Harman Patil (Editor)

North Western State Railway

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Industry
  
Railways

Defunct
  
1947

Founded
  
1886

North Western State Railway

Predecessor
  
Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway Indus Valley State Railway Punjab Northern State Railway Sind–Sagar Railway Sind–Pishin State Railway Kandahar State Railway

Successors
  
Pakistan Western Railways Eastern Punjab Railway

Headquarters
  
Karachi, Sind, British Raj

The North Western State Railway (reporting mark NWR) was formed in January 1886 from the merger of the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway, the Indus Valley State Railway, the Punjab Northern State Railway, the eastern section of the Sind–Sagar Railway and the southern section of the Sind–Pishin State Railway and the Kandahar State Railway.

Contents

History

The military and strategic concerns for securing the border with Afghanistan were such that, Francis Langford O'Callaghan (who was posted from the state railways as engineer-in-chief) was called upon for a number of demanding railway projects, surveys and constructions in the Northwest Frontier. What initially started off as military and strategic railway project, ended up becoming part of the North Western State Railway network upon its formation in 1886. The Bolan Pass railway was completed in 1886 and in 1887 the Khawaja Amran Railway Survey included the Khojak Tunnel and the Chaman Extension Railway. The Khojak Tunnel opened in 1891 and the railway reached Chaman near the Afghan border. By 1905, it was the longest railway under one administration and the strategic railway of the entire Northwest frontier. In 1947, much of the North Western State Railway fell in Pakistan territory domain became part of the Pakistan Western Railways, while railways in Indian territory became incorporated into the Eastern Punjab Railway.

Mergers

The North Western State Railway network was formed by merging several major and minor railways together. These included:

Major railways absorbed

  • Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway
  • Indus Valley State Railway
  • Punjab Northern State Railway
  • Sind–Sagar Railway
  • Sind–Pishin State Railway
  • Kandahar State Railway
  • Trans–Baluchistan Railway

    • Minor railways absorbed

    In addition to the main line sections the following are significant:

  • Quetta Link Railway, a strategic line constructed by Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway in 1887
  • Jammu and Kashmir Railway, opened in 1897
  • Jammu–Sialkot Railway, opened in 1897
  • Kasur–Lodhran Railway, opened in 1909-10 and later dismantled.
  • Shorekot Road–Chichoki Railway, surveyed in 1906 and opened in 1910
  • Sialkot–Narowal Railway, opened in 1915
  • Shahdara Bagh–Narowal Railway, opened in 1926
  • Trans–Indus Railway, opened 1913

    • Extensions

  • Khanai–Hindubagh Railway, opened 1921 (part of the NWR Northern Frontier Narrow Gauge Zhob Valley Railway Network); construction commenced 1916.
  • Khushalgarh–Kohat–Thal Railway, opened 1903 as a military railway (part of the NWR Northern Frontier Narrow Gauge Network); extended 1908.
  • Mari–Attock Railway, opened 1891 (part of the NWR Northern Frontier Narrow Gauge Network).
  • Mari Indus Railway, constructed in 1920's (part of the NWR Northern Frontier Narrow Gauge Network).
  • Mushkaf–Bolan Railway, under-construction 1894, in service with NWR by 1898. Alternative to the Sind-Pishin State Railway route.
  • Patti–Kasur Railway, in operation 1909-10; extension of NWR's Amritsar-Patti Railway.
  • Sirhind–Rupar Railway, constructed by NWR and in operation before 1927.
  • Wazirabad–Multan Railway, under survey in 1892 and construction in 1894, becoming part of the NWR broad gauge(BG) main line.
  • Zhob Valley Railway, opened 1921 (part of the NWR Northern Frontier Narrow Gauge Network); extended from Boston to Zhob in 1929.

    • Amritsar–Patti Railway

    The Amritsar Patti Railway was a private railway incorporated on 12 April 1905. The 27 miles (43 kilometers) broad gauge from Amritsar to Patti opened in 1906 and worked with the North Western Railway (NWR). In 1910, the line was extended to Kasur bringing the line length to 54 miles (86 kilometers).

    Bahawalnagar–Fort Abbas Railway

    The Bahawalnagar-Fort Abbas Railway was a Darbar line financed by the Princely Bahawalpur State. The line opened in 1928 as part of the North Western State Railway network.

    Dandot Light Railway

    The Dandot Light Railway, opened 1905. Short Narrow Gauge(NG) colliary Branch, worked by NWR

    Jacobabad–Kashmore Railway

  • Jacobabad-Kashmore Railway, opened 1911; worked by NWR; purchased by GoI,1945

    • Khanpur–Chachran Railway

  • Khanpur-Chachran Railway, opened 1911. Owned by Bahawalpur Darbar; worked by NWR; also with Bahawalnagar-Fort Abbas Railway

    • Khyber Pass Railway

    The Khyber Pass Railway opened in 1925 as a strategic line to Afghanistan via Khyber Pass.

    Larkana–Jacobabad (Sind) Light Railway

  • Larkana-Jacobabad (Sind) Light Railway, opened 1921, worked by NWR

    • Mandra–Bhaun Railway

  • Mandra–Bhaun Railway, opened in 1915 and worked by NWR

    • Nowshera–Durgai Railway

  • Nowshera–Durgai Railway, opened 1901, worked by NWR

    • Surveyed railways

  • Bannu Railway Survey. Under Survey in 1909 (ref 1909 India List) by NWR on behalf of Government of India(GoI), but no evidence that it was constructed

    • References

    North Western State Railway Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA