Malakwal–Khushab Branch Line
| Malakwal–Khushab Branch Line ملکوال-خُوشاب برانچ لائن | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Other name(s) | Sind–Sagar Railway |
| Status | Operational |
| Owner | Pakistan Railways |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 14 |
| Service | |
| Operator(s) | Pakistan Railways |
| History | |
| Opened | 1 May 1887 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 92 km (57 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Operating speed | 25 km/h (16 mph) |
Malakwal–Khushab Branch Line (
branch lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line begins from Malakwal Junction station and ends at Khushab Junction station.[1] The total length of this railway line is 92 kilometers (57 mi). There are 14 railway stations from Malakwal Junction to Khushab Junction. At present, rail traffic on this line is operational from Malakwal Junction to Pind Dadadn Khan Railway Station.[2]
History
The Malakwal–Khushab branch line was built as part of the
Jhelum river between Malakwal and Chak Nizam and a railway line was constructed from Malakwal to Khushab. The line was conceived to haul freight from the mining rich region and served two important smaller railways: the Gharibwal Cement Works Railway and the Dandot Light Railway (serving the Khewra Salt Mine
). In 1939, the Victoria bridge had to be completely re-girdered on the old piers when the bridge proved to be incapable of taking increased rail traffic.
Dandot Light Railway
The Dandot Light Railway opened in 1905 as a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi)
narrow gauge railway from Dandot railway station to Chalisa Junction railway station.After some years it was converted to broad gauge (5 Feet 6 Inches). It was built to serve the Khewra Salt Mine. This railway line was closed since 2010 but rehabilitation work started in 2021 and in 2022, its fully operational.[3][4]
Gharibwal Cement Works Railway
The Gharibwal Cement Works Railway opened in May 1886 as a 27 kilometres (17 mi)
Gharibwal. It was built to serve the Gharibwal quarry.[5]
Stations
- Malakwal Junction
- Chak Nizam (Abandoned)
- Gharibwal
- Chalisa Junction > to Dandot Light Railway
- Pind Dadan Khan
Abandoned section
- Golpur
- Saroba
- Tobah
- Lilla
- Lilla Town
- Kandwal Halt
- Dhak Janjua
- Rakh Rajar
- Khushab Junction
References
- ^ "Malakwal Junction, Pakistan, February 1985". www.internationalsteam.co.uk.
- ^ Newspaper, the (March 16, 2014). "Thwarted dream of road over River Jhelum". DAWN.COM.
- ISBN 9788182054837.
- ^ "Reisebericht Pakistan 1996". www.rolandziegler.de.
- ^ "Salman Rashid: Malakwal to Gharibwal".
