab"IR History: Part - IV (1947 - 1970)". IRFCA. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
^"IR History Part VII (2000-present)". IRFCA. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
^. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
^. Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. IRFCA. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
^"Geography – Railway Zones". Major routes. IRFCA. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
January 20, 2023
howrah, chennai, main, line, railway, line, connecting, chennai, kolkata, cutting, across, eastern, coastal, plains, india, covers, distance, kilometres, across, west, bengal, odisha, andhra, pradesh, tamil, nadu, howrah, chennai, railway, routeoverviewstatuso. The Howrah Chennai main line is a railway line connecting Chennai and Kolkata cutting across Eastern Coastal Plains of India It covers a distance of 1 661 kilometres 1 032 mi across West Bengal Odisha Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Howrah Chennai main lineHowrah Chennai railway routeOverviewStatusOperationalOwnerIndian RailwaysLocaleWest Bengal Odisha Andhra Pradesh Tamil NaduTerminiHowrahPuratchi Thalaivar Dr M G Ramachandran Central Railway StationServiceOperator s South Eastern Railway East Coast Railway South Central Railway Southern RailwayHistoryOpened1901TechnicalLine length1 661 km 1 032 mi Number of tracks2Track gauge5 ft 6 in 1 676 mm broad gaugeElectrification2005 with 25 kV overhead lineOperating speedup to 130 km h for Kharagpur Vijayawada section and up to 160 km hr for Howrah Kharagpur and Vijayawada Chennai sections Route mapLegendkm0 Howrah116 Kharagpurto Adrato Howrah Nagpur Mumbai lineKharagpur Puri lineWest BengalOdisha border231 Balasore294 Bhadrak337 Jajpur Keonjhar RoadMahanadi409 Cuttack437 Bhubaneswar456 Khurda Roadto PuriKhurda Road Visakhapatnam section527 Balugaon582 Chatrapur603 BrahmapurOdishaAndhra Pradesh border603 Ichchapuram645 Sompeta678 Palasa703 Naupada751 Srikakulam Road789 Chipurupalleto Jharsuguda Vizianagaram line820 Vizianagaram881 Visakhapatnam JunctionDuvvada Vijayawada section914 Anakapalle977 Tuni994 Annvaram1 031 Samalkot1 081 RajahmundryGodavari River1 103 Nidadavolu1 123 Tadepalligudem1 170 Eluruto Kazipet Vijayawada section1 230 Vijayawada Junctionto Vijayawada Nidadavoluloop lineKrishna RiverVijayawada Gudur sectionto Guntur Tenali section1 230 Tenalito Tenali Repallebranch line1 304 Bapatla1 319 Chirala1 369 Ongole1 485 Nellore1 523 GudurGudur Chennai sectionAndhra PradeshTamil Nadu border1 661 Chennai CentralkmSources Google maps Howrah Chennai SF Mail 12839 Contents 1 Sections 2 Geography 3 History 3 1 Railway reorganization 4 Electrification 5 Speed limits 6 Passenger movement 7 Golden quadrilateral 8 ReferencesSections EditThe 1 661 km 1 032 mi long trunk line has been treated in more detail in its sections Howrah Kharagapur section approximately 115 km 71 mi Kharagpur Khurda Road section approximately 363 1 km 225 6 mi Khurda Road Visakhapatnam section approximately 430 km 270 mi Nidadavole Narsapuram section Duvvada Vijayawada section approximately 350 km 220 mi from Anakapalle south South Coast Railway zone Vijayawada Gudur section approximately 310 km 190 mi South Coast Railway zone Gudur Chennai section approximately 140 km 87 mi except Gudur Junction Southern Railway zoneGeography EditThe Howrah Chennai main line traverses the Eastern Coastal Plains crossing such major rivers as the Mahanadi Godavari and Krishna The coastal plains lying between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal are fertile agricultural lands with high density of population 1 2 History EditThe Howrah Delhi main line was the first trunk route in India connecting two metropolises It was opened in 1866 3 The second trunk route was Howrah Allahabad Mumbai line opened in 1870 4 The Howrah Nagpur Mumbai line was opened in 1900 as the third trunk route in the country Close on its heels was the Howrah Chennai main line in 1901 5 The first train service in southern India was operated from Royapuram Vyasarpadi Jeeva in Chennai to Walajah Road near Vellore covering around 100 km 62 mi long and operated by Madras Railway Company on 1 July 1856 Several other lines were also developed 3 During the period 1893 to 1896 1 287 km 800 mi of the East Coast State Railway from Vijayawada Junction to Cuttack was built and opened to traffic 5 6 and construction of the Vijayawada Chennai link in 1899 enabled the through running of trains along the eastern coast of India 4 Bengal Nagpur Railway was working on both the Howrah Kharagpur and Kharagpur Cuttack lines completed the bridge over the Rupnarayan in 1900 and the Mahanadi in 1901 thus completing the through connection between Chennai and Kolkata 5 Railway reorganization Edit The southern part of the East Coast State Railway from Waltair to Vijayawada was taken over by Madras Railway in 1901 7 