Overview | |
---|---|
Headquarters | Maligaon, Guwahati |
Locale | Assam, West Bengal, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Bihar |
Dates of operation | January 15, 1958– |
Predecessor | North Eastern Railway |
Technical | |
Track gauge | Broad gauge Narrow gauge |
Previous gauge | Metre gauge |
Other | |
Website | North East Frontier Railway website |
The Northeast Frontier Railway (abbreviated NFR) is one of the 19 railway zones of the Indian Railways. It is headquartered in Maligaon, Guwahati in the state of Assam, and responsible for operation and expansion of rail network all across Northeastern states and some districts of eastern Bihar and northern West Bengal.
Northeast Frontier Railway is divided into 5 divisions:
Each of these divisions is headed by a Divisional Railway Manager, a Senior Administrative Grade officer of the rank of Joint Secretary to Government of India. The departmental setup at headquarters level and divisional setup in the field assists the General Manager in running the railways. Various departments namely engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal & telecom, operations, commercial, safety, accounts, security, personal and medical are headed by a Senior Administrative Grade / Higher Administrative Grade officer, provide technical and operational support to the divisions in train operations.
In 1881, the Assam Railway and Trading Company opened a metre gauge line 65 kilometres (40 mi) long from Dibrugarh to Makum. This company later started the first passenger train in Assam by the name of Dibru–Sadiya Railway. The North Eastern Railway was formed on 14 April 1952 by amalgamating two railway systems: the Assam Railway and Oudh and Tirhut Railway. Later, it was bifurcated into two railway zones on 15 January 1958, the North Eastern Railway and the Northeast Frontier Railway. [1] to better serve the needs of the northeastern states.
The area of Northeast Frontier Railway operations is characterized by exceptional beauty and at the same time by some of the most arduous terrain. This difficult terrain limits the rail network expansion, and the only state with a decent rail network is Assam. The network is not broad gauge in many parts and the rail lines are antiquated with speeds at some sections being limited to a maximum of 30 km/h (19 mph). Before the Saraighat Bridge was constructed, passengers had to get down on the Amingaon side of the Brahmaputra and take a ferry across to Pandu Junction from where they could resume their journey. The majority of the tracks have been converted to BG and electrification is in process starting from Katihar till Guwahati.
A few of the major sections under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone are:
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is maintained and governed under the responsibility of Katihar division. It ascends 6,850 feet (2,090 m) from New Jalpaiguri; the climb begins at Sukna, continues uninterruptedly to Ghum (7,407 ft or 2,258 m) and descends the final 5 miles (8.0 km) to Darjeeling. After independence, India's partition resulted in the isolation of the Northeast region. Consequently, the DHR was merged into Assam Railways, it was closed for the construction of the Assam–Bengal link line and one of its extension lines to Kishanganj was converted to metre gauge. DHR's other extension line to Kalimpong was washed away due to floods. On reopening, the DHR was merged with North Eastern Railway in 1952 and later into Northeast Frontier Railway in 1958.
The DHR achieved worldwide fame for many reasons such as:
An interest in DHR all along has ensured that it continues to operate notwithstanding very heavy losses. The steam locomotive is an icon of this Railway. Tindharia workshop has kept 13 locomotives surviving, some of which are over 100 years old and the youngest is about 70 years old.
