Sealdah South lines

The 45 km long line from Calcutta to Port Canning via Sonarpur, constructed and completed on 2 January 1862 by the Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway,[1] was the first railway track on the east bank of the Hooghly River. It ran from what was then Beliaghata station (presently Sealdah South) to Canning on the Matla River. Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway was formed in 1859 as a private company but was taken over by the government in 1868 after it incurred extensive losses because of floods and other problems. It was the first case in India of the railway being taken over by the state.

The 33 km long line from Sonarpur to Jaynagar Majilpur via Baruipur, constructed in 1882 by the Eastern Bengal Railway. It was extended up to Lakshmikantapur in 1928.[2] Thereafter the line was extended up to Kakdwip in 2001 and up to Namkhana in 2006.[3]

The 35 km long line from Baruipur to Diamond Harbour, constructed in 1883 by the Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway.

The 19 km long line from Ballygunge to Budge Budge, constructed in 1890 by the Eastern Bengal Railway.[2]

The Ganga Sagar mela, which attracts thousands of pilgrims during Makar Sankranti in mid-January, is approached through this line. Kakdwip and Namkhana stations serve as handy rail heads for travel to the mela. Eastern Railway runs around 80 special trains for the mela.[4] There also are special trains from Delhi to Namkhana via Lucknow and Allahabad.[5]

There are plans for constructing a deep sea port at Sagar Island. This would also require the construction of a 4.5 km long rail-cum-road bridge to connect the island to the mainland and around 40 km long rail connection.[6]

A project costing Rs. 1.24 billion has been sanctioned for extension of the Sealdah-Canning line to Bhangankhali, with a bridge across the Matla. There are plans to extend the line later to Gosaba.[7]