The Ahmedabad–Mumbai main line or the Mumbai–Ahmedabad main line is a railway route on the Western Railway section of Indian Railways. It is one of the busiest railway routes of the Indian Railways and is fully electrified. The Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway operates on the southern part of this route.
The Ahmedabad–Mumbai corridor passes through some major industrial cities such as Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Ankleshwar, Vapi, Dahanu Road and Palghar. There are commutes daily and regularly between these industrial clusters for business and work. This makes the Ahmedabad–Mumbai line one of the most productive and the most beneficial for the public.
Main lines Branch
Currently, the Ahmedabad–Mumbai mainline consists of some branch lines which are totally on broad gauge,[1] these are:
1) Nadiad Junction–Modasa line with a length of 104 km. New Line From Modasa-Udaipur Is Working
2) Vadtal Swaminarayan–Kanjari Boriyavi Junction line with a length of 6 km.
3) Khambhat–Anand Junction line with a length of 53 km.
4) Kathana–Vasad Junction line with a length of 43 km.
5) Vadodara Junction–Chhota Udepur line with a length of 105 km.
5) Dahej–Bharuch Junction line with a length of 62 km.
6) Rajpipla–Ankleshwar Junction line with a length of 63 km.[2]
History
1855: Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Company (BB&CI), incorporated by Act of British Parliament on 2 July, signs an agreement with British East India Company on 21 Nov to construct a railway line from Surat to Baroda and Ahmedabad.
1860: BB&CI's first section from Ankleshwar to Utran is inaugurated, and the Surat railway station was built; it was the first railway station in Asia to have a platform on the first floor (above ground level).
1862: Asia's first narrow-gauge line opened between Dabhoi and Miyagam (near Vadodara), and BB&CI introduces the world's first double-decker coaches.
1863: The first train is flagged off from Kalupur railway station in Ahmedabad to Surat on 20 January.[3]
1864: BB&CI trains reach Mumbai and run between Grant road and Valsad.
1870: BBCI Railway runs direct trains between Ahmedabad and Bombay.
1901: The Anand–Tarapur branch line was inaugurated by the Petlad–Cambay Railway of BBCI.
1917: The Ankleshwar–Rajpipla branch line was inaugurated by the Rajpipla State Railway of BBCI.
1929: The Vadtal–Kanjari Boriyavi Branch line was inaugurated by the Boriyavi–Vadtal Railway of BBCI.
1930: The Vasad–Kathana Branch line was inaugurated by the Vasad–Katana Railway of BBCI.[4]
1974: Virar Ahmedabad sector was AC electrified since 1973-74 in phases.[5]
1987: The electrified Delhi–Vadodara route was commissioned by Western Railways.[6]
Most of the Ahmedabad–Mumbai mainline is classified as 'A' class line where trains can run up to 160 km per hour but in certain sections speeds may be limited from 100 kmph to 110 kmph [7][8]