Junagadh State Railway

Junagadh State Railway was the railway system operated by the princely state of Junagadh in the Kathiawar region of western India. It is also known as the Junagadh & Veraval Railway. The system was built around the transport needs of Junagadh State and connected the state’s administrative and commercial centres, including Junagadh and Veraval, through metre-gauge infrastructure. In its early period, the railway was not operated as a fully independent state system. It was initially worked by the Bhavnagar–Gondal–Junagadh–Porbandar Railway, a broader regional railway undertaking serving several princely-state territories. From 1911, Junagadh State Railway operated independently under the authority of the Junagadh Durbar. This change marked the railway’s transition from being worked by an external regional system to functioning as a distinct state-owned railway administration. The railway was classified as a Class II railway under the Indian Railway Classification System of 1926. Its assets included locomotives, passenger coaches, railcars and goods wagons. In 1936, the system reportedly owned 18 locomotives, two railcars, 99 coaches and 373 goods wagons, indicating a substantial role in both passenger and freight movement within the state. The railway’s rolling stock and network supported the movement of agricultural products, commercial goods, passengers and administrative traffic across Junagadh State and its associated routes. The railway remained under Junagadh state ownership until 1948, when the political integration of princely states after Indian independence brought it into Saurashtra Railway. This ended Junagadh State Railway as an independent state railway identity. Its infrastructure subsequently formed part of the changing railway network of the Saurashtra region. During the 2000s, sections associated with the former railway were progressively converted from metre gauge to the Indian broad gauge of 1,676 millimetres, reflecting the wider national programme to standardize and modernize railway routes. Junagadh State Railway is therefore best understood as a historical railway undertaking rather than a current consumer brand. Its significance lies in the role that state-owned railways played in the transport systems of princely India, the development of regional connectivity in Kathiawar, and the later absorption of separate princely-state lines into larger post-independence railway organizations.

Junagadh State Railway developed as the railway undertaking of the princely state of Junagadh in Kathiawar, western India. The line is also referred to as the Junagadh & Veraval Railway, reflecting the importance of the connection between Junagadh and the port town of Veraval. It operated on metre gauge, the narrow-gauge standard widely used on many regional railway systems in the Indian subcontinent before post-independence gauge conversion programmes. At first, the railway was worked by the Bhavnagar–Gondal–Junagadh–Porbandar Railway. This arrangement placed the Junagadh lines within a wider regional operating structure linking several princely-state territories. From 1911, however, Junagadh State Railway was worked independently. Ownership remained with the Junagadh Durbar, the ruling authority of Junagadh State, making the railway a state-controlled transport institution rather than a privately listed commercial company. The railway was recognized as a Class II railway in the Indian Railway Classification System of 1926. This classification placed it within the formal administrative and technical framework used to describe Indian railway systems during the colonial period. Its operations combined passenger transport with freight movement, serving local communities, trade and the movement of agricultural and other goods across the state’s territory. The scale of the system is illustrated by its 1936 rolling-stock inventory. At that time, Junagadh State Railway owned 18 locomotives, two railcars, 99 coaches and 373 goods wagons. The fleet composition shows that freight was a particularly important part of its operations, while the presence of railcars and a sizeable coach fleet supported passenger services. The railway’s network and equipment were consequently part of the economic infrastructure of Junagadh State, rather than merely a short local passenger line. The independent existence of Junagadh State Railway ended in 1948. Following Indian independence and the integration of princely states, the railway became part of Saurashtra Railway. This transfer placed the former Junagadh system within a larger regional railway organization and removed its separate state-railway identity. Later railway restructuring and modernization further changed the physical and administrative character of the routes. In the 2000s, the former metre-gauge railway infrastructure was progressively converted to broad gauge, using the Indian standard of 1,676 millimetres. Gauge conversion was part of a broader effort to improve interoperability, capacity and operational consistency across India’s railway network. As a result, the historic Junagadh State Railway survives primarily as a chapter in the history of princely-state railways and regional railway integration, rather than as an active independent railway brand.

1. 2000Broad-gauge conversion period begins

   Routes associated with the former metre-gauge system were progressively converted to 1,676 mm broad gauge during the 2000s.

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2. 1948Absorption into Saurashtra Railway

   After the political reorganization of the region, Junagadh State Railway became part of Saurashtra Railway.

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3. 1936Recorded rolling-stock inventory

   The railway owned 18 locomotives, two railcars, 99 coaches and 373 goods wagons.

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4. 1926Class II railway classification

   The railway was designated a Class II railway under the Indian Railway Classification System.

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5. 1911Independent state operation begins

   Junagadh State Railway began operating independently after initially being worked by the Bhavnagar–Gondal–Junagadh–Porbandar Railway.

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A state-owned regional railway serving the transport and administrative needs of Junagadh State, with a mixed passenger and freight role.

• Passenger railway servicesPassenger transport

  Junagadh State Railway operated regional passenger services on its metre-gauge network. These services connected settlements within Junagadh State and supported travel between important centres such as Junagadh and Veraval. The railway’s coach fleet and railcars indicate that passenger movement was a regular component of its operations, although detailed timetables and service frequencies are not specified in the available reference material.

• Goods and freight servicesFreight transport

  Freight transport was a major function of the railway. Its 1936 inventory included 373 goods wagons, substantially more than its locomotive count and passenger-carriage categories. The goods operation provided rail access for commercial and agricultural traffic within the state and connected local production and markets to the wider regional transport network.

• Metre-gauge railway infrastructureRail infrastructure

  The railway’s original infrastructure was built and operated to metre gauge. Track, stations, locomotives, coaches, railcars and wagons formed an integrated state railway system. The historical metre-gauge identity was later superseded as routes associated with the system were progressively converted to broad gauge during the 2000s.

• 2000Progressive conversion to broad gaugeGeneration change

  The former metre-gauge routes were affected by wider Indian railway modernization and gauge-standardization programmes.

  What changed. Routes associated with Junagadh State Railway were progressively converted to 1,676 mm broad gauge during the 2000s.

  Aftermath. The conversion replaced the original metre-gauge operating standard and improved compatibility with the broader Indian railway network.

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• 1948Transfer to Saurashtra RailwayM&A

  The end of princely-state railway administration followed the political integration and reorganization of territories after Indian independence.

  What changed. Junagadh State Railway was incorporated into Saurashtra Railway.

  Aftermath. The independent Junagadh State Railway identity ended and its infrastructure became part of a larger regional railway organization.

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• 1911Move to independent operationStrategy

  The railway had initially been worked by the Bhavnagar–Gondal–Junagadh–Porbandar Railway rather than operating as a fully independent Junagadh state system.

  What changed. Junagadh State Railway began operating independently under the authority of the Junagadh Durbar.

  Aftermath. The change established the railway as a distinct state-operated system until its incorporation into Saurashtra Railway in 1948.

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1. Junagadh State Railway