Matheran railway set to get loco workshop to keep trains on track

The restoration of the heritage narrow-gauge railway is slated for completion by December 2022

Over a century later, Matheran's heritage 2-ft narrow gauge railway is getting its own little locomotive maintenance workshop up on the hill. This is done parallelly along with the restoration of the line that has been shut for the past three years.

After being shut down due to rains, work on the Matheran line had been expedited following the disbursal of funds in the railway budget earlier this month. The Central Railway has set a timeline for its completion by December 2022.

Will solve age-old problem

All these years, the 21-km line which goes up from Neral, negotiating the mountainous line up to Matheran hill, had a workshop only at its base, at Neral. But this had led to problems after the line was washed away due to the rains in 2019 and all the locomotives were stranded at Neral. The new hilltop maintenance workshop will not only solve the age-old problem but also have a bank of locomotives uphill at Matheran, keeping the services running at least till Aman Lodge.

Maintenance facility to come up

mid-day had reported in its December 2021 edition that the line was being rebuilt all over again at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

As per details available, the Central Railway is setting up a provision of inspection and maintenance facility of coaches and locomotives by providing shed and lifting facility, along with the existing pit line and industrial flooring in the Matheran station premise.

The loco shed will be a crucial upgrade for the Matheran hill railway and keep the line running even if there is damage at some stretch in the near future.

"We had to transport the locomotives all the way to Matheran by road to get the Aman Lodge and Matheran stretch working, which is a crucial lifeline for locals to transport their goods and essentials. With a workshop at Matheran, this problem will be solved," said a railway official.

History

The railway line that came up as a private venture of the Peerbhoy family between 1901 and 1907 still maintains most of its original layout, except for a few stretches. The line winds around the mountain in spirals, taking you 2,625 feet above the sea level to the serenity of Matheran. The train trundles at a very low speed of 13 kmph, pacing up the hill slowly and steadily. It has a gauge of only two feet. The construction of the line, built by Abdul Hussain Peerbhoy, began in 1904 and was finally opened to traffic on March 22, 1907.

Rs 5cr
The cost of rebuilding the Matheran rail line