Sealdah South section consists of a set of four lines which connect the station in
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
with its southern suburbs and with the
South 24 Parganas district 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 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
. It is a part of the
Kolkata Suburban Railway
The Kolkata Suburban Railway is a suburban rail system serving the Kolkata metropolitan area and its surroundings in India. It is the largest suburban railway network in the country with the highest number of stations. It is also the 7th large ...
and is under the jurisdiction of the
Sealdah railway division
Sealdah railway division is one of the four railway divisions under the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. It's headquarters are located in Kaiser Street in Kolkata, West Bengal near the Sealdah railway station. Geographically the div ...
of the
Eastern Railway zone of
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...
.
[Brief Detail of Sealdah Division](_blank)
, ''Eastern Railway''
It is linked to the
Sealdah Main and North section
The Sealdah Main and North section refer to a set of rail lines which connect the city of Kolkata with its northern suburbs and with the North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal, India along the eastern bank of the Hoog ...
via the Kankurgachi Chord line at and via the Kolkata Circular Railway at .
It also connects to the
Kolkata Dock System Railway (KDS Railway) at and respectively.
Services
The Sealdah South section consists of four lines:
* Sealdah–Diamond Harbour line ()
* Budge Budge branch line ()
* Canning branch line ()
* Namkhana branch line ()
The section is primarily a suburban section with a total of 334 daily services and 288 Sunday services serving the four lines of the section.
A majority of the services are served by 12-car
EMU rakes from the Sonarpur
EMU Carshed.
They are also served with a few 9-car EMU rakes from Narkeldanga EMU Carshed.
There are many "Galloping local" services which only stop at important stations of a line.
The
Gangasagar mela, which attracts thousands of pilgrims during
Makar Sankranti
Makar(a) Sankranti (), also referred to as Uttarayana, Maghi, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of January 14 annually, this occasion marks the transition of the Sun from the zodiac of Sag ...
in mid-January, and is held in
Sagar Island
Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata. This island forms the Sagar CD Block in Kakdwip subdivision of South 24 Parganas district ...
is approached through the
Namkhana branch line of this section. and railway stations serve as handy rail heads for travel to the
mela.
Eastern Railway runs a lot of special trains for the
mela to cope with the increase in passenger traffic. There also are special trains from to via and .
The line has major interchange stations at and for the
Circular line and at and with the
Line 1 of
Kolkata Metro
The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. , it has two operational lines, a line from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash and a line from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah, for a total of . Four ...
. The under construction
Line 2 and
Line 3 of
Kolkata Metro
The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. , it has two operational lines, a line from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash and a line from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah, for a total of . Four ...
will provide major interchange stations at
Sealdah and
Majerhat as well. A new metro line from
New Garia to
Baruipur
Baruipur () is a town and a municipality of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is the headquarters of the Baruipur su ...
has been proposed as well.
This section connects to the
Kolkata Port
Port of Kolkata or Kolkata Port, officially known as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust (formerly Kolkata Port Trust), is the only riverine major port of India, located in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, around from the sea. It is the olde ...
, via the
KDS Railway, from where major freight commodities like containers, coal and fertilizers are loaded and transferred throughout the
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...
network.
History
Sealdah–Canning line
The Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway (CSER) was formed in 1859 to connect
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...
with on the
Matla River
Matla River forms a wide estuary in and around the Sundarbans in South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The main stream of the Matla River is divided into two arms near Purandar. One passes through Kultali-Garanbose and ...
. It constructed and completed the long line on 15 May 1863.
It was the first railway track on the eastern bank of the
Hooghly River
The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, In ...
and ran from what was then the Beliaghata railway station (presently ) to on the
Matla River
Matla River forms a wide estuary in and around the Sundarbans in South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The main stream of the Matla River is divided into two arms near Purandar. One passes through Kultali-Garanbose and ...
via and .
In 1868, CSER having suffered extensive losses due to floods and other problems, sold the line to the Indian government (management then being leased to the
Eastern Bengal Railway
The Eastern Bengal Railway (full name: "Eastern Bengal Railway Company"; shortened EBR) was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in Bengal and Assam provinces of British India.
History
Formation
The Eastern ...
) and the company was dissolved in March 1870.
Thus the line became a part of the Southern section of the
Eastern Bengal Railway
The Eastern Bengal Railway (full name: "Eastern Bengal Railway Company"; shortened EBR) was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in Bengal and Assam provinces of British India.
History
Formation
The Eastern ...
.