Timeline of DHR:
Number | Train Name | Starting Station | Terminating Station |
---|---|---|---|
20503/20504 20505/20506 | Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express | Dibrugarh | New Delhi |
22503/22504 | Dibrugarh–Kanyakumari Vivek Express | Dibrugarh | Kanyakumari |
15909/15910 | Avadh Assam Express | Dibrugarh | Lalgarh |
15657/15658 | Brahmaputra Mail | Kamakhya | Old Delhi |
20501/20502 | Agartala Tejas Rajdhani Express | Agartala | Anand Vihar Terminal |
12504/12503 | Agartala–SMVT Bengaluru Humsafar Express | Agartala | SMVT Bengaluru Terminal |
15959/15960 15961/15962 | Kamrup Express | Dibrugarh | Howrah |
12513/12514 | Silchar–Secunderabad Express | Silchar | Secunderabad |
12519/12520 | Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Agartala AC Express | Agartala | Lokmanya Tilak Terminus |
12507/12508 | Aronai Express | Thiruvananthapuram | Silchar |
12509/12510 | Guwahati-SMVT Bengaluru Superfast Express | Guwahati | SMVT Bengaluru |
15903/15904 | Dibrugarh-Chandigarh Express | Dibrugarh | Chandigarh |
15933/15934 | New Tinsukia–Amritsar Express | New Tinsukia | Amritsar |
15645/15646 | Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Dibrugarh Express | Dibrugarh | Lokmanya Tilak Terminus |
15635/15636 | Dwarka Express | Guwahati | Okha |
15653/15654 | Amarnath Express | Guwahati | Jammu Tawi |
15655/15656 | Kamakhya–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express | Guwahati | Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra |
22511/22512 | Kamakhya–Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Karmabhoomi Express | Kamakhya | Lokmanya Tilak Terminus |
12505/12506 | North East Express | Kamakhya | Anand Vihar Terminal |
15667/15668 | Kamakhya–Gandhidham Superfast Express | Kamakhya | Gandhidham |
15655/15656 | New Tinsukia–SMVT Bengaluru Superfast Express | New Tinsukia | SMVT Bengaluru |
15929/15930 | New Tinsukia–Tambaram Express | New Tinsukia | Tambaram |
15617/15618 | Guwahati-Dullabcherra Express | Guwahati | Dullabcherra |
These are the major railway station which have large numbers of passenger frequencies and stoppages of trains in the zone.
Sl. No. | Name of station | Station code | Division |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Guwahati | GHY | Lumding |
2 | Silchar | SCL | Lumding |
3 | Dibrugarh | DBRG | Tinsukia |
4 | Rangiya Junction | RNY | Rangiya |
5 | Kamakhya Junction | KYQ | Lumding |
6 | Lumding Junction | LMG | Lumding |
7 | Mariani Junction | MXN | Tinsukia |
8 | Badarpur Junction | BPB | Lumding |
9 | Dimapur | DMV | Lumding |
10 | New Tinsukia Junction | NTSK | Tinsukia |
11 | Karimganj Junction | KXJ | Lumding |
12 | Rangapara North Junction | RPAN | Rangiya |
13 | New Bongaigaon Junction | NBQ | Rangiya |
14 | New Alipurduar | NOQ | Alipurduar |
15 | New Cooch Behar Junction | NCB | Alipurduar |
16 | Alipurduar Junction | APDJ | Aipurduar |
17 | New Jalpaiguri Junction | NJP | Katihar |
18 | Katihar Junction | KIR | Katihar |
19 | Purnia Junction | PRNA | Katihar |
20 | Agartala | AGTL | Lumding |
21 | Siliguri Junction | SGUJ | Katihar |
22 | Jalpaiguri Road railway station | JPE | Alipurduar |
23 | Dhupguri railway station | DQG | Alipurduar |
New Cooch Behar junction railway station is the main railway station in the district of Cooch Behar.
The 15645/46 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Dibrugarh Express is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways' Northeast Frontier Railway zone that runs between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus of Maharashtra and Dibrugarh of Assam in India.
Dalkholarailway station is a railway station in Dalkhola, Uttar Dinajpur district, West Bengal, India. It is a standard II-R interlocked roadside station situated on electrified double line section at 43 metres above sea level. It also serves as a prominent rakepoint and the entry to the rest of the NFR zone. Part of the Katihar railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway, the station lies on Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line, Barauni–Guwahati line and Katihar-Siliguri line.
Fakiragram is a railway station on the New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section of Barauni–Guwahati line and is located in Kokrajhar district in the Indian state of Assam. A branch line from Fakiragram connects to Dhubri.
Kishanganj railway station serves Kishanganj city in Kishanganj district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is one of the important railway station, as it lies on the important railway lines, they are Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line, Katihar–Siliguri line, and Barauni–Guwahati line. The famous Gaisal train disaster occurred at Gaisal railway station near Kishanganj.
Barsoi Junction railway station serves Barsoi town and katihar city in Katihar district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is a major and very important railway station having stoppages of premium trains like Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express and New Jalpaiguri–Howrah Shatabdi Express.
