Marwar Junction–Munabao line

Marwar Junction–Munabao line
Marwar Junction–Munabao line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	Thar desert, Rajasthan
Termini	Marwar Junction; Munabao
Service
Operator(s)	North Western Railway zone
History
Opened	1902; 120 years ago
Technical
Track length	Marwar Junction–Munabao: 370 km (230 mi); Luni–Jodhpur: 30 km (19 mi)
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Highest elevation	Marwar Junction 267 m (876 ft)
Route map
	Legend

The Marwar Junction–Munabao line connects Marwar Junction, on the Jaipur–Ahmedabad line to Munabao, the last station in India, near the India–Pakistan border. Both are in the Indian state of Rajasthan. There is a link to Jodhpur. This line operates under the jurisdiction of North Western Railway zone.

History[]

A 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)-wide metre-gauge line from Marwar Junction to Pali was built by the Rajputana Railway in 1882. It was extended to Luni in 1884 and Jodhpur in 1885. It formed the first Jodhpur Railway. It later became part of Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway.^[1]^[2]

A metre-gauge line from Luni to Shadipalli, in Sind, was built across the Thar desert in 1902 by Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway and the line from Shadipalli to Hyderabad (now in Pakistan) was regauged from 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) meter gauge in 1901.^[3]

The Luni–Barmer–Munabao section was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)-wide broad gauge in 2004.^[4] The Jodhpur–Luni–Marwar Junction section was converted to broad gauge in early 2000s.^[5]

Border crossing[]

According to a 1929 issue of the Railway Gazette, the Sind Mail used to run on this route between Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, Sind. The route was in use with through services between Jodhpur and Karachi till around 1965. On the Pakistan side, Khokhrapar was the terminus of a branch line from Hyderabad, Sind via Mirpur Khas, 135 km from the border.^[4]

The rail link across Munabao-Khokhrapar border was restored in 2006. It reduced considerably the travel distance and time for people travelling to and from southern parts of Pakistan, particularly Mohajirs in Sind, and central and southern India. They otherwise would have had to use the longer route via Wagah-Attari. As per the agreement between Indian and Pakistan railways, the Thar Express travels once a week from Karachi during a six-month block, crosses the international border, and the passengers change over to an Indian train at Munabao for their onward journey to Jodhpur.^[6] Service on the Munabao-Khokhrapar link of the India–Pakistan border was suspended on 24 August 2006 following incessant rain and water-logging on the Indian side and restored on 17 February 2007. Pakistan Railways have set up a new railway station at Zero Point^[7]^[8]

Passenger movement[]

Jodhpur is the only railway station on this line which is amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.^[9]

Sheds and workshops[]

The former metre-gauge workshop at Jodhpur now performs periodic overhauling of broad-gauge passenger coaches. The former metre-gauge diesel shed at Bhagat ki Kothi was converted to broad-gauge shed in the 1990s. It houses 133+ electro-motive diesel locos. It is home to WDG-4, WDP-4, WDM-2. WDM-3A and WDG-3A locomotives.^[10]

References[]

^ "Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway". fibis. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
^ "IR History: Part II (1870–1899)". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
^ "IR History: Part III (1900–1947)". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Geography:International". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
^ "Overview of Jodhpur Division: Historical Perspective" (PDF). North Western Railway. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
^ Iqbal, Mohammed (5 December 2010). "Thar Express survives 'terror attack'". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
^ "IR History: Part VII (2000-present)". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
^ "Khokhrapar station to be operational soon". The News, 12 December 2006. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
^ "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
^ "Sheds and workshops". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

External links[]

[1] "Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway". fibis. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

[irfcaii-2] "IR History: Part II (1870–1899)". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

[3] "IR History: Part III (1900–1947)". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

[geography-4] "Geography:International". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

[5] "Overview of Jodhpur Division: Historical Perspective" (PDF). North Western Railway. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

[6] Iqbal, Mohammed (5 December 2010). "Thar Express survives 'terror attack'". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

[7] "IR History: Part VII (2000-present)". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

[8] "Khokhrapar station to be operational soon". The News, 12 December 2006. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

[9] "Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry". Availability in trains for Top 100 Booking Stations of Indian Railways. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

[10] "Sheds and workshops". IRFCA. Retrieved 30 April 2014.

