 | |
| Industry | Railways |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1892 |
| Defunct | 1942 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Assam and Bengal |
| Services | Rail transport |
The Assam Bengal Railway (ABR) was one of the pioneering railway companies in British India. Headquartered in Chittagong, it functioned from 1892 to 1942. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Assam Bengal Railway was incorporated in 1892 to serve British-owned tea plantations in Assam. [5]
Assam Bengal Railway started construction of a railway track on the eastern side of Bengal in 1891. A 150 kilometres (93 mi) track between Chittagong and Comilla was opened to traffic in 1895. The Comilla-Akhaura-Kulaura-Badarpur section was opened in 1896–1898 and finally extended to Lumding in 1903. [6] [7] [8] The Assam Bengal Railway constructed a branch line to Guwahati, connecting the city to the eastern line in 1900. The line was extended to Tinsukia in 1902 and it was also connected to Dibru-Sadiya Railway in 1903. [5]
In 1936, the company owned 205 locomotives, 588 coaches and 5922 goods wagons. [9]
On 1 January 1942 the Assam Bengal Railway combined with the Eastern Bengal Railway to form the Bengal and Assam Railway. [2] [10] [11] At time of the independence of India in 1947, Bengal and Assam Railway was split up and portions of the Bengal Assam Railway which lay in Assam and the Indian part of North Bengal became Assam Railway and East Indian Railway respectively. [5] [12] and the portions about 2,600 km long which fell within the boundary of erstwhile East Pakistan was named as Eastern Bengal Railway, the control remaining with the central Government of Pakistan. Later, with the effect from 1 February 1961, Eastern Bengal Railway was renamed as Pakistan Railway, [10] and in 1962 it became Pakistan Eastern Railway. [13] With the emergence of Bangladesh, it became Bangladesh Railway with its headquarters at Dhaka. [6]
On 14 April 1952, the 2,857 km long Assam Railway and the Oudh and Tirhut Railway were amalgamated to form one of the six newly carved zones of the Indian Railways: the North Eastern Railway (India). [14] [15] On the same day, the reorganized Sealdah division of the erstwhile Bengal Assam Railway (which was added to the East Indian Railway earlier) was amalgamated with the Eastern Railway. [16]
It was labeled as a Class I railway according to Indian Railway Classification System of 1926. [17] [18]
The Indian part of ABR was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge in 1990s to 2010s. The Bangladesh part is under conversion to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge.
Sitakunda is an upazila in the Chattogram District of Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. It includes one urban settlement, the Sitakunda Town, and 10 unions. Sitakunda is the home of the country's first eco-park, as well as alternative energy projects, specifically wind energy and geothermal power.
Comilla, officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Dulipara area of Comilla city. Along with the Comilla Economic Zone EPZ, various industrial factories have come up at the airport, making the airport area a business and commercial city. Comilla City is a division centered city district with surrounding districts coming to Comilla in more diverse areas of work. Bibir Bazar land port is located 5 km away from Comilla city. The area of Comilla City Corporation is 53.04 square kilometers, so the surrounding areas of the main city fall under the jurisdiction of the City Corporation. The urban areas falling outside the city corporation are considered as suburbs with a population of 600,000.
The East Bengal Mail was one of three trains operated between India and East Pakistan. The rail link was suspended at the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
Bangladesh's military history is intertwined with the history of a larger region, including present-day India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. The country was historically part of Bengal – a major power in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The Tongi–Bhairab–Akhaura line is a railway line connecting Tongi and Akhaura, via Bhairab Bazar in Bangladesh. There is a branch line from Bhairab Bazar to Mymensingh via Gouripur. These tracks are under the jurisdiction of Bangladesh Railway.
The Akhaura–Kulaura–Chhatak line is a railway line connecting Akhaura and Chhatak, via Kulaura in Bangladesh. This line is under the jurisdiction of Bangladesh Railway
Mahisasan is a border railway station and a defunct railway transit facility point on the India–Bangladesh border in Karimganj district in the Indian state of Assam. The corresponding station on the Bangladesh side is Shahbajpur in Sylhet District. The border station is linked to Karimganj 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) away. The Mahisasan–Shahbajpur route has not been operational since December, 1996 due to lack of traffic.
The Akhaura–Laksam–Chittagong line is a railway line connecting Akhaura and Chittagong, via Laksam in Bangladesh. There are branch lines from Laksam to Chandpur and Noakhali. This line is under the jurisdiction of Bangladesh Railway.
