Passengers wrote sentimental messages like 'Meter gauge ko aakhri salaam' and 'Chhoti line bahut yaad aaogi' on the train (representational image)

 The movement of trains on the 150-year-old small (meter gauge) rail line associated with the railway heritage in western Madhya Pradesh was stopped indefinitely from Tuesday due to the ongoing project to change its gauge.

The officers provided this information.

As soon as the passenger train connecting Jyotirlinga Omkareshwar of Lord Shiva to Mhow, the birth place of Constitution maker Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar reached its destination, this railway line entered the pages of history.

Eyewitnesses told that before the train was sent on its last journey from Omkareshwar Road station, the passengers garlanded the train's loco pilot (driver) Daulatram Meena and his colleagues.

Passengers also wrote sentimental messages on the train like 'Meter Gauge Ko Aakhri Salaam' and 'Chhoti Line Bahut Yaad Aaogi'.

Mohammad Shahid, one of the passengers who boarded the train from Omkareshwar Road station, about 70 km from Indore, told PTI, "We are feeling very sad to witness the last journey of this train."

This train was our easy and convenient means of commuting between Mhow (Dr. Ambedkar Nagar) and Indore.

Now we will be forced to travel by bus.

Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, Khemraj Meena said that due to the ongoing project of converting the narrow gauge spread over 90 km between Mhow to Khandwa into broad gauge, the narrow gauge has been closed indefinitely.

He told that the Mhow-Omkareshwar Road-Mhow passenger train was being operated on this line, which has been closed indefinitely.

It may be noted that after the Patalpani-Kalakund section of narrow gauge between Mhow and Khandwa was declared a heritage track, the Railways started running the Mhow-Kalakund-Mhow heritage train on it from December 25, 2018.

Meena told that this heritage train has also been stopped indefinitely after the movement of trains on the narrow line stopped.

Railway officials told that the then Holkar rulers had given a loan of one crore rupees for 101 years to the British in the year 1870 for laying a small line to connect their capital Indore with Khandwa and first the Khandwa-Sanawad section of this line was completed. But from December 1, 1874, the movement of trains started.

He told that this short line passing through the thrilling twists and turns of the picturesque hilly areas between Indore to Khandwa is an excellent piece of engineering.

According to officials, over the years this line has been used to connect North India with South India and major passenger trains like Jaipur-Purna Meenakshi Express, Ajmer-Khandwa Express, Jaipur-Kacheguda Mail have been running on it.

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