After the Great Famine of 1876–78 in central India, the Bengal Nagpur Railway began planning to open a low-cost railway track that would unite the region, allowing both access to the agricultural and mineral resources of the region, further safeguarding the inhabitants should another famine arise.
Amla - Chhindwara - Nainpur - Mandla Fort section fully follows the old 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) narrow gauge alignment.
The narrow-gauge trains running between Jabalpur and Balaghat were stopped in October 2015 and the track was closed for gauge conversion.
The last work of 75.5 kilometres (46.9 mi) between Nainpur to Balaghat was expected to be operational in mid-2020, but due to COVID-19 pandemic it was delayed, while also converted into an electrified line for increased average speed.
[8] The 183 kilometres (114 mi) long Chhindwara - Nainpur - Mandla Fort section is nearing completion with crs inspection happened on 24th of february 2023.