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{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox rail line
| box_width =
| name = Jammu–Sialkot line
| color =
| logo =
| logo_width =
| image = JammuSialkotFirstTrain.png
| image_width =
| caption = The first train to Jammu from Sialkot, 1890 <br>''courtesy of searchkashmir.org''
| type = [[Regional rail]]
| system =
| status = Discontinued
| locale = [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Punjab, British India|Punjab]]
| start = [[Jammu]] Bikram Chowk
| end = {{rws|Sialkot Junction}}
| stations =
| routes =
| daily_ridership =
| open = 1890
| close = 1947
| reopen =
| owner =
| operator = [[North Western Railway (British India)|North Western Railway]]
| character =
| depot =
| stock =
| linelength =
| tracklength = {{convert|43|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}
| tracks = 1
| gauge = [[Narrow Gauge]]
| old_gauge =
| minradius =
| racksystem =
| electrification =
| speed =
| elevation =
| website =
| map =
| map_state =
}}

The '''Jammu–Sialkot line''' was a {{convert|43|km|abbr=on}} [[broad gauge]]<ref name=Newman/><ref>History of Indian Railways, corrected up to 31 Mar 1933, Government of India Press, 1934, pp 151, 159</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/12nov11/edit.htm#1 |title=Jammu-Sialkot handshake |newspaper=Daily Excelsior |date=11 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407063554/http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/12nov11/edit.htm#1 |archive-date=7 April 2014}}</ref> branch of the [[North Western State Railway]] from [[Wazirabad Junction railway station|Wazirabad Junction]], Punjab, to [[Jammu (city)|Jammu]], passing through the [[Sialkot Junction railway station|Sialkot Junction]]. The section from Sialkot to Jammu (Tawi) was 27 miles (43 km) long, partly in the British Indian province of [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]] and partly in the princely state of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]<ref> History of Indian Railways, corrected up to 31 Mar 1933, Government of India Press, 1934, pp 151, 159 </ref> <ref> SIALKOTE, ''[[1911 Encyclopædia Britannica]]''</ref> Built in 1890 during the reign of Maharaja [[Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Pratap Singh]], it was the first railway line in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V14_055.gif Jammu Town] – ''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', vol. 14, p. 49.</ref>

The railway line ran till 18 September 1947, when the newly independent [[Dominion of Pakistan|Pakistan]], which inherited the North Western State Railway from British India, suspended the train service.<ref name=Deora/> The railway line fell into disrepair.<ref name="Greaterkashmir"/> A new line between [[Pathankot]] and Jammu was built by [[Indian Railways]] in 1972.<ref name=Janaki/>

==Construction==
[[File:North Western Railway.jpg|thumb|left|North Wester Railway map 1908]]

The Jammu–Sialkot line was constructed as an extension of the Wazirabad–Sialkot line built in 1883–1884, at the initiative of the Maharaja's government.{{sfnp|Ghosh, Railways in India|2002|p=109}} Maharaja [[Ranbir Singh (Maharaja)|Ranbir Singh]] ({{reign|1830|1885}}) wrote to the Governor General of India with a proposal offering to fund its construction, which was agreed. He was soon succeeded by Maharaja [[Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Pratap Singh]], who continued the negotiations culminating in an agreement. The agreement stipulated that the railway would be operated by the [[North Western Railway (British India)|North Western Railway]], that the Maharaja would receive one per cent interest on the investment and that the earnings in excess of the one per cent would be shared equally between the Northwestern Railway and the Maharaja's government.{{sfnp|Ghosh, Railways in India|2002|pp=169–170}} The Maharaja's investment was close to Rs. 1 million<ref>{{harvp|Kapur, Social and economic history of Jammu and Kashmir|1992|p=323}}: "The State Government spent about Re. 9,60,000 on the construction of its portion of the line. When it was opened to traffic on 13th March, 1890, for the first two days the trains were run free of charge and about 10,000 [passengers] availed of this concession."</ref> (1.3 million according to other accounts<ref>{{cite book |last=Yasin |first=Madhvi |title=British Paramountcy in Kashmir, 1876-1894 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fc_ykS63Ts4C&pg=PA80 |year=1984 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distri |page=80 |id=GGKEY:62UPFCWHKP6}}</ref>).

