Two years after telling WR to conserve three narrow-gauge lines, board now orders their closure
A W-class locomotive of Billimora-Waghai line at Churchgate
In a classic case of one hand not knowing what the other is doing, the railway board has negated its own order by sanctioning the permanent closure of 11 narrow-gauge lines that had already been listed for preservation by itself.
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The small and big railway lines listed for dismantling in Gujarat are over a century old and the main contention has been that they have been uneconomic due to poor footfall.
WR, formerly called the Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway, has inherited several narrow-gauge lines, spread mostly over Gujarat. Many were built from the contribution of native rulers of the past. WR in October had sent a proposal regarding the closure of the uneconomic branch lines and narrow-gauge sections. On December 10, in an order signed for the railway board member (finance), an executive director for freight marketing, Mudit Chandra, said the board had cleared the proposal. The lines comprise 240.89-plus km of narrow-gauge lines and 69.3 km of broad gauge lines. mid-day has a copy of the order.
However, the twist is that in 2018, the same board had told the WR to retain three narrow gauge sections – the 38-km Miyagam-Choranda-Malsar line, 19-km stretch of Charonda Junction-Moti Karal route, and the 63-km Bilmora Junction-Waghi stretch – for preservation as heritage tourism lines. This order, accessed by mid-day, had come on feedback from the WR.
The board had also told WR to preserve the stations and other buildings to the extent possible and ensure that the efforts did not affect the conversion to Broad Gauge as an alternative route.
The 2018 order had also advised the Western Railway to make complete digital documentation of the two historical sections of erstwhile Gaikwad Baroda State Railway through a reputed agency for academic and research purposes, including the 33-km stretch of Dabohi-Miyagam, the oldest narrow-gauge line in Asia, which was commissioned in 1862, and the 51-km stretch of Pratap Nagar-Jambusar line, which has also been listed for permanent closure.
Western Railway officials said there seems to be some lack of clarity regarding the closure of the narrow-gauge lines and they are waiting for a directive from the railway board to fix the anomaly.
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A spokesperson said WR has been a pioneer in heritage conservation on railways and that they will do everything possible to document and preserve the importance of their glorious old lines.
A top official from railway ministry said that fresh proposals are under consideration.
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