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v t Railways in Northern India
National network/ trunk lines	Howrah–Delhi main line New Delhi–Chennai main line New Delhi–Mumbai main line Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line Delhi–Jaipur line Jaipur–Ahmedabad line
Branch lines/ sections	Agra–Bhopal section Ahmedabad–Udaipur line Allahabad–Mau–Gorakhpur main line Ambala–Attari line Amritsar–Khem Karan line Amritsar–Pathankot line Aunrihar–Jaunpur line Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines Bathinda–Rewari line Bathinda–Rajpura line Bikaner–Rewari line Bilaspur–Leh line Chandigarh–Sahnewal line Delhi–Fazilka line Delhi–Kalka line Delhi–Meerut��Saharanpur line Delhi–Moradabad line Jalandhar–Firozpur line Jalandhar–Jammu line Jammu–Baramulla line Jodhpur–Bathinda line Jodhpur–Jaisalmer line Kanpur–Delhi section Laksar–Dehradun line Lucknow–Gorakhpur line Lucknow–Moradabad line Ludhiana–Fazilka line Ludhiana–Jakhal line Marwar Junction–Munabao line Mathura–Vadodara section Mau–Ghazipur–Dildarnagar main line Merta Road–Rewari line Moradabad–Ambala line Mughalsarai–Kanpur section Rewari–Rohtak line Shri Ganganagar–Sadulpur line Suratgarh–Bathinda line Varanasi–Chhapra line Varanasi–Lucknow main line Varanasi–Rae Bareli–Lucknow line Varanasi–Sultanpur–Lucknow line
Urban and suburban rail transport	Delhi Suburban Railway Delhi Metro (Blue Green Grey Magenta Orange Pink Red Violet Yellow) Rapid Metro Gurgaon Lucknow–Kanpur Suburban Railway Barabanki–Lucknow Suburban Railway Delhi–Meerut RRTS
Heritage railways	Kalka–Shimla Railway
Monorails	Patiala State Monorail Trainways
Defunct lines	Jammu–Sialkot line
Manufacturing units and workshops	Banaras Locomotive Works Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala Modern Coach Factory, Raebareli
Railway companies	Northern Railway North Eastern Railway North Central Railway North Western Railway East Indian Railway Company Kangra Valley Railway Rajputana–Malwa Railway Tirhut Railway Oudh and Tirhut Railway Indian Branch Railway Company Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Cawnpore–Burhwal Railway Cawnpore–Barabanki Railway Lucknow–Bareilly Railway Bengal and North Western Railway Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway Mashrak–Thawe Extension Railway Lucknow–Sitapur–Seramow Provincial State Railway Bareilly–Pilibheet Provincial State Railway Segowlie–Raxaul Railway Delhi Metro Rail Corporation National Capital Region Transport Corporation
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) 1974 railway strike in India Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor

v t Railways in Western India
National network / trunk lines	New Delhi–Mumbai main line Konkan Railway Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line Mumbai–Chennai line Jaipur–Ahmedabad line Ahmedabad–Mumbai main line
Branch lines / sections	Mathura–Vadodara section Akola–Ratlam line Nagda–Ujjain section Ujjain–Bhopal section Ahmedabad–Viramgam section Bhusawal–Kalyan section Gandhidham–Ahmedabad main line Gandhidham–Bhuj section Gandhidham–Kandla Port section Gandhidham–Palanpur section Gandhidham–Samakhiali section Jodhpur–Bathinda line Maliya Miyana–Wankaner section Marwar Junction–Munabao line Mumbai Dadar–Solapur section Nagpur–Bhusawal section Samakhiali–Maliya Miyana section Solapur–Guntakal section Surendranagar–Bhavnagar line Viramgam–Mahesana section Viramgam–Maliya Miyana section Viramgam–Okha line Dharangadhra–Surendra Nagar section Viramgam–Surendra Nagar section Wankaner–Surendra Nagar section Rajkot–Wankaner section Jamnagar–Porbandar line Porbandar–Jetalsar section Rajkot–Somnath line Palitana–Sihor section Bharuch–Dahej line Ankleshwar–Rajpipla section Anand–Khambhat line Vasad–Kathana line Kanjari Boriyavi–Vadtal line Anand–Godhra section Bilimora–Waghai section Udhna–Jalgaon line Ahmedabad–Udaipur line
Suburban lines	Ahmedabad (Planned) Mumbai (Western line Central line Harbour line Trans-Harbour line Nerul-Uran line (Under construction)) Pune
Metro rail	Mumbai Metro Navi Mumbai Metro Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad Greater Nashik Metro Surat Metro Pune Metro Nagpur Metro
Monorail	Ahmedabad (Planned) Mumbai (Line 1 Navi Mumbai) Pune
Defunct lines revived / under revival	Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway Barsi Light Railway
Defunct lines	Salsette–Trombay Railway Bhavnagar State Railway Gaekwar's Baroda State Railway West of India Portuguese Railway Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Cutch State Railway
Railway divisions	Bhusawal Pune
Railway companies	Central Railway Western Railway West Central Railway Konkan Railway Corporation Great Indian Peninsula Railway Saurashtra Railway Mumbai Port Trust Railway
See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Urban rail transit in India Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor Bhor Ghat