The 514 km 319 mi long northern portion of the East Coast line to Cuttack including the branch line to Puri was taken over by Bengal Nagpur Railway in 1902 6 8 In 1908 Madras Railway was merged with the Southern Mahratta Railway to form Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway 9 10 In the early 1950s legislation was passed authorizing the central government to take over independent railway systems that were there On 14 April 1951 the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway the South Indian Railway Company and Mysore State Railway were merged to form Southern Railway Subsequently Nizam s Guaranteed State Railway was also merged into Southern Railway On 2 October 1966 the Secunderabad Solapur Hubli and Vijayawada Divisions covering the former territories of Nizam s Guaranteed State Railway and certain portions of Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway were separated from Southern Railway to form the South Central Railway In 1977 Guntakal division of Southern Railway was transferred to South Central Railway and the Solapur division transferred to Central Railway Amongst the seven new zones created in 2010 was South Western Railway which was carved out of Southern Railway 11 The Bengal Nagpur Railway was nationalized in 1944 7 Eastern Railway was formed on 14 April 1952 with the portion of East Indian Railway Company east of Mughalsarai and the Bengal Nagpur Railway 12 In 1955 South Eastern Railway was carved out of Eastern Railway It comprised lines mostly operated by BNR earlier 12 13 Amongst the new zones started in April 2003 were East Coast Railway and South East Central Railway Both these railways were carved out of South Eastern Railway 12 Amongst the new zone to be started in April 2020 is South Coast Railway this railway was carved out of South Central Railway and East Coast Railway 12 Electrification EditHowrah Chennai Mail was the first train in South Eastern Railway to be hauled by a diesel engine WDM 1 in 1965 13 The Howrah Chennai route was completely electrified by 2005 14 Speed limits EditThe New Delhi Chennai Central line Grand Trunk route of which the Vijayawada Chennai section is a part and Howrah Nagpur Mumbai line of which the Howrah Kharagpur section is a part are classified as Group A lines which can take speeds up to 160 km h The Kharagpur Vijayawada sector is classified as a Group B line which can take speeds up to 130 km h 15 Passenger movement EditThe main passenger train services along this line are the Howrah Chennai Mail and the Coromandel Express Howrah Kharagpur Balasore Cuttack Bhubaneswar Brahmapur Vizianagaram Visakhapatnam Rajahmundry Eluru Vijayawada Nellore Gudur and Chennai Central on this line are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway 16 Golden quadrilateral EditThe Howrah Chennai main line is a part of the golden quadrilateral The routes connecting the four major metropolises New Delhi Mumbai Chennai and Kolkata along with their diagonals known as the golden quadrilateral carry about half the freight and nearly half the passenger traffic although they form only 16 per cent of the length 17 References Edit Coastal Plains of India Country facts the world at your finger tips Retrieved 17 January 2013 The Coastal Plains of India Zahie com Retrieved 17 January 2013 a b IR History Early Days I Chronology of railways in India Part 2 1832 1865 Retrieved 27 October 2012 a b IR History Early Days II Chronology of railways in India Part 2 1870 1899 Retrieved 27 October 2012 a b c Major Events in the Formation of S E Railway South Eastern Railway Archived from the original on 1 April 2013 Retrieved 19 February 2012 a b History of Waltair Division Mannanna com Archived from the original on 11 October 2012 Retrieved 2 January 2013 a b IR History Part III 1900 1947 IRFCA Retrieved 19 January 2013 History East Coast Railway Archived from the original on 31 January 2011 Retrieved 2 January 2013 Railways The Cambridge Economic History of India Vol 2 Orient Longmans Private Limited 2005 p 755 ISBN 9788125027317 Retrieved 13 February 2013 Third oldest railway station in country set to turn 156 Indian Railways Turn Around News Retrieved 13 February 2013 Geography Railway Zones IRFCA Retrieved 23 January 2013 a b c d Geography Railway Zones IRFCA Retrieved 21 November 2012 a b IR History Part IV 1947 1970 IRFCA Retrieved 21 November 2012 IR History Part VII 2000 present IRFCA Retrieved 23 January 2013 Chapter II The Maintenance of Permanent Way Archived from the original on 3 December 2013 Retrieved 2 January 2013 Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways IRFCA Archived from the original on 10 May 2014 Retrieved 30 December 2012 Geography Railway Zones Major routes IRFCA Retrieved 5 March 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Howrah Chennai main line amp oldid 1132838384, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
