Khushalgarh–Kohat–Thal Railway
| Khushalgarh–Kohat–Thal Railway خوشحال گڑھ–کوہاٹ–تھل ریلوے |
|
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Termini |
Golra Sharif Junction Thal |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1 May 1902 |
| Owner | Pakistan Railways |
| Operator(s) | Pakistan Railways |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 159 km (99 mi) |
| Track gauge |
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) |
| Operating speed | 105 km/h (65 mph) (Current) 160 km/h (99 mph) (Proposed) |
The Khushalgarh–Kohat–Thal Railway (Urdu: خوشحال گڑھ–کوہاٹ–تھل ریلوے) is one of several railway lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line originally ran from Golra Sharif Junction railway station to Khushalgarh station and onward to Thal station, however the line now ends at Kohat Cantonment station. The total length of this railway line is 272 kilometers (169 mi) to Thal station and 176 kilometers (109 mi) to Kohat. There are 16 railway stations from Golra Sharif Junction to Thal. In 1991, the Kohat-Thal section was abandoned by Pakistan Railways.
The original line was a mixed gauge strategic military railway built in 1902 by the North Western State Railway. The Khushalgarh–Kohat section consisted of 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge track while the Kohat–Thal section consisted of 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge track. Khushalgarh had been connected in 1881 by a short 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) broad gauge spur line to Jand Junction on the North Western State Railway mainline (now called the ). In April 1889, the Khushalgarh–Kohat section was first surveyed as a broad gauge line and in March 1901, a decision was made that no bridge would be built over the Indus river at Khushalgarh. Instead a ropeway would be built over the river and as a consequence, the broad gauge line idea was abandoned in favour of a 762mm narrow gauge line. The line was constructed from the right bank of the Indus facing Khushalgarh to Kohat, a distance of about 48 kilometers (30 mi) and opened in May 1902 The Kohat-Thal extension of 100 kilometers (62 mi) from Kohat through the Kohat Pass up the Miranzai Valley to Thal was opened in stages between March 1901 and reached Thal in April 1903. In 1903, an accident closed the ropeway over the Indus river and a boat bridge replaced it. Eventually the decision was made to construct the Khushal Garh Bridge crossing the Indus river and at the same time converting the Khushalgarh–Kohat section from narrow gauge to broad gauge. This section was reopened in 1908. In 1947, the railway line was transferred to Pakistan Western Railways. In June 1991, the Kohat–Thal section was abandoned. In 2017, proposals were made to rebuild the Kohat–Thal section and upgrade the Khushalgarh–Kohat section. The Golra Sharif to Basal Junction section was built after..
...
Wikipedia