A train from British Raj

Did you know there is a railway running in the state of Maharashtra by the name of Shakuntala Express? More intriguing, did you now that it is privately owned?

Well, this train is a relic from the British Raj and does not come under the gambit of the Indian Railways. It runs at 20 kms/hour, runs on narrow guage, makes only one return trip per day and takes around 20 hours to cover the 190km distance between Yavatmal and Achalpur in Amravati district. It could take just a couple of hours by bus but because this is a much cheaper option than the Rs.150 fare of the bus, this train runs packed.

This train and track was founded in 1910 by the British company, Killick-Nixon and through a JV with the Central Province Railway Company (CPRC). The train was started to transport cotton from Vidarbha to ultimately reach Manchester. Even till date, this railways is owned by CPRC and Killick-Nixon, which since then has moved from being a British owned to an Indian owned company.

Central Railway which runs the trains on the two sections is supposed to pay royalty to its private partner and CPRC, which owns the lines is contracted to maintain them. This contract has been renewed six times since Independence – every 10 years but not once in these 60 years did the Indian Railways decide to nationalize it. Wonder why?