Status Operational Opened 1871 Owner Indian Railways | Services Mumbai-Chennai line Depot(s) Guntakal | |
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Locale Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh Operator(s) Central Railway, South Central Railway, South Western Railway Rolling stocks Indian locomotive class WDM-2, Indian locomotive class WDM-3A Terminis Guntakal Junction railway station, Solapur railway station | ||
The Solapur–Guntakal section (also known as Solapur-Guntakal line) is part of the Mumbai-Chennai line. It connects Solapur in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Guntakal in Andhra Pradesh.
Contents
History
The Great Indian Peninsula Railway extended its Mumbai-Solapur line to Raichur in 1871 and worked on that line from 1865. During the period 1861-1871 Madras Railway extended its Chennai-Arakonnam line to Raichur to join the GIPR line, thereby linking Mumbai and Chennai.
The 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) wide metre gauge Gadag-Hotgi section was opened in 1884 and the Hotgi-Sholapur section in 1887 by the Southern Mahratta Railway. The line was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide broad gauge in 2008.
The Wadi-Secunderabad line was built in 1874 with financing by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It later became part of Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway.
The 58 km long Raichur-Gadwal railway track was opened in 2013. Gadwal is on the Dhone-Kacheguda line.
The Vikrabad-Bidar 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide broad gauge line was opened in 1932.
Construction of the 120 km long Gulbarga-Bidar link is progressing. It is expected to be operational by the end of 2015.
Electrification
Electrification work is in progress in the Pune-Wadi-Guntakal sector. As on 1 November 2016 386 km track is electrified and 255 km was shown as balance work.
Speed limit
The Kalyan-Pune-Daund-Wadi-Secunderabad-Kazipet line and the Wadi-Raichur-Arrakonam-Chennai Central line are classified as 'Group B' lines and can take speeds up to 130 km/h.
The railway track in the Daund-Wadi sector is being doubled at a cost of Rs. 700 crore. This is expected to help in raising the speed limit from 130 km/h to 140 km/h.
Railway reorganization
In the early 1950s legislation was passed authorizing the central government to take over independent railway systems that were there. On 14 April 1951 the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway Company and Mysore State Railway were merged to form Southern Railway. Subsequently, Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway was also merged into Southern Railway. On 2 October 1966, the Secunderabad, Solapur, Hubli and Vijayawada Divisions, covering the former territories of Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway and certain portions of Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway were separated from Southern Railway to form the South Central Railway. In 1977, Guntakal division of Southern Railway was transferred to South Central Railway and the Solapur division transferred to Central Railway. Amongst the seven new zones created in 2010 was South Western Railway, which was carved out of Southern Railway.
Sheds
Guntakal diesel loco shed was started as a metre gauge shed but after gauge conversions in Guntakal and Hubli divisions a broad gauge shed was opened in 1995. It houses WDM-2, WDM-3A, WDM-3D and WDG-3A locos. There is a routine overhaul depot for wagon maintenance at Raichur and a coaching maintenance depot at Guntakal.
Passenger movement
Solapur is the only station on this line which is amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.