Ambikapur railway station
Ambikapur | |
|---|---|
| Indian Railway Station | |
| Location |
Ambikapur, Surguja district, Chhattisgarh India |
| Coordinates | 23°08′11″N 83°08′37″E / 23.1365°N 83.1436°ECoordinates: 23°08′11″N 83°08′37″E / 23.1365°N 83.1436°E |
| Construction | |
| Parking | Available |
| Other information | |
| Status | Functional |
| Station code | ABKP |
| Zone(s) | Eastern Railway zone |
| Division(s) | Eastern Railway zone |
Ambikapur, station code ABKP, is a railway station that connects the city of Ambikapur and is the connecting point of Surguja district. Ambikapur Railway station is within the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railway.
History
This is one of the Railway stations that connects North Chhatishgarh with Raipur. The Railway Ministry plans to build a new 202-km line between Chirimiri (Chhattisgarh) and Barwadih (Jharkhand). The proposed line will reduce the distance between Mumbai and Howrah via Jabalpur by about 400 km.
Britishers were the first to moot the proposal way back in 1925 to connect Chirimiri and Barwadih, both coal rich areas, by rail. The plan was aimed to facilitate transportation of minerals.
The Britishers knew the importance of the rail line and the work on the project was started in the early 1930s after conducting the survey, sources added. The required land for the project was also acquired. But the work was stopped during the World War II and the project had been pending since then, sources said.
The new rail line would connect Howrah via Latehar, Dhanbad and Mumbai via Jabalpur, Itarsi. It would help reducing the rail distance between the two Metros. At present, both the Metros are connected by two different rail routes one via Nagpur, Raipur and another via Itarsi, Jabalpur.
The distance between Howrah and Mumbai via Jabalpur is 2,177 km while the same via Raipur comes to be around 1,968 km. The railway runs maximum trains between both the Metros via Nagpur and Raipur. Besides a daily Kolkata mail, a couple of weekly trains chug on Mumbai-Jabalpur-Howrah section.
Sources said that the new 202-km Barwadih-Chirimiri line would change the rail map route between Howrah and Mumbai. If the new line starts, it will reduce the distance between both the Metros by more than 400 km; making it shortest route between Mumbai and Howrah by curtailing travel time by at least four hours, sources added.
The proposal to connect the two mineral rich pockets by rail has been pending for more than eight decades. The new 202-km rail line is likely to connect Howrah (West Bengal) via Latehar, Dhanbad and Mumbai via Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Itarsi. At present, both the metros are connected by two different rail routes, one via Nagpur, Raipur and another via Itarsi, Jabalpur.
Facilities
The major facilities available are waiting rooms, rest room, computerized reservation facility, reservation counter, vehicle parking, etc.
Platforms
The platforms are interconnected with foot over bridge (FOB).
Trains
Several electrified local passenger trains also run from Barwadih to neighbouring destinations at frequent intervals.
| Train Name | Train Number | Source | Destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambikapur - Anuppur MEMU | 58223/58224 | Anuppur | Ambikapur |
| Ambikapur Durg Express Cum Passenger | 18241/18242 | Ambikapur | Durg |
| Ambikapur - Jabalpur Express | 11265/11266 | Ambikapur | Jabalpur |
| Ambikapur Shahdol Passenger | 58701/58702 | Shahdol | Ambikapur |
Nearest airports
The nearest airports to Barwadih Station are:
- Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi 291 kilometres (181 mi)
- Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur 338 kilometres (210 mi)
- Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Patna 410 kilometres (250 mi)
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
See also
References
- Das, R. Krishna (3 March 2010). "Proposed new rail line to bring Mumbai, Kolkata closer". Business Standard.