The New Bongaigaon–Guwahati section of the Barauni–Guwahati line connects New Bongaigaon and Guwahati in the Indian state of Assam.
The Barauni–Guwahati railway line connects Barauni, Saharsa, Purnia and Katihar in the Indian state of Bihar and Bongaigaon, Kamakhya and Guwahati in Assam via Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar in West Bengal. It is a linkage of prime importance for Northeastern India with Capital of india.
The Eastern Bengal Railway was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in the Bengal and Assam provinces of British India.
The Guwahati–Lumding section is a broad-gauge railway line connecting Guwahati and Lumding Junction. The 179-kilometre (111 mi) long railway line operates in the Indian state of Assam. It is under the jurisdiction of Northeast Frontier Railway zone.
The divisions of Bangladesh are further divided into districts or zilas. The headquarters of a district is called the district seat. There are 64 districts in Bangladesh. The districts are further subdivided into 495 subdistricts or upazilas.
The city of Chattogram (Chittagong) is traditionally centred around its seaport which has existed since the 4th century BCE. One of the world's oldest ports with a functional natural harbor for centuries, Chittagong appeared on ancient Greek and Roman maps, including on Ptolemy's world map. Chittagong port is the oldest and largest natural seaport and the busiest port of Bay of Bengal. It was located on the southern branch of the Silk Road. The city was home to the ancient independent Buddhist kingdoms of Bengal like Samatata and Harikela. It later fell under of the rule of the Gupta Empire, the Gauda Kingdom, the Pala Empire, the Chandra Dynasty, the Sena Dynasty and the Deva Dynasty of eastern Bengal. Arab Muslims traded with the port from as early as the 9th century. Historian Lama Taranath is of the view that the Buddhist king Gopichandra had his capital at Chittagong in the 10th century. According to Tibetan tradition, this century marked the birth of Tantric Buddhism in the region. The region has been explored by numerous historic travellers, most notably Ibn Battuta of Morocco who visited in the 14th century. During this time, the region was conquered and incorporated into the independent Sonargaon Sultanate by Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah in 1340 AD. Sultan Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah constructed a highway from Chittagong to Chandpur and ordered the construction of many lavish mosques and tombs. After the defeat of the Sultan of Bengal Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah in the hands of Sher Shah Suri in 1538, the Arakanese Kingdom of Mrauk U managed to regain Chittagong. From this time onward, until its conquest by the Mughal Empire, the region was under the control of the Portuguese and the Magh pirates for 128 years.
Meghna Division is a proposed administrative division within Bangladesh for the north-western parts of the existing Chittagong Division, comprising Brahmanbaria, Comilla, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, and Laxmipur Districts of Chittagong Division. The headquarter of the division is in Comilla. It covers the south-easternmost areas of the country, with a total area of 12,848.53 km2 (4,960.85 sq mi) and a population at the 2011 census of 16,708,000.
Badarpur Railway Station serves the Indian city of Badarpur in Assam. It belongs to Lumding railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway of India. It is located at Cachar district in the state of Assam. It is one of the oldest station of India built in 1898. The Station connects Badarpur to other regions of Barak Valley as well as many parts of India. Badarpur railway station is also the largest and most important railway station in Barak valley and south Assam region.
Jiribam railway station serves Jiribam town and belongs to the Lumding railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway. It is the first railway station in the state of Manipur, India.
The Pakistan Eastern Railway was one of two divisions of Pakistan Railways which operated between 1961 and 1971. The company was headquartered in Chittagong. With the emergence of Bangladesh, it became Bangladesh Railway.
Sikhism in Bangladesh has an extensive heritage and history, although Sikhs had always been a minority community in Bengal. Their founder, Guru Nanak visited a number of places in Bengal in the early sixteenth century where he introduced Sikhism to locals and founded numerous establishments. In its early history, the Sikh gurus despatched their followers to propagate Sikh teachings in Bengal and issued hukamnamas to that region. Guru Tegh Bahadur lived in Bengal for two years, and his successor Guru Gobind Singh also visited the region. Sikhism in Bengal continued to exist during the colonial period as Sikhs found employment in the region, but it declined after the partition in 1947. Among the eighteen historical gurdwaras in Bangladesh, only five are extant. The Gurdwara Nanak Shahi of Dhaka is the principal and largest gurdwara in the country. The Sikh population in the country almost entirely consists of businessmen and government officials from the neighbouring Republic of India.
Akhaura Junction railway station is a railway junction located in Akhaura Upazila, Brahmanbaria District, Chittagong division, Bangladesh.
