Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line
{{short description|Railway route in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox rail line
| box_width = 28em
| name = Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line
| color = 800000
| logo =
| logo_width =
| image = New Cooch Behar.jpg
| image_width =
| caption = New Cooch Behar Junction is an important railway station at Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line
| type = Rail line
| system =
| status = Operational
| locale = West Bengal
| start = {{stnlnk|Alipurduar Junction}}
| end = {{stnlnk|Bamanhat}}
| stations =
| routes =
| daily_ridership =
| open = 1894 onwards
| close =
| owner = Indian Railways
| operator = Northeast Frontier Railway
| character =
| depot =
| stock =
| linelength =
| tracklength = 72 km
| tracks =
| gauge = {{RailGauge|5ft6in|lk=on}} broad gauge
| old_gauge = Narrow gauge {{track gauge|762mm}} (1894–1910)
Metre gauge {{track gauge|1000mm}} (1910–2007)
| minradius =
| racksystem =
| electrification = Yes
| speed = 100 km/Hr
| elevation =
| website =
| map = {{Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line|inline=1}}
| map_state = collapsed
}}
The Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line is an Indian railway line connecting {{stnlnk|Alipurduar Junction}} with {{stnlnk|Bamanhat}}. This {{convert|72|km||adj=on|abbr=}} track is under the jurisdiction of Northeast Frontier Railway.
History
= Cooch Behar State Railway =
The Cooch Behar State Railway (CBSR) was a {{track gauge|762mm}} narrow gauge railway line that was built between Jayanti in the current Alipurduar district of West Bengal, India to Lalmonirhat in the current Lalmonirhat district in Bangladesh before partition between 1893 and 1898. The line originated from Jayanti near the foothills of Eastern Himalayas and went via Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Dinhata and Gitaldaha to finally join the narrow-gauge track of Kaunia–Dharlla State Railway at Mogalhat. This line was later brought by Eastern Bengal Railway in 1899.{{cite web |url= https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Cooch_Behar_State_Railway |title = Cooch Behar State Railway}}
= Eastern Bengal Railway =
The Kaunia–Dharlla State Railway was constructed as a narrow-gauge line from Teesta railway junction to Mogalhat in 1882 by Eastern Bengal Railway. As a part of linking with the {{convert|581|km}} long Katihar–Raiganj–Dinajpur–Parbatipur–Rangpur–Kaunia main metre-gauge line the Kaunia–Mogalhat–Gitaldaha NG section was converted to metre gauge from 1901 to 1902. The {{convert|25.27|km}} long Gitaldaha-Golakganj section was built as a part of the main metre-gauge line in 1902 via Bamanhat & Sonahat. This metre-gauge line was further extended to Amingaon via Fakiragram & Kokrajhar in 1906. The Jayanti–Gitaldaha junction section was converted to metre gauge in 1910.{{cite web |url= https://archive.org/stream/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System#page/n55/mode/1up |title = Eastern Bengal Railway main line}}
= Post Partition =
With the partition of India in 1947, the Assam links to Bengal were snapped. Further the Gitaldaha–Mogalhat rail transit point became defunct as floods washed away the railway bridge over Dharla River. The {{convert|72|km}} Alipurduar–Bamanhat section and the {{convert|47.7|km}} Fakiragram-Golakganj section were cut off as well and became isolated metre gauge sections. As a part of the Assam Link project a {{convert|301.8|km}} line was constructed between Kishanganj and Fakiragram in 1948. Thus these 2 sections became branch lines. Fakiragram was connected with a new {{convert|57.6|km}} line via Boxirhat to New Coochbehar in 2010–12.
Gauge conversion
The Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line was converted from metre gauge to broad gauge and was reopened to public in 2007.{{cite web | url = http://wiki.iricen.gov.in/doku/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=11301:vps.pdf | title = Role of Engineering Deptt in Meeting Corporate Objectives of Indian Railways | first = V.P. | last = Srivastava | access-date = 2013-02-21 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140330160317/http://wiki.iricen.gov.in/doku/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=11301:vps.pdf | archive-date = 30 March 2014 | url-status = dead }} A new station called the New Gitaldaha station was built to be used instead of the old Gitaldaha junction. The Fakiragram–Golakganj–Dhubri section was converted from metre gauge to broad gauge during 2010. Golakgunj was linked with New Cooch Behar with a new line in 2012 as a part of the New Maynaguri-Jogighopa project.{{cite web |url= https://nfrlyconstruction.org/Uploads/File/project-details/ProjectDetails_Current.pdf |title = NFR project as of October 31 2017|publisher= North East Frontier Railway| access-date=2018-08-29 }}{{cite news |url=http://ww.telegraphindia.com/1100914/jsp/northeast/story_12931692.jsp |title=Mamata flags off two trains- Dhubri-Kamakhya link after 22-year wait |work=The Telegraph |date=14 September 2010 |access-date=2011-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426002053/http://ww.telegraphindia.com/1100914/jsp/northeast/story_12931692.jsp |archive-date=26 April 2012 }}
References
{{reflist}}
|{{Railways in Eastern India}}
{{Railways in North-East India}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alipurduar-Bamanhat branch line}}