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Katwa Junction
Kolkata Suburban Railway, passenger train and express train junction station
Katwa Junction railway station
General information
Location	Station Road, 14 kuthir, Circus Maidan, Katwa, Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal India
Coordinates	23°38′24″N 88°07′27″E / 23.6399°N 88.1242°E / 23.6399; 88.1242
Elevation	16.077 meter 21 metres (69 ft)
Owned by	Indian Railways
Operated by	Eastern Railway
Line(s)	Bandel–Katwa line Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop Bardhaman–Katwa line Ahmadpur–Katwa line Sealdah—Bandel―Katwa line Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line
Platforms	7
Tracks	7
Construction
Structure type	Standard (On-ground station)
Parking	for 2 and 4 four wheeler
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	Functioning
Station code	KWAE
Zone(s)	Eastern Railway
Division(s)	Howrah
History
Opened	1913
Electrified	1994–96 with 25 kV overhead line
Previous names	East Indian Railway Company
Location Katwa JunctionLocation in West BengalShow map of West BengalKatwa JunctionLocation in IndiaShow map of India

Katwa is a Kolkata Suburban Railway Junction Station on the Howrah–Bandel–Katwa line, Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa and the Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line. It is located in Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It serves Katwa and the surrounding areas.

History

In 1913, the Hooghly–Katwa Railway constructed a 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge line from Bandel to Katwa, and the Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa Railway constructed the 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop.

The 53 km (33 mi)-long 762 mm (2 ft 6 in)-wide narrow-gauge Burdwan–Katwa Railway was opened in 1915 as part of McLeod's Light Railways, taken over by Eastern Railway in 1966 and closed in 2010.

The 53 km (33 mi)-long 762 mm (2 ft 6 in)-wide narrow-gauge Ahmedpur–Katwa Railway was opened in 1917 as part of McLeod's Light Railways and taken over by Eastern Railway in 1966. It was closed in 2013 for conversion to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge and electrification.

Gauge conversion

The Bardhaman–Katwa line, after conversion from narrow gauge to electrified broad gauge, was opened to the public on 12 January 2018.. Additionally, the Ahmedpur-Katwa railway line, converted from narrow gauge to electrified broad gauge, was inaugurated for public use on May 24, 2018.

Electrification

Electrification of the Bandel–Katwa line was completed with 25 kV AC overhead system in 1994–96.

Narrow-gauge travel

Here is a description of narrow-gauge travel (now closed):

The land west of the Hooghly, though still alluvial and flat, is not as wet as riverine Bengal. Its fields, though usually covered with close-cropped green grass, bear but one crop a year and lie open, instead of being divided by watercourses and frequent villages. Altogether they do nothing to prevent the BK Railway from following a straight surveyed line, or to stop its trains from traveling at an even pace marked by the measured clunking of four-wheeled carriages on rail joints. My train from Burdwan stopped regularly, sometimes to shunt or to cross a southbound service. At each station the passenger load increased, so that after two stops the man opposite had to give up sleeping on the seat, and after several more there were fowls underfoot and small boys and women sitting on the floor and young men hanging on while standing on the footboards. So we rounded the curve into Katwa – doors open, dhotis flapping, all bound for Katwa market. A secondary main line of the Eastern Railway also passes through Katwa, the headquarters of the two narrow-gauge lines being alongside its station. Their loco shed had several more Bagnalls and, among others, a 0-6-0 Simplex or two. In company days each engine was owned by the BK or AK but used on either line – I dare say it all came out in the accounts. Another pleasing feature of McLeod's accountancy was that the second class fare was only 20% above the third and the first that much again, instead of the 1:2 ratio preferred by the government. This meant that I could afford second class to Ahmadpur – the seedy red cushion on the seat was not worth it, but the lessened crowd was. This train left from No. 2 road of McLeod's station (never mind that it had no platform) and wasted no time in making arrangements to run third-rail along the East Indian broad gauge for the first few miles out from Katwa, in order to share a bridge over one of the sluggish anabranches that meandered over the plain. Once AK was on its independent way, the regular jolting of the carriages combined with the monotonous scenery to induce sleepiness in all the passengers and perhaps the train itself. Matters were not helped by the Bengal midday, with the sunlight diffused by a high mist and yet stifling us with heat.

See also

• Katwa
• Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop
• Bardhaman–Katwa line
• Ahmadpur–Katwa line
• Barddhaman Junction railway station
• Bandel Junction railway station
• Rampurhat Junction railway station
• List of railway stations in India

References

1. Saxena, R. P. "Indian Railway History timeline". Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
2. "The Chronology of Railway development in Eastern Indian". Rail India. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
3. "Ahmedpur-Katwa_Railway". fibis. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
4. Chakraborty, Snehamoy (14 January 2013). "Emotions pasted – One last run". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 November 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
5. "Baro rail Katwae, jamlo bhidr (Big railway in Katwa, crowd gathers)". Ananda Bazar Patrika (in Bengali). 13 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
6. "History of Electrification". IRFCA. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
7. Manning, Ian. "From Bengal towards Nagpur". The Katwa Railways. IRFCA. Retrieved 2 May 2013.

External links

• Media related to Katwa Junction railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Trains to Howrah
• Trains from Howrah

Preceding station	Indian Railways			Following station
Terminus		Eastern Railway zoneBarharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop		Nabagram Kankurhatitowards Barharwa Junction
		Eastern Railway zoneAhmadpur–Katwa line		Nabagram Kankurhatitowards ?
Preceding station	Kolkata Suburban Railway			Following station
Shripat Shrikhandatowards Howrah Junction		Eastern LineBardhaman–Katwa line		Terminus
Dainhattowards Howrah Junction		Eastern LineBandel–Katwa line

• Railway stations in India opened in 1913
• Railway stations in Purba Bardhaman district
• Howrah railway division
• Railway junction stations in West Bengal
• Kolkata Suburban Railway stations
• Railway stations in India closed in 2010