Bhakra Railway : The World's Only Free Railway...........:)

The Bhakra Railway Train Enters Nehla Station en-route to Nangal Dam , Punjab.

It’s the lifeline of many and the Nangal to Bhakra train...
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is more than a heritage ride.

The Bhakra Beas Management Board’s only train allows passengers to travel without any ticket, as a 1953 American engine chugs the train.

The coaches, made in Karachi, travel at a speed of 40 kilometres per hour from Nangal to Bhakra and back daily.

When the construction of Bhakra Dam was started, there was no means of transportation from Nangal to Bhakra and it was decided to set up a railway track for transportation of the staff and heavy machinery. The train was started in 1948 with steam engines. In 1953, steam engines were replaced with three new engines brought from America.

Out of these three, two are still in working order whereas one is under maintenance at the Nangal station.

Though the Indian Railways has introduced five models of train engines since 1953, the BBMB’s heritage train is still successfully travelling with those 60-year-old engines.

The train traverses the 13-kilometre distance through the Shiwalik Hills with the consumption of 18 to 20 litres of diesel per hour. Driver Atma Ram says there are three tunnels on the track and six stations and close to 800 passengers travel in the train daily.

The track travels along the Nangal Dam water. The daily passengers are BBMB employee, students of various schools, BBMB oustees and visitors.
In 2011, the BBMB authorities had decided to stop this free service due to financial losses but it was later decided that this train was not meant to be a source of income, but had more to do with heritage and tradition.

The train also had a brush with Bollywood, featuring in Rajesh Khanna’s film “Chalta Purza”.

The train, however, today is also an indicator of the divide between the rich and the poor that existed in British era. Most of the passengers include only helpers, baildars, fitters, pump operators, painters, carpenters and other labour class working at the dam.

Buses and four-wheelers like jeeps are provided only to the supervisor class employees, including junior engineers and sub-divisional officers.
Coaches built in 1923

Train run by 1953-built GE engine from US

5 Karachi-made coaches

Seats made of colonial-era wooden benches

Traverses 13km to-and-fro between Nangal and Bhakra

A 400HP diesel engine
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