A Two Storey Steel Railway Bridge Over Chenab Near Chiniot City & Need of Construction of Direct Railway Route Between Lahore To Bannu In British Period

Date of visit 2018

(All research done in this article and photos taken are authors' property)

In the British period in the sub-continent for transportation of goods and strategic control, a direct railway route between Lahore and to the frontier was under consideration and needed for quite a long, also surveys in this regard started late in the late 19th century. The main hurdle in laying this railway line was the construction of four rail­­­way bridges on rivers Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum, and Sind.

Ravi Bridge: Over the Ravi, River is situated between Lahore and Shahdara Bagh. Construction began in 1871 by Joseph Edward Spring and was completed in 1876.

The rest of the three bridges started during Sir Geoffrey de Montmorency's tenure who served as the Governor of the Punjab province in British India during the early 20th century. He was appointed to this position in 1925 and remained in office until 1931.

Chenab River: In 1932 a two-story bridge was constructed at River Chenab, a upper deck a bituminous road runs, and the lower deck was designed for railway traffic.

Early morning at Chenab Railway Bridge No 132/134 connecting Chniot and Chenab Nagar

Chenab Railway Bridge No 132/134 connecting Chniot and Chenab Nagar

Chenab Railway Bridge No 132/134 connecting Chniot and Chenab Nagar

Chenab Railway Bridge No 132/134 connecting Chniot and Chenab Nagar

Chenab Railway Bridge No 132/134 connecting Chniot and Chenab Nagar

1932 Pictures 

Jhelum River: the de Montmorency Bridge which was opened by the Governor. of Punjab, Sir Geoffrey de Montmorency on April 25th, 1931, forms a combined railway and road connection across the Jhelum River on the Sargodha-Khushab Branch line of the N. W. Railway.

Sindh River: The railway bridge at Kalabagh (opened to traffic on 10th August 1931) bridge connected the broad gauge (5-6″) system of the railway on the east of the Indus with narrow gauge (2_6″) to the west. After its construction an alternative route from Lahore to Bannu and Tank became available.

Mari-Indus Railway (Bannu-Tank line)

Daud Khel–Lakki Marwat Branch Line –was one of several branch lines in Pakistan, operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways. The line began at Daud Khel Junction and ended at Lakki Marwat Junction. The total length of this railway line was 92 kilometers (57 mi) with 7 railway stations. It was known by locals as "choti rail" since it was the only 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge railway in the country. The line was dismantled in 1995. The rail line was initially built by NWR as the Trans–Indus Railway in 1913, which extended from Kalabagh station to Bannu station. The line was then further developed in 1916 to reach Tank Junction station, which today is part of the Bannu–Tank Branch Line. The line was also sometimes referred to as the Mari-Indus Railway.