 | |
| Industry | Railways |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1857 |
| Defunct | 1942 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Bengal and Assam |
| Services | Rail transport |
The Eastern Bengal Railway (full name: "Eastern Bengal Railway Company"; shortened EBR) was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in the Bengal and Assam provinces of British India. [1]
| Eastern Bengal Railway Act 1857 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for incorporating the Eastern Bengal Railway Company, and for other purposes. |
| Citation | 20 & 21 Vict. c. clix |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 August 1857 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Eastern Bengal Railway Company was incorporated by the Eastern Bengal Railway Act 1857 (20 & 21 Vict. c. clix) of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, with the objective of introduction of railway transport in eastern Bengal and even to move into Burma. The operational area of Eastern Bengal Railway was to be the east bank of the Hooghly River, while East Indian Railway Company operated on the west bank of the river. [2] [3]
By the end of 1877 the company owned 43 steam locomotives, 180 coaches and 691 goods wagons. [4] By 1936, the rolling stock had increased to 327 locomotives, 3 steam railcars, 1560 coaches and 13.781 freight wagons. [5]
It was labeled as a Class I railway according to the Indian Railway Classification System of 1926. [6] [7]
The EBR was taken over by the Government of India in 1884 and renamed the Eastern Bengal State Railway.
The Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway (CSER) was formed in 1859 to connect Calcutta with Port Canning on the Matla River. It constructed and completed the 45 km (28 mi) long line on 15 May 1863. [8] [9] The Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway was merged into the Eastern Bengal State Railway in 1887.
In 1915, it reverted to its old name Eastern Bengal Railway. In 1941, the Bengal Dooars Railway was merged into Eastern Bengal Railway. In 1942, the Government of India merged Assam Bengal Railway with Eastern Bengal Railway to create Bengal and Assam Railway. [10]
Railways in British India [11]
"As a child of its era, the railway left an indelible mark on the 19th century developments in India. In a country of continental distances, it provided the foundation for modern economic expansion by facilitating the carriage of huge quantities of passengers and freight over very long distances at hitherto unparalleled speeds. During the early part of 20th century, in a growing economy with rapid increase in demand for mobility, railway development was sparked off at a pace similar if not more marked than in Western countries in the 19th century. Development and rapid expansion of railway network in British India served as the backbone for economic growth and industrial development in the post independence era."
After the partition of India in 1947 the broad-gauge portion of the Bengal and Assam Railway, lying in India was added to the East Indian Railway and the metre-gauge portion became the Assam Railway. [12] [13]
On 14 April 1952, the Assam Railway and the Oudh and Tirhut Railway were amalgamated to form the North Eastern Railway. [14] 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. [15]
With the formation of the Northeast Frontier Railway on 15 January 1958, the portions of the erstwhile Eastern Bengal Railway that were in Assam and the Indian portion of North Bengal, came under its jurisdiction. [16]
The portion of the system which fell within the boundary of erstwhile East Pakistan was named as Eastern Bengal Railway. On 1 February 1961, the Eastern Bengal Railway was renamed as the Pakistan Railway and in 1962 it became the Pakistan Eastern Railway. [17] With the emergence of Bangladesh, it became the Bangladesh Railway. [3] [13]
The first line of Eastern Bengal Railway was from Calcutta to Kushtia in 1862 (presently covered by Sealdah–Ranaghat line, Ranaghat–Gede line and Chilahati–Parbatipur–Santahar–Darshana line). It was decided in 1865 to extend the line to Goalundo Ghat. The extension opened on 31 December 1870. By 1902, it was extended north to as far as Dhubri in Assam. [3]
The Eastern Bengal Railway, which operated east of the Hooghly, was linked with the East Indian Railway, which operated west of the river, when Jubilee Bridge, linking Bandel and Naihati, was opened in 1887. The Calcutta Chord Railway constructed the line from Dum Dum to Dankuni over the Willingdon Bridge in 1932. The bridge was later renamed Vivekananda Setu. [18]
In many parts of riverine eastern Bengal, with long stretches of low lands, the railways had to be built on embankments which hindered the free flow of water. In a brief case study of Eastern Bengal Railway it has been revealed that the water regime of the Rajshahi Division of present Bangladesh was destabilized by the way the railway exposed itself to the Chalan Beel. From the beginning of the twentieth century the beel (pond or wetland) began to be bounded by the Calcutta–Siliguri main line on the west and by the Santahar–Bogra line on the north. These lines affected the feeding of the beel. Its drainage was affected by the Sirajganj branch line in the south-east. [19]
The Indian part of EBR 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.
The Eastern Railway is among the 19 zones of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, Kolkata and comprises four divisions: Howrah, Malda, Sealdah, and Asansol. Each division is headed by a Divisional Railway Manager (DRM). The name of the division denotes the name of the city where the divisional headquarters is located. Eastern Railway oversees the largest and second largest rail complexes in the country, Howrah Junction and Sealdah railway station, and also contains the highest number of A1 and A Category Stations like Howrah, Malda Town, Sealdah, Asansol, Kolkata, Durgapur, Barddhaman, Rampurhat Junction, Bhagalpur, Jasidih, Bandel and Naihati. Eastern Railways operates India's oldest train, Kalka Mail.
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.
