Ankleshwar-Rajpipla gauge conversion work completed

Vadodara: The gauge conversion work on Ankleshwar-Rajpipla rail route has been completed and it is fit for running trains, a senior railway official said today. The Ankleshwar(Bharuch district)-Rajpipla (Narmada district) route has 12 stations.

"The safety inspection on this route is also over and it is certified fit for running of passenger trains," Western Railway`s Vadodara divisional manager Ashutosh Gangal said here. However, the decision to run trains on the route is yet to be taken by the higher authorities, he said. The foundation stone for broad gauge conversion of two narrow gauge lines (on Ankleshwar-Rajpipla route and another on Bharuch-Dahej route) at Samni village near Bharuch was laid in June 2008. At that time, the cost of the gauge conversion was estimated at around Rs 400.25 crore. The narrow gauge from Bharuch to Dahej industrial town is a 62-km-long track, while Ankleshwar-Rajpipla route is 63-kms long. Bharuch-Dahej stretch has three stations and the Railways has spent around Rs 200.25 crore on its conversion. The train services on the Ankelshwar-Rajpipla narrow gauge line were cancelled in May 2008 after 110 years of operation to make way for broad gauge. The industries set up by MNCs and other corporate giants in the GIDC estate located in Jhagadiya, which falls on Ankleshwar-Rajpipla route, will be benefited with the rail conversion as transportation of materials and other goods will become faster, sources said. The conversion of Bharuch-Dahej line, which was over about three years back, has become a major revenue earning source for Railways, as only goods trains and rakes containing coal are allowed to run on it, sources added. The passenger trains will also run on Bharuch-Dahej route after the ongoing safety inspection on it is over, Gangal said.