Question

Which of the railway connecting the following two stations has been recognised as heritage railway line by UNESCO?
1. Siliguri and Darjeeling
2. Allahabad and Varanasi
3. Mumbai and Thane 
4. Amritsar and Ludhiana

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 1 : Siliguri and Darjeeling

The Correct Answer is Siliguri and Darjeeling.

 

• Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) - inscribed by UNESCO in 1999.
• The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway consists of 88.48 kilometers of 2 feet (0.610 meters) gauge track that connects New Jalpaiguri with Darjeeling, passing through Ghoom at an altitude of 2,258 meters.
• The innovative design includes six zigzag reverses and three loops with a ruling gradient of 1:31.

• Indian Railways has four UNESCO accorded World Heritage Sites namely
  • Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (1999)
  • Nilgiri Mountain Railway (2005)
  • Kalka Shimla Railway (2008)
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai (2004)
• There are two more in waiting or in the tentative list namely Matheran Light Railway and Kangra Valley Railway.

• Nilgiri Mountain Railways (NMR) inscribed in 2005
  • This railway, scaling an elevation of 326 meters to 2,203 meters, represented the latest technology of the time and uses unique rack and pinion traction arrangements to negotiate steep gradients. 
• Kalka Shimla Railway (KSR) inscribed in 2008
  • The world’s highest multi-arch gallery bridge and the world’s longest tunnel (at the time of construction) of KSR were the testimony of the brilliance engineering skills applied to make a dream a reality. 
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai (CSMT) inscribed in 2004
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Mumbai is commonly known as Bombay V.T or Victoria Terminus.
  • The building is an outstanding example of late 19th-century railway architecture in the British commonwealth characterized by Victorian Gothic Revival and traditional Indian features as well as its advanced structural and technical features.