The 12343 / 12344 Sealdah-Haldibari-Sealdah Darjeeling Mail is one of the oldest running legendary trains in India which connects Kolkata With Haldibari via Barddhaman, Malda Town, New Jalpaiguri, and Jalpaiguri. This is a major train for Kolkata–Siliguri route. It is also the first train to run with AC electric loco WAP-7 in Sealdah to Haldibari stretch.
The Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line is a railway line connecting Howrah with New Jalpaiguri in North Bengal in the Indian state of West Bengal. The line continues through North Bengal and western part of Assam to connect with Guwahati. The Naihati–Bandel link allows trains from another terminus Sealdah in Calcutta to use this route. The line uses a major part of the Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop. Many trains use an alternative line between Howrah and New Farakka, via Bardhaman and Rampurhat. Other parts of West Bengal and Bihar are well-connected to this line. It is under the administrative jurisdiction of Eastern Railway and Northeast Frontier Railway.
The New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line is a railway line that connects New Jalpaiguri- Siliguri Junction with Alipurduar and Samuktala Road in the Indian state of West Bengal. This railway line passes through the beautiful Doars region, which includes Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Dooars-Terai tea gardens, Sevoke Railway Bridge, River Teesta, River Jaldhaka, River Torsha, Gorumara National Park, Buxa Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara National Park, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary, Chilapata Forests, Tunnels, Hills, Valleys etc.
The New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section of the Barauni–Guwahati line connects New Jalpaiguri in the Indian state of West Bengal and New Bongaigaon in Assam.
Chilahati is a border railway station in Bangladesh, situated in Nilphamari District, in Rangpur Division. It is an active railway transit point on the Bangladesh-India border.
The Chilahati–Parbatipur–Santahar–Darshana line is a railway line connecting Chilahati and Darshana, via Parbatipur Junction, Santahar, Abdulpur, Azim Nagar station, Iswardi and Hardinge Bridge in Bangladesh. This track is under the jurisdiction of Bangladesh Railway.
Parbatipur Junction railway station is a railway junction in Dinajpur district of Rangpur Division in Bangladesh.
The Sealdah–Ranaghat–Gede line connects the Sealdah Main and North terminus of Kolkata with Ranaghat and Gede of Nadia district of West Bengal, India. Once a part of the old Calcutta–Siliguri main line, today it is a busy suburban section of the Kolkata Suburban Railway's Sealdah North section connecting the North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts with Kolkata. It is under the jurisdiction of the Sealdah railway division of the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways.
The Ranaghat–Krishnanagar City–Lalgola line is a 155 km (96 mi) long broad gauge railway line which connects Ranaghat Junction in the Nadia district with Lalgola in the Murshidabad district of the Indian state of West Bengal. The line runs up to the Bangladesh border near the Ganga river and is a part of the Sealdah railway division of the Eastern Railway zone.
The Assam Bengal Railway (ABR) was one of the pioneering railway companies in British India. Headquartered in Chittagong, it functioned from 1892 to 1942.
Bamanhat railway station serves the town of Bamanhat lying in Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line, Cooch Behar district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The station is part of Alipurduar railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway zone.
Haldibari International Railway Station serves Haldibari town in Cooch Behar district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is an active railway transit point on the Bangladesh–India border. Important trains like New Jalpaiguri - Dhaka Cantonment-New Jalpaiguri Mitali Express runs through Haldibari and Kolkata - Haldibari-Kolkata Tri-Weekly Intercity Express, Sealdah-Haldibari-Sealdah Darjeeling Mail originate and terminate at Haldibari Railway Station.
Jalpaiguri Road railway station is one of the four railway station serving Jalpaiguri city in Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The others are: Jalpaiguri City, Mohitnagar/Jalpaiguri Halt, and Raninagar Jalpaiguri Junction railway station. Jalpaiguri is a newly built station, connecting the Barauni–Guwahati line and the New Mal–New Changrabandha–New Cooch Behar line. Jalpaiguri Road Railway Station (JPE) established in the yera of 1964. Operated by Northeast Frontier Railway. Jalpaiguri Road Railway Station (JPE) is located almost in the middle of the district. The nearest road to Jalpaiguri Road station is "Jalpaiguri - Siliguri State highway" and Four-lane East-West Corridor at a distance of 1 km. This Railway station is very popular with tourists.
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.
Sealdah railway division is one of the four railway divisions under the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is located in Kaiser Street in Kolkata, West Bengal near the Sealdah railway station. Geographically the division covers the railway tracks and services in the areas between the Hooghly river on the west, Bangladesh on the north and east and the Sundarbans in the south.
Malatipur is a Kolkata Suburban Railway station on the Barasat–Hasnabad line. It is located in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The Sealdah–Bangaon line is a 78 km (48 mi) long broad gauge railway line that connects the Sealdah Main and North terminus of Kolkata with Bangaon of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India. Once a part of the old Calcutta–Jessore–Khulna line, today it is a busy suburban section of the Kolkata Suburban Railway's Sealdah North section. It is under the jurisdiction of the Sealdah railway division of the Eastern Railway zone of the Indian Railways.
The Sealdah Main and North section refer to a set of rail lines which connect the city of Kolkata with its northern suburbs and with the North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal, India along the eastern bank of the Hooghly river. It is a part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway and is under the jurisdiction of the Sealdah railway division of the Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways.
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