Railways to convert defunct metre-gauge into heritage lines

The Indian Railways has decided to preserve five defunct metre-gauge lines in the country and convert them into heritage lines for tourism promotion.

They are located one each in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Assam.

All these lines were listed for converting into broadgauge lines, but a decision was taken recently to retain them as heritage lines.

A 30-km long route between Mhow and Kalakund in Madhya Pradesh will be revived to attract tourists to the Patalpani waterfall and the picturesque hills and the valleys of the Vindhyachal mountain range.

Similarly, a 70-km Marwar-Udaipur metre-gauge section falling in the bio-diversity sanctuary of Todgarh Raoli in Rajasthan and a 50-km metregauge line that passes through the Gir Forest in Gujarat will be preserved as heritage lines as both sections have high potential of eco-tourism safari, the Railways sources said.

Two other defunct lines being turned into the heritage lines are: 120-km Harangajao metre gauge rail line in Assam in the hill section of the North Cachar Hills district, now called Dima Hasao district; 171-km Nanpara-Mailani section in Uttar Pradesh that runs through the Dudhwa National Park attracting a large number of wildlife enthusiasts.

The ministry is examining a proposal to order special coaches with large glass windows and glass ceilings to let the travellers enjoy the scenery.

These coaches are already in use in trains in the Kashmir valley. Three of the hill railways – the Darjeeling Himalayan, the KalkaShimla railway and the Nilgiri Mountain – have been accorded the UNESCO World Heritage status while two other hill railways on the tentative lists are Neral-Matheran in Maharashtra and Kangra valley in Himachal Pradesh.