Post
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the 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: India and Pakistan. T ...
in 1947 and re-organisation of railway zones in 1952, the entire Southern section of
Eastern Bengal Railway
The Eastern Bengal Railway (full name: "Eastern Bengal Railway Company"; shortened EBR) was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in Bengal and Assam provinces of British India.
History
Formation
The Eastern ...
was amalgamated under the
Sealdah division of
Eastern Railway.
Sonarpur–Diamond Harbour line
While multiple feasibility reports and proposals, beginning from 1839, were made for the construction of a railway line between
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...
and
Diamond Harbour, no action were taken on these.
Finally in 1883, a branch line to Diamond Harbour via and
Magrahat
Magrahat is a census town and a gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of the Magrahat police station in the Magrahat II CD block in the Diamond Harbour subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History ...
was constructed from on the Sealdah–Canning line of the
Eastern Bengal Railway
The Eastern Bengal Railway (full name: "Eastern Bengal Railway Company"; shortened EBR) was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in Bengal and Assam provinces of British India.
History
Formation
The Eastern ...
. This line, from Sealdah to Diamond Harbour, then became the
main line of the Southern section of the Eastern Bengal Railway.
A small branch line was constructed in 1883, from Diamond Harbour to Hara Fort near the
Hooghly River
The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, In ...
to transport goods and military supplies as well.
["Bengal District Gazetteers: 24-Parganas" – page 168 by Lewis Sydney Steward O'Malley,I.C.S](_blank)
Retrieved 10 December 2015
Ballygunge–Budge Budge line
The Budge Budge branch line was initially sanctioned in 1886 as a line to connect with the Kidderpore Docks. Sanction to an extension to Budge Budge was given in 1888 and the whole of long line from to via was opened on 1890 by the Eastern Bengal Railway.
The Calcutta Ports Commissioner's Railway (CPCR) built a branch line from Kidderpore Docks to Majerhat on 1893. It further constructed a branch line from the subsidiary marshaling yard at to King George's Dock (renamed to Netaji Subhas Dock in 1973
) in 1928.
Baruipur–Lakshmikantapur–Namkhana line
In 1928, a long line from on the Diamond Harbour branch line to via was constructed by the
Eastern Bengal Railway
The Eastern Bengal Railway (full name: "Eastern Bengal Railway Company"; shortened EBR) was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in Bengal and Assam provinces of British India.
History
Formation
The Eastern ...
and became a branch line of its Southern section.
In an effort to give access to remote areas and promote new growth areas, the long Lakshmikantapur–Namkhana line project was sanctioned in 1987-88 amongst other projects.
The line was extended up to
Kulpi by 1992 and was completed till
Kakdwip by 2001.
The Kakdwip–
Namkhana
Namkhana is a village and a gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of the Namkhana police station in the Namkhana CD block in the Kakdwip subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History
When the T ...
section was completed by 2004.
Kalighat–Falta Railway
The Kalighat–Falta Railway (KFR) was a long
narrow gauge (762 mm) railway line constructed by the Kalighat–Falta Railway Company, and operated as a part of
McLeod's Light Railways, opening to traffic on 28 May 1917 from Gholeshapur (near
Kalighat) to
Falta.
Gholeshapur was connected to Majerhat junction on the Eastern Bengal Railway on 1920.
The railway line was closed on 1955 due to ever increasing losses. The tracks were dismantled and the land was reclaimed to build a road, now called James Long Sarani, in
Behala
Behala is a locality of South West Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal. Behala is a part of Kolkata Municipal Corporation area. It is broadly spread across Ward Nos. 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, ...
.
Electrification
The Sealdah South section lines are fully electrified with 25 kV AC overhead system. The electrification process was started in 1965 from to line and the other lines in this division with the different phases and completed up to 1966 from that time the whole division is also fully electrified.
EMU Carshed
The Sealdah South section is primarily served by 12-car
EMU rakes from the Sonarpur
EMU Carshed.
They are also served with a few 9-car EMU rakes from Narkeldanga EMU Carshed.
While the section was initially served by the Narkeldanga EMU carshed which opened on 1963, a need for a dedicated EMU carshed for the section led to the construction of the Sonarpur EMU carshed in 1978.
This reduced the inconvenience faced by the overburdened Narkeldanga EMU car shed.
As of November 2021, the Sonarpur carshed had 32 12-car EMU rakes which exclusively served the Sealdah South section.
The Narkeldanga carshed had 29 9-car EMU rakes, a few of which served the Sealdah South section mostly via the
Circular line, while rest served the
Sealdah Main and North section
The Sealdah Main and North section refer to a set of rail lines which connect the city of Kolkata with its northern suburbs and with the North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal, India along the eastern bank of the Hoog ...
.
