Andal–Sainthia branch line

Andal–Sainthia branch line
Andal railway station and Sainthia railway station
Overview
Type	Diesel-electric
System	Broad gauge
Status	Operational
Locale	West Bengal
Termini	Andal Sainthia Junction
Stations	15
Operation
Opened	1913
Owner	Indian Railway
Operator(s)	Eastern Railway
Technical
Line length	73 km (45 mi)
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad Gauge
Operating speed	up to 100 km/ h

The Andal–Sainthia branch line is a railway line connecting Andal on the Bardhaman–Asansol section of the Howrah–Delhi Main Line and Sainthia Junction on the Sahibganj Loop. This 73 kilometres (45 mi) track is under the jurisdiction of Eastern Railway. This track passes through the north-eastern part of the Raniganj Coalfield in Bardhaman district and the western part of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

This track serves Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station.

The Andal–Sainthia branch line was built in 1913.

There are two branch lines in this section. The first is the Andal–Barabani–Sitarampur section. The other is the Bhimgara-Palasthali Branch Line. Service on this line was suspended for safety reasons. The track became unfit because of unauthorized mining under the track.

Electrification of Andal–Pandabeshwar section was completed in 2010–11. Electrification of the Pandabeshwar-Sainthia section was sanctioned in the rail budget for 2011–12, which is expected to be completed till 2013 and completed in 2016.