COMMUNICATIONS

RAILWAYS

WARDHA DISTRICT, LIKE NAGPUR AND AMRAVATI, enjoys a very advantageous position as regards railway communication. It is well served by railways, and all the tahsil places are linked with the district headquarters by rail. Wardha which is a junction of the two national railway trunk routes, namely, the Bombay-Bhusaval-Nagpur-Howrah route and the Delhi-Madras route has an enviable position as one of the most important rail heads in India. Of the routes passing through the district, the Bombay-Bhusawal-Nagpur-Howrah route is of considerable importance as it connects Wardha with cities like, Bombay, Jalgaon, Nagpur and Calcutta. This railway communication has facilitated easy transport to centres of trade and industry all over the country. The other important route passing through the district is the Delhi-Madras Grand Trunk route of the Central Railway with a broad-gauge length of 42 kilometres in the district. This is by far the only route of communication between North India and South India. The Pulgaon-Arvi narrow gauge line of 35 kilometres also comes under the Central Railway and it serves as a feeder line of traffic. The total railway mileage  in the district is about 143 km. (90 miles).

As regards the railway communication in Wardha district in the past the old Gazetteer has furnished a vivid account which is reproduced below. [ Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Wardha District, 1906, pp. 160-61.]

" The Great Indian Peninsula railway line from Bhusawal to Nagpur runs through the centre of the district with a length of about 40 miles and the stations of Pulgaon, Degaon, Wardha, Paunar, Tuljapur and Sindi. The line was opened for traffic in 1867. It runs nearly parallel to and south of the old Bombay road which it intersects at Kaotha, a few miles east of Pulgaon. The old Wardha-Warora State Railway, now managed by the Great Indian Peninsula Company, runs southeast from Wardha for 45 miles to Warora passing through the centre of Hinganghat tahsil between the stations of Sonegaon and Hinganghat in the District. This line was opened in 1877. It is now in 1905 being continued by the Great Indian Peninsula Company to the new coal-field of Ballalpur 9 miles beyond Chanda, while it may ultimately be taken through Chanda District to connect with the line from Bombay to Madras in Hyderabad. A project for a loop line from Nagpur to Amraoti which would pass through the north of the Wardha District and from some point on which a new railway will be taken through the Betul District to Itarsi is under consideration. This will probably be in supersession of a former project for a railway running direct from Wardha to Itarsi through Multai, the survey of which was completed in 1902. The north of the Arvi tahsil is now about 40 miles distant from the line. The most important stations for trade in the district are Hinganghat, Pulgaon and Wardha, while Sindi and Degaon have a small amount of traffic."

Bombay-Nagpur-Howrah route.

This broad gauge line emanates from Bombay and traverses through Buldhana, Akola and Amravati districts of the Vidarbha region. After crossing the Wardha river at 729 kilometres it enters Wardha district.

In its length of about 66 km. (41.67 miles) in this district, it has eight railway stations. They are (with their distance from Bombay): Pulgaon 729 kilometres (453 miles), Kaotha 736 kilometres (457.3 miles), Dahegaon 745 kilometres (462.7 miles), Wardha 759 kilometres (471.6 miles), Sewagram 765 kilometres (475.3 miles), Pavnar 773 kilometres (480.3 miles), Tuljapur 783 kilometres (486.4 miles), and Sindi 790 kilometres (490.7 miles).

The topography of the countryside through which this railway line passes is plain, even and more dry than green. Hills or rocks cannot be found easily. It traverses the fertile and black alluvial cotton soils. There is heavy passenger and goods traffic on the line. During the last thirty years, the commercial importance of this line has increased considerably. The trains running daily on this line are: (1) Calcutta Mail via Nagpur, (2) Bombay-Howrah Express via Nagpur, (3) Dadar Nagpur Express, and (4) Bhusawal-Nagpur Passenger (three Passenger trains of the same name).

Delhi-Madras Grand Trunk route.

This route of the Central Railway with a length of 42 kilometres in the district emanates from the Bombay-Nagpur route from Wardha. The Wardha-Warora section of this line was opened for traffic in 1877. The line is laid with a permanent way with 35 lb. flat footed rails.

In its length of 42 kilometres (26.5 miles), in the district it has four railway stations. They are (with their distance from Wardha): Bhugaon 11 kilometres (7 miles), Sonegaon 18 kilometres (11 miles) and Hinganghat 34 kilometres (21 miles).

The topography of the countryside through which this railway line passes is plain and dry.

The passenger as well as goods traffic on this line is quite heavy. This line has added considerably to the commercial importance of the track during the last thirty years. The trains running on this line are: (1) Wardha-Kazipeth Passenger, (2) New Delhi-Madras Express, (3) Delhi-Madras Janata Express, (4) New Delhi-Hyderabad Dakshin Express, and (5) Nagpur-Hyderabad Passenger.

The stations on the line provide all necessary amenities to the travelling public.

Pulgaon-Arvi route.

The Pulgaon-Arvi section is a narrow gauge line of 21.83 miles. It was opened for traffic in 1917. It emanates from Pulgaon on the Bombay-Nagpur railway line. In its length of about 35 kilometres in the district, it has 10 railway stations, viz., (with their distance from Pulgaon), Sorta, 6 kilometres (3.5 miles), Virul, 10 kilometres (6 miles), Rohna, 15 kilometres (9 miles), Rohna town 16 kilometres (9.3 miles), Dhanori, 20 kilometres (12 miles), Pargothan, 24 kilometres (14 miles), Pachegaon, 28 kilometres (16 miles), Khubgaon, 31 kilometres (18 miles) and Arvi, 35 kilometres (21 miles.).

The stations provide all amenities to the passengers. There is a local train service running thrice in a day between Pulgaon and Arvi.

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