The railway line between Chitradurga and Chikjajur has a history of over 100 years and the works was sanctioned by the Government of India on January 28,1914 though the actual construction work commenced in October 1917. It connected Chikjajur, which was then a station on the Bangalore-Harihar main line and was managed by the Madras & Southern Mahratta Railways Company. It was opened for public transportation on May 6,1921.
A new MG line was sanctioned in 1982 between Chitradurga and Rayadurga to provide a rail link between Central Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The Chitradurga-Challakere Section (34 km) was opened in 1990. However, following the launching of Project-Uni gauge the sanction was revised and a new BG line was constructed between Challakere and Rayadurga. Along with this, the sections Chikjajur-Chitradurga-Challakere-Rayadurga-Ballari got a direct BG link from Bengaluru to Ballari on August 31, 1984.
The Bengaluru-Harihar Metre Gauge line (210 miles/336 km) was opened in stages between 1884-1889. While the line from Bengaluru to Gubbi was constructed by the Mysore State Railway (MSR), the work beyond that was undertaken by the Madras & Southern Mahratta Railway Company (M & SMR) under a long-term lease agreement of 45 years.
A new MG line was sanctioned in 1982 between Chitradurga and Rayadurga to provide a rail link between Central Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In 1990, the 34-km Chitradurga-Challakere Metre Gauge line was commissioned. But, following the launching of ‘Project-Uni gauge,’ a new BG line was laid from Challakere to Rayadurga. Along with this, the Chikjajur-Chitradurga-Challakere-Rayadurga-Ballari section got a direct BG link from Bengaluru to Ballari in 1994. With the completion of the statutory inspection by the Commissioner of Rail Safety on Saturday, the entire stretch has been electrified.
