The Maharaja Railways of India

Gwalior Light Railway

Gwalior narrow gauge
Overview
Locale Madhya Pradesh, India
Termini Gwalior Railway Station
Stations Gwalior, Motijheel, Sabalgarh, Sheopur Kalan
Operation
Opened 1904
(built by Maharaja Madhav Roa II)
Owner Northern Central railway
Operator(s) Northern Central Railway, Gwalior
Technical
Line length 199 km (124 mi)
Track gauge narrow gauge[[Category:Pages with incorrect use of RailGauge template|narrow gauge The Maharaja Railways of India]]

The Maharaja Railways of India was completed in the 20th century. The Gwalior Light Railway (GLR) has been proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.[1]

Gwalior Light Railway (GLR)

Gwalior Light Railway
Gwalior Junction (NG)
Gosipura
Motijheel
Milaoli
Bamour Gaon
Ambikeshwar
Sumaoli
Thara
Jora Alapur
Sikroda
Bhatpura
Kailaras
Semai
Pipalwali Chowk
Sabalgarh Station
Rampahari
Bajaipur Road
Kaimarkalan
Birpur
Sillipur
Ikdori
Tarrakalan
Seroni Road
Khojeepura
Durgapuri
Girdharpur
Dantarda Kalan
Sheopur Kalan

The GLR is 199.8 kilometres (124.1 mi) long and runs from Gwalior to Sheopur Kalan in Madhya Pradesh state. This railway uses the narrowest gauge ever used of 0.610 meters.[citation needed] This line was started by Maharaja Madhav Roa II and completed in 1909. The line branches to Bhind, Shivpuri, Morar, Kampu Koti and Sheopur Kalan and is today managed by the Central Railways department of Indian Railways.

History

Construction began in 1895 for the Bhind section and in 1899 for the Shivpuri section. The Gwalior to Sheopur Kalan section was begun in 1904. The line was extended to Birpur in 1908 and completed in 1909.

Construction Phases [2]

  • 1st: Gwalior to Jora. (Completed in January 1904)
  • 2nd: Jora to Sabalgarh. (Completed in December 1904)
  • 3rd: Sabalgarh to Birpur. (Route opened in November 1908)
  • 4th: Birpur to Sheopur. (Route ready to use by June 1909)

Stations and Operation

This line has 28 stations from Gwalior to Sheopur Kalan. Today three pairs of passenger trains run daily. The trains run at a maximum speed of 35 Kmph. The rail started with steam locomotives, but today diesel locomotives are used. One of the locomotives is designed as a steam locomotive. Two out of three trains terminate at Sabalgarh station, from Gwalior Junction (MG), while one runs from Gwalior Junction (MG) up to Sheopur Kalan station.

Seven broad gauge trains run between Gwalior and Shivpuri: two passenger and five express. The Indore - Bhind express and Kota - Bhind passenger train originate at Bhind. The Shivpuri - Gwalior - Bhind railway which is now a broad gauge was formally a part of Gwalior Light Railway.

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History

Indian Maharaja began thinking of construction of railways in 19th century itself, however the British government did not allow them to do so. However Maharaja of Jodhpur become the first to boldly construct a railway in 1881 which was later accepted by the British Government. After this many Maharaja constructed railways, out of these a few are still remaining in the Gwalior Light Railway (GLR).

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Connection

Air

Gwalior has its own airport with flights operating to Delhi and Mumbai.

Rail

Gwalior is a railway station on broad gauge line. This is connected by rail on the Mumbai - Delhi main line via Bhopal which links Gwalior to Mumbai, Nashik, Manmad, Khandwa, Bhopal, Bina, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Agra, Mathura and Delhi . Jhelum Express running between Pune to Jammu Tavi offers link to Pune - Daund - Manmad line and Delhi - Ludhiana - Jammu section. Gwalior is also connected to Amritsar, Bhind, Dehradun, Goa, Jalandhar, Kolhapur, Meerut and Mysore by rail. Gwalior is also connected to Guna, Indore, Kota, Rajasthan and Ujjain via Shivpuri. Trains traveling from Delhi and North India to Hyderabad and South India via Nagpur also travel via Gwalior. Another railway station in Gwalior is birlanagar station.

Road

Gwalior is well connected by road to Madhya Pradesh and neighboring states. NH 3 between Mumbai to Agra connects Gwalior to Agra, Biaora, Dewas, Dhaulpur, Dhule, Guna, Indore, Maski, Mumbai, Nashik, Shivpuri and Thane. The North-South Corridor of the National Highways Development Project passes through Gwalior. This corridor connects Gwalior to Sagar, Lakhnadon, Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, Mathura, Agra, Jhansi and Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and New Delhi in NCT Delhi.

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Last modified on 23 February 2013, at 00:55