Routes and stations
Stations
:''Names in bold indicate that the station is a galloping train stop as well as important terminal station.''
Sealdah–Diamond Harbour line
Budge Budge branch line
Canning branch line
Namkhana branch line
Planned extensions
Multiple new lines and extensions on this section have been planned by the
Eastern Railway; however, most remain blocked due to land issues.
Budge Budge–Pujali–Uluberia (Birshibpur) line
The long Budge Budge–Pujali line was sanctioned in the railway budget on 2009-10 while a extension from
Pujali to
Birshibpur near
Uluberia on the
Howrah–Kharagpur line
The Howrah–Kharagpur line is part of the Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line, Howrah–Chennai main line and Kolkata Suburban Railway.
Geography
The line runs through the plains of West Bengal. From Howrah, it is first the Gangetic Plains and then ...
was sanctioned in 2011-12.
Once completed this will connect the
South Eastern Railway network under
Kharagpur division directly with the
Majerhat station in the Sealdah South section of the
Eastern Railway via a bridge over the
Hooghly river
The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, In ...
. As of 2021, work could not be started on this extension due to non-availability of land and as such the project had been kept under abeyance.
Kalikapur–Ghatakpukur–Minakhan line
In the 2011-12 railway budget, a long line from
Kalikapur on the Canning branch line to
Minakhan
Minakhan is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Minakhan is located at .
Minakhan CD Block is bounded by Basirh ...
via Ghatakpukur was sanctioned.
However, work could not be started on this extension due to non-availability of land and as such the project had been kept under abeyance as of 2021.
Canning–Jharkhali extension
A extension from
Canning to
Bhangankhali was sanctioned in the 2009-10 railway budget with a railway bridge proposed over the
Matla river
Matla River forms a wide estuary in and around the Sundarbans in South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The main stream of the Matla River is divided into two arms near Purandar. One passes through Kultali-Garanbose and ...
.
In 2011-12 this line was further proposed to be extended by to
Basanti from where another extension of to
Jharkhali
Jharkhali is a village and a gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of the Basanti police station in the Basanti CD block in the Canning subdivision of the South 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Area over ...
was planned to be taken up.
However, work could not be started on this extension due to non-availability of land and as such the project had been kept under abeyance as of 2021.
Planned branches to Raidighi and Durgapur
The long
Jaynagar Majilpur–
Raidighi line via
Krishnachandrapur was sanctioned in 2009-10.
In 2011-12 railway budget, a long new line from
Sangrampur on the
Sealdah–Diamond Harbour line to Krishnachandrapur was sanctioned along with a new line from
Jaynagar Majilpur to Durgapur.
However, work could not be started on this extension due to non-availability of land and as such the project had been kept under abeyance as of 2021.
Namkhana–Chandranagar–Bakkhali extension
The
Namkhana branch line was sanctioned to be extended by to Chandranagar in 2009-10 and then by km to
Bakkhali in 2011-12.
However, work could not be started on this extension due to non-availability of land and as such the project had been kept under abeyance as of 2021.
New Projects
'' Eastern Railway'', 29 November 2018
Dankuni–Sagar Island rail line
While there have been multiple proposals to build a railway line to Sagar Island
Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata. This island forms the Sagar CD Block in Kakdwip subdivision of South 24 Parganas district ...
, none have been constructed yet. In 2017, a preliminary survey for a long line was sanctioned by the Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...
in order to boost connectivity between Dankuni
Dankuni is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is now part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is considered posh area in Hooghly.
Geography
Location
...
and the proposed deep sea port at Sagar Island. The below sections are supposed to be a part of the line if built:
* Pujali–Bankrahat–Diamond Harbour (Gurudasnagar)–Kulpi line: The Pujali– Bankrahat line and the Diamond Harbour ( Gurudas Nagar)– Bankrahat line were sanctioned in 2011-12 railway budget. The Diamond Harbour ( Gurudas Nagar)– Kulpi line was sanctioned in 2012-13. As of 2021, work could not be started on this extension due to non-availability of land and as such the project had been kept under abeyance.
* Kakdwip–Budakholi–Sagar Island line: A extension from to Budhakholi was sanctioned in the 2011-12 railway budget with plans to further extend it to Sagar Island
Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata. This island forms the Sagar CD Block in Kakdwip subdivision of South 24 Parganas district ...
via a rail-road bridge. As of 2021, work could not be started on this extension due to non-availability of land and as such the project had been kept under abeyance.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sealdah South lines
5 ft 6 in gauge railways in India
Transport in Kolkata
*
Eastern Railway zone
Rail transport in West Bengal
Kolkata Suburban Railway lines
Railway lines opened in 1862