Andal–Sitarampur loop line

Railway line in West Bengal

Andal
Sitarampur Junction

Stations10ServiceTypeElectricSystemBroad gaugeOperator(s)Eastern RailwayHistoryOpened1864TechnicalLine length41 km (25 mi)Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gaugeElectrificationYesOperating speedup to 100 km/h (62 mph)

Route map

Legend

Bardhaman–Asansol section

Andal Marshalling Yard

Andal

Bardhaman–Asansol section

NH 19

Andal–Sainthia branch line

Sonachara

Parasea Colliery

Bahula Colliery

Chora Colliery

Banshra Siding

Kunustoria Colliery

Belbaid Colliery

Tapasi

Super Smelters Ltd Sidings

Sripur Colliery

Adjoy II Colliery

Bhanora Colliery

Ikra Junction

Jamuria

former Ikrah–Churulia–

Rupnarayanpur line

(dismantled)

Barabani–Churulia line

(planned)

Barabani

Chinchuria

Bardhaman–Asansol section

Sitarampur

Asansol–Gaya section

Asansol–Patna section

Churulia

Gaurangdi

dismantled connection

to Gaurangdi

Rupnarayanpur

Asansol–Patna section

The Andal–Sitarampur loop line is a railway line connecting Andal & Sitarampur on the Bardhaman–Asansol section of the Howrah–Delhi main line with each other. This 41 kilometres (25 mi) track is under the jurisdiction of Eastern Railway. This track primarily serves the northern coalfield areas of the Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

History

The Ondal-Baboissola Railway was constructed by the Tarkessur Railway Company in 1863 and was opened to traffic on 1864. The lines were worked upon by East Indian Railway Company till 1914 before the Tarkessur Railway Company was acquired by the State in 1915 & incorporated with EIR following which this line became a part of the EIR network. The original line opened from Andal (Ondal) to Tapasi via Baboissola (Babuisol, near Andal) & Mangalpur on 1863. This was further extended to Rupnarayanpur on the Howrah–Delhi main line via Ikrah, Churulia & Gaurangdi on 1894–95.^[1]

The Ikrah-Barabani branch line opened on 1894. This further extended to Sitarampur on the Bardhaman–Asansol section in 1902.^[1]

The Tapasi-Barabani Chord line was completed between 1908–15 to serve the numerous collieries in the area.^[1]

Post independence, the Ikrah-Churulia-Gaurangdi-Rupnarayanpur section suffered heavy losses due to which services were withdrawn by Eastern Railway in 1988. The line was scrapped by iron mafias and a mine was setup by dismantling the tracks in 1995.

Branch lines

There are two branch lines in this section. The first is the Tapasi-Barabani Chord section. This primarily serves the coalfields of the Sripur Area & Satgram Area and is used by freight trains, The other is the Ikrah-Churulia-Gaurangdi-Rupnarayanpur section. This track was dismantled. A new line was proposed in the railway budget of 2011 between Barabani & Churulia.^[2]

Electrification

Electrification of the Andal-Barabani-Sitarampur section was sanctioned in the rail budget for 2011–12, and was completed in 2017.^[3]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Administration Report on Railways 1918 page 54". Retrieved 23 September 2021.
^ "Speech of Mamata Banerjee introducing the Railway Budget 2011-12 25th February 2011" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
^ "Electrification of new rail sections". Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
^ "CAG Report on Railways pg 22" (PDF). Retrieved 23 September 2021.

Railways in Eastern India

National network/
trunk lines

Other lines/sections

Interstate	Asansol–Gaya section Asansol–Patna section Asansol–Tatanagar–Kharagpur line Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines Barkakana–Son Nagar line Barsoi–New Farakka section Barsoi–Radhikapur branch line Dumka–Bhagalpur line Gaya–Mughalsarai section Hatia–Rourkela line Jasidih–Dumka–Rampurhat line Jharsuguda–Vizianagaram line Katihar–Siliguri line Kharagpur–Puri line Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section Kothavalasa–Kirandul line New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section Tatanagar–Bilaspur section
Bihar	Bakhtiyarpur–Tilaiya line Barauni–Katihar section Barauni–Samastipur section Fatuha–Tilaiya line Gaya–Kiul line Mokama–Barauni section Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur line (via Hajipur, Raxaul and Sitamarhi) Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur main line Muzaffarpur–Sitamarhi section Muzaffarpur–Hajipur section Narkatiaganj–Bhikhna Thori branch line Neora–Jatdumari–Daniyawan–Bihar Sharif–Sheikhpura line Patna–Gaya line Patna–Mughalsarai section Patna–Sonepur–Hajipur section Raxaul–Sagauli line Samastipur–Muzaffarpur section
Jharkhand	Barkakana–Netaji S.C.Bose Gomoh line Barkakana–Muri–Chandil line Dhanbad–Chandrapura line Railways in Jharia Coalfield Koderma–Hazaribagh–Barkakana–Ranchi line Madhupur–Giridih–Koderma line Netaji S.C.Bose Gomoh–Hatia line
Odisha	Khurda Road–Bolangir line Cuttack–Sambalpur line
West Bengal	Ahmadpur–Katwa line Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line Andal–Sainthia branch line Andal–Sitarampur loop line Bandel–Katwa line Bankura–Masagram line Bardhaman–Asansol section Bardhaman–Katwa line Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Eklakhi–Balurghat branch line Haldibari–New Jalpaiguri line Howrah–Barddhaman main line Howrah–Bardhaman chord Howrah–Kharagpur line Kharagpur–Bankura–Adra line New Mal–Changrabandha–New Cooch Behar line Santragachi–Amta branch line Sealdah Main and North section Calcutta Chord link line Kolkata Circular Railway Sealdah–Bangaon line Sealdah–Ranaghat–Gede line Ranaghat–Krishnanagar City–Lalgola line Sealdah South section Sheoraphuli–Bishnupur branch line

Suburban
rail transport

Monorail

Defunct lines

Revived/ Under revival	Ahmedpur–Katwa Railway Bankura–Damodar Railway Barasat–Basirhat Light Railway Burdwan–Katwa Railway Bakhtiarpur–Bihar Light Railway Futwah–Islampur Light Railway
Inactive	Bengal Provincial Railway East Coast State Railway Kalighat Falta Railway Mayurbhanj State Railway Dehri Rohtas Light Railway Patna–Digha Ghat line Parlakimedi Light Railway

Zones & Divisions

Eastern	Asansol Howrah Malda Sealdah
East Central	Danapur Dhanbad Mughalsarai Samastipur Sonpur
East Coast	Sambalpur Khurda Road Waltair
North Eastern	Varanasi
Northeast Frontier	Katihar Alipurduar
South Eastern	Adra Chakradharpur Kharagpur Ranchi

Production units/
workshops

Transit points
with Bangladesh

Active	Haldibari–Chilahati Singhabad–Rohanpur Radhikapur–Biral Gede–Darshana Petrapole–Benapole
Defunct	Mahisasan–Shahbajpur Changrabandha–Burimari Gitaldaha–Mogalhat