The construction was carried out between 1888–1890. It is reported that the section of the railway in Punjab was laid with 60 lbs. second-hand wrought iron rails but the Jammu and Kashmir section was laid with 75 lbs. new steel rails.{{sfnp|Kapur, Social and economic history of Jammu and Kashmir|1992|p=323}}

==Stations==
[[File:Old Jammu railway station.jpg|thumb|right|Old Jammu station (now demolished), in Bikram Chowk ({{coord|32.7176876|74.8591673}})]]

In the 1935 timetable, the section's timetable shows 4 pairs of passenger trains running between Sialkot and Jammu (Tawi). Two pairs ran from Wazirabad and two pairs from Sialkot. The journey time between Sialkot and Jammu (Tawi) averaged about 90 minutes. The intermediate stations listed in the timetable are (from west to east) [[Sialkot Cantonment railway station|Sialkot Cantonment]], Suchetgarh, [[Ranbir Singh Pora]], Miran Saheb and [[Jammu Cantonment]].<ref name=Newman>Newman's Indian Bradshaw, February 1935, Newman and Co Ltd, Calcutta, 1935, p.138</ref>
The Jammu and Kashmir state border crossed the line 0.26 miles (0.42 km) east of Suchetgarh station.<ref>Hundred Years of Pakistan Railways, M.B.K. Malik, Railway Board (Pakistan), Karachi, 1962, p.204</ref> Thus the first station on the state side was Ranbir Singh Pora.

==Demise==
After the [[partition of India]] on 15 August 1947, the new [[Dominion of Pakistan]] inherited the North Western Railway. The government of Maharaja [[Hari Singh]] made a [[standstill agreement (India)|standstill agreement]] with Pakistan for continuance of all the pre-existing arrangements. However, the railway service was suspended by Pakistan on or about 18 September 1947.<ref name=Deora>{{citation |last1=Deora |first1=Man Singh |last2=Grover |first2=Rajinder |title=Documents on Kashmir Problem: Basic documents |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6M4AQAAIAAJ |year=1991 |publisher=Discovery Publishing House |isbn=978-81-7141-155-9 |p=85}}</ref><ref name=Chattha>{{citation |last=Chattha |first=Ilyas |chapter=Escape from Violence: The 1947 Partition of India and the Migration of Kashmiri Muslim Refugees |editor1=P. Panayi |editor2=P. Virdee |title=Refugees and the End of Empire: Imperial Collapse and Forced Migration in the Twentieth Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8cCHDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA207 |year=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |isbn=978-0-230-30570-0 |pages=207, 217 (note 45)}}</ref> The act was regarded as a violation of the standstill agreement by Jammu and Kashmir.<ref>{{citation |last1=Menon |first1=Vengalil Krishnan Krishna |title=Kashmir: speeches in the Security Council |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AtYBAAAAMAAJ |year=1962 |publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting |p=18}}: "I could read from Major General Scott's diaries further things, the way the rate of strength incrceasd and, by about 18 September, the railway service between Sialkot and Jammu [...] was suspended by the Pakistan authorities [...] without any reason and in contravention of the standstill agreement."</ref> It also created hardships for the Jammu Muslims who wanted to find safety in Sialkot in the midst of increasing communal tension in Jammu.<ref name=Chattha/> With the state's accession to India on 26 October and the ensuring [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|Kashmir war]] between the two Dominions, the suspension of the railway line became permanent. The train service was never resumed.

The railway line fell into disrepair afterwards.<ref name="Greaterkashmir"/> In June–July 1948, when there was a pause in the fighting of the Kashmir War after the arrival of the [[UNCIP]], the Indian Army Corps of Engineers used the steel rails of the railway to repair sections of roads damaged by the Pakistani forces.<ref>{{citation |last=Bawa |first=J. S. |title=History of the Corps of Engineers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C-S4AAAAIAAJ |year=1980 |publisher=Palit & Palit Publishers |p=53}}: "During this pause, 14 Field Company, with 80 Brigade, developed some 30 miles of the Tanda-Beri Pattan section into an all-weather road, most of it two-way. In this task it was assisted by a company of Pioneers and two platoons of Tippers. [[Reinforced cement-concrete|R.C.C.]] [[culvert]]s damaged by raiders were re-constructed with old steel rails obtained from the disused Jammu-Sialkot railway. These rail culverts gave a good account of themselves when shelled later."</ref>

