Salsette–Trombay Railway
The Salsette–Trombay Railway (also known as the Central Salsette Tramway) was a standard-gauge railway line on the island of Salsette in the city of Mumbai (Bombay), India. The line was opened in 1928 by the Great Indian Peninsular Railway under the Bombay Improvement Trust which called for "the opening up of a Railway line running West to South-east and linking up the Andheri and Kurla stations to render available for building purposes vast tracts of land sufficiently close to the city."[1][2] Hence, the line linked Andheri in the north with the village of Trombay in the east. The rail line was about 13 km long. During weekends, the line was frequented by picnickers who used to travel to Trombay to buy toddy or palm liquor.
Salsette–Trombay Railway | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Status | Closed |
Locale | Mumbai |
Termini | Trombay Andheri |
Stations | 9 |
Operation | |
Opened | 1928 |
Closed | 1934 |
Operator(s) | Great Indian Peninsular Railway |
Technical | |
Line length | 12 km (7.5 mi) |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
In 1934, the line was shut to make way for the Santacruz Airport.[3]
Route
The line began on the Island of Trombay and headed west with halts at Wadavali and Mahul Road up to Kurla Jn, where it crossed the main GIPR line. The line continued North-West along what is now S. G. Barve Road to pass under the Old Agra road bridge (now A. H. Wadia Road) to Agra Road station. From here the line headed West along the present C. S. T. Road towards Santacruz with halts at Kolovery and Kole-Kalyan and finally turned north towards Andheri with halts at Sahar and Chakala stations.
Equipment
The line operated eight steam engines[4] built in Britain by W. G. Bagnall in 1921 and delivered new to the Salsette Trombay Railway.[5] Most of the locomotives used were returned to Britain after the line was shut.
References
- "Report of the Bombay Development Committee". Government of Bombay, 1914. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- Aklekar, Rajendra B. Halt station India : the dramatic tale of the nation's first rail lines. Rupa & Co. p. 188. ISBN 9788129134974. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- "Railway Gauges in India". IRFCA.org. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- "Indian Industrial Locos". Simon Darvill. IRFCA.org. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- "Historical Photogallery Gordon Findley & David Cash". Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.