Dangs district Congress president Motilal Chaudhary, accompanied by tribals, reached Waghai Railway station and submitted memorandum to Kansal requesting to restart the heritage train service. The Dangs district has no railway connectivity and Waghai is the only railway station in entire district.
The memorandum said that many tribals used the heritage train to reach Billimora and Gandevi for jobs and to sell their agricultural produce.
The tribals in the interior villages have no other mode of transport.
Many tribal students used the heritage train service to reach Billimora and Navsari for further education in the schools and colleges.
After paying visit to the Waghai Railway station, Kansal met a group of BJP leaders led by Dangs BJP MLA Vijay Patel and social worker Bipin Rajput at Forest Rest House in Waghai, later on Saturday afternoon.
Explained: Why Gujarat is seeing protests to save a 107-year-old railway line
The narrow gauge train connecting Billimora in Navsari district with Waghai in Dang district was started by rulers of the Gaekwad dynasty of the princely state of Baroda in 1913. Written by Kamal Saiyed , Edited by Explained Desk | Surat | Updated: December 17, 2020 12:44:12 pm
The train was mostly used by tribal vegetable sellers. (File)
The Western Railways has decided to scrap 11 narrow gauge routes and branch lines in Gujarat, calling them unviable. One of these is the
107-year-old Billimora-Waghai line, once run by the Gaekwad Baroda State Railway (GBSR), against the closure of which political leaders have started a campaign pitching.
BJP and Congress campaign to save heritage train from stopping service
The Union Railway Ministry recently approved a proposal by the Western Railway to close down 11 narrow gauge train services, claiming they were “uneconomic”, as a measure to reduce costs and improve savings. December 15, 2020 10:50:34 am
The Congress will hold demonstrations at the nine stations of the heritage train, starting with Unai on Tuesday.
(Image/Representational)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have started campaigns to save the 107-year-old heritage train service between Billimora in Valsad district and Waghai in Dangs district from shutting down.
The Union Railway Ministry recently approved a proposal by the Western Railway to close down 11 narrow gauge train services, claiming they were “uneconomic”, as a measure to reduce costs and improve savings. These 11 trains include the five-coach heritage train connecting Billimora and Waghai