The station buildings such as of [[Ranbir Singh Pora]] and others went abandoned. In 2000, the old Jammu (Tawi) railway station was demolished to make way for an art centre.<ref>Abhinav Verma, [http://greaterkashmir.com/news/2013/Jan/7/last-remnants-of-jammu-sialkot-rail-link-erased-46.asp Last remnants of Jammu-Sialkot rail link erased]. 7 January 2013. GreaterKashmir.com. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108175351/https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2013/Jan/7/last-remnants-of-jammu-sialkot-rail-link-erased-46.asp |date=8 January 2013}}</ref>

A new railway line between [[Pathankot]] in [[Punjab, India|Indian Punjab]] and Jammu was built by the [[Indian Railways]]. The Pathankot–[[Madhopur, Punjab|Madhopur]] section was built by 1955, the Madhopur–[[Kathua]] section by 1965 and the Kathua–Jammu section by 1972.<ref name=Janaki>{{citation |last=Janaki |first=Vengalil A. |title=Some aspects of the political geography of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yRw8AAAAMAAJ |year=1977 |publisher=Dept. of Geography, Faculty of Science, M.S. University of Baroda |p=149}}</ref> Trains run from Jammu to [[Kanya Kumari]] at the southern end of Indian peninsula.

==Potential revival==
It has been suggested that the route be reopened for trade between India and Pakistan. In July 2001, the [[Agra summit]] was convened to resolve long-standing issues between Pakistan and India.<ref name="IndianExpress">[http://www.indiarightsonline.com/Sabrang/ethnic2.nsf/2e1dc5df796a4f17e5257713005cf9fe/4b59af65210a38cbe5256a90002c2491?OpenDocument Train to Sialkot: Nostalgia dies hard for some Jammu veterans] – Pradeep Dutta. ''Indian Express'', 16 July 2001.{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116115430/http://www.indiarightsonline.com/Sabrang/ethnic2.nsf/2e1dc5df796a4f17e5257713005cf9fe/4b59af65210a38cbe5256a90002c2491?OpenDocument|date=16 January 2014}}</ref> Unfortunately, the summit failed to produce any tangible outcome.<ref>[https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/15468/Pakistans_Changing_Outlook_on_Kashmir.pdf?sequence=2 Pakistan’s Changing Outlook on Kashmir] -SYED RIFAAT HUSSAIN</ref> A detailed survey in December 2013 by [[Pakistan Railways]] showed that the line is unusable and would require billions of rupees to repair.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nation.com.pk/25-Dec-2013/gate-less-rail-crossings-pose-a-threat-to-lives-in-sialkot|title=Gate-less rail crossings pose a threat to lives in Sialkot|date=2013-12-24|website=The Nation|language=en|access-date=2019-09-26}}</ref> No interest in the line has been expressed by archaeological authorities or the [[Northern Railway zone|Northern Railway]] division of India.<ref name="Greaterkashmir">Akshay Azad, [https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/news/historic-jammu-sialkot-rail-line-in-oblivion/122333.html Historic Jammu-Sialkot rail line in oblivion], Greater Kashmir, 4 June 2012</ref>

==See also==
* [[Partab Pul]] in [[Bunji, Pakistan|Bunji]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Sitansu Sekhar |title=Railways in India – A Legend: Origin & Development (1830-1980) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u43tAAAAMAAJ |year=2002 |publisher=Jogemaya Prokashani |ref={{sfnref|Ghosh, Railways in India|2002}}}}
* {{citation |last=Kapur |first=Manohar Lal |title=Social and economic history of Jammu and Kashmir State, 1885-1925 A.D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ecbAAAAIAAJ |year=1992 |publisher=Anmol Publications |isbn=978-81-7041-629-6 |ref={{sfnref|Kapur, Social and economic history of Jammu and Kashmir|1992}}}}

==External links==
* [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.1319/page/n47 Agreement between the Government of India and His Highness Maharaja Partab Singh, 1888], in Aitchison, C. U. (ed), ''A Collection of Treaties, Engagements and Sanads'', Vol. XII, 1929, republished 1981.

{{Navboxes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jammu - Sialkot Line}}
[[Category:Transport in Sialkot]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Closed railway lines in India]]
[[Category:Closed railway lines in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Economy of Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Firozpur railway division|*]]
[[Category:Northern Railway Zone|*]]
[[Category:India–Pakistan relations]]
[[Category:Transport in Jammu]]

Jammu–Sialkot line - Revision history

>Bender the Bot: /* top */HTTP → HTTPS for Digital South Asia Library, replaced: [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/ → [https://dsal.uchicago.edu/