New Bongaigaon Junction is a railway junction station of Barauni–Guwahati line, and New Bongaigaon–Jogihopa–Kamakhya line of Northeast Frontier Railway. The one and only railway station in India which is located over a river named Tunia. It is the largest railway station with Carriage & Wagon Workshop in Rangiya railway division.
Lumding Junction Railway Station serves the Indian city of Lumding in Assam. It is the divisional headquarter of Lumding railway division of NFR. It is located in Hojai district. It is the 2nd biggest railway station of Lumding railway division, after Guwahati. It is one of the oldest railway station in India built under Assam Bengal Railway. It consists of 5 platforms with a total of 68 halting trains & 3 originating trains. The station consists of double diesel line.
Mariani Junction Railway Station is the major railway junction of Jorhat district in the Indian state of Assam on the Lumding–Dibrugarh section. It serves Jorhat city, Mariani and its surrounding area as well. The railway station is located at a distance of 18 km (11 mi) from Jorhat city.
The 22501/02 New Tinsukia–SMVT Bengaluru Express is a weekly Superfast train which connects Tinsukia, the easternmost town of Assam with the South Indian Metropolis of Bengaluru. The train consists of AC 1st class, 2-tier, 3-tier and sleeper-class coaches. It is 6th longest train service of Indian Railways, as of 2023, which travels a total distance of 3542 kilometres.
The New Tinsukia–Amritsar Express is a weekly Express train that connects Tinsukia, the easternmost town of Assam in the east with the "Golden city" Amritsar in the north.
The 15903 / 15904 Dibrugarh–Chandigarh Express is a weekly Express train which connects Chandigarh the capital of Punjab and Haryana in the North with the Tea City of India, Dibrugarh in Assam in the East.
New Alipurduar is one of the four railway stations that serve Alipurduar city in Alipurduar district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Its station code is NOQ. The other three adjacent railway stations are Alipurduar Junction, Alipurduar Court and Alipurduar .
Kokrajhar railway station is a major railway station in Kokrajhar district, Assam. Its code is KOJ. It serves Kokrajhar City. The station consists of three platforms. The station lies on the New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section of Barauni–Guwahati line of Northeast Frontier Railway. This station falls under Alipurduar railway division.
The 13281 / 13282 Dibrugarh–Rajendra Nagar Weekly Express is an Express train belonging to East Central Railway zone that runs between Dibrugarh and Rajendra Nagar Terminal in India. It is currently being operated with 13281/13282 train numbers on a weekly basis.
The Jhajha–Dibrugarh Weekly Express is an Express train belonging to Northeast Frontier Railway zone that runs between Jhajha and Dibrugarh in India, covering the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Nagaland and Assam. It is currently being operated with 15941/15942 train numbers on a weekly basis.
The Jivacch Link Express is an Express train belonging to Northeast Frontier Railway zone that runs between Darbhanga Junction and New Tinsukia junction in India. It is currently being operated with 25909/25910 train numbers on daily basis.
Dhupguri Railway Station is one of the major railway station between New Jalpaiguri & New Cooch Behar which serves the city of Dhupguri in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. The station lies on the New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section of Barauni–Guwahati line of Northeast Frontier Railway. The station lies on Alipurduar railway division.
Gossaigaon Hat railway station serves the town of Gossaigaon, Kokrajhar district in the Indian state of Assam. The station lies on the New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section of Barauni–Guwahati line of Northeast Frontier Railway. This station falls under Alipurduar railway division.
The Silchar-Coimbatore Superfast Express is a Superfast train of the Indian Railways belonging to Northeast Frontier Railway connecting Silchar in Assam and Coimbatore Junction in Tamil Nadu. It is currently being operated with 12516/12515 train numbers on once in week basis. The train passes through Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It starts from Silchar at 20:10 on Tuesday and reaches Coimbatore Junction at 12:00 on Friday. During its journey the train travels through major cities like Guwahati, Siliguri, Malda, Kolkata, Kharagpur, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Chennai, Vellore, Salem, Erode and Coimbatore. It holds the record of 8th longest running train of Indian Railways that covers 3492 km. .