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Matheran Light Railway turns 100

Special Correspondent

Railways to approach UNESCO for World Heritage Site status

NEW DELHI: With the centenary celebrations of Matheran Light Railway (1907-2007) kicking off on Sunday, as the railway station completes 100 years of existence, the Railways are gearing up to approach UNESCO seeking "World Heritage Site'' status for this station.

The Matheran Light Railway centenary celebrations will take off on Sunday at Matheran Railway Station near Mumbai. An official spokesman said here that an application would be soon made to UNESCO, Paris, seeking world heritage status for this station in view of its special importance in the history of railways. The function at Matheran station would be marked by flagging off the steam train, release of special postal cover and display of an exhibition besides visits of VIPs. Matheran Railway has an interesting history behind it.

Abdul Hussein, son of the business tycoon, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy of Mumbai, was a regular visitor to Matheran and developed a fantasy for this area. After having obtained the "consent'' of his father, the young Abdul Hussain camped at Neral in 1900 to plan for a narrow gauge railway line to Matheran. The construction of the railway line started in 1904 and the two feet gauge line was finally opened to traffic in 1907. Neral, the starting station of this line, falls nearly midway on the Mumbai-Pune route of the Central Railway. Starting from Neral, the narrow gauge two feet line runs parallel to the main broad gauge line leaving the road to the West of Hardal Hill, then turning sharply east. The ascent commences and road and rail meet at the end of the third mile near Jummapatti station. They part company again to meet a mile further just beyond the steep slope of Bhekra Khud.

A narrow stretch of level ground terminates in the abrupt rise underlying Mount Barry. To avoid a reversion station, a large horseshoe embankment was constructed. Round this the line runs for a mile in the north direction till it turns back through the only tunnel on the route.

The line now lies under Mount Barry, and to negotiate the rise here, the line zigzags sharply backwards and forwards twice passing through two deep cuttings. The line pursues its may more decorously and reaches out more or less straight for panorama point after skirting it and then returns by Simpson's tank and terminates close to the Matheran Bazaar. Speed of the train is limited to 12 miles per hour only.

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