Bengal and North-Western Railway
| Bengal and North-Western Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | 902 miles (1905) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1881 | Company formed | |
| 1884 | First section opened to traffic | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Bengal | |
| Stations | Baharaich, Basti, Bhatni, Mankapur | |
| System agency | ||
| 1881 | Bengal and North-Western Railway | |
| 1943 | Oudh and Tirhut Railway | |
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
| Bengal and North-Western Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| System timeline | ||
| Constituent companies / lines | ||
| Bengal and North-Western Railway | ||
| 1890 | Tirhoot State Railway | |
| Key locations | ||
| Headquarters | Gorakhpur | |
| Workshops | Gorakhpur, Samastipur (Stores) | |
| Major Stations | Benares, Darbhanga, Ghazipur, Gonda, Monghyr, Muzaffarpur | |
| Successor system / organisation | ||
| 1943 | Oudh and Tirhut Railway | |
| System mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | 1468 miles (1905) 2088 miles (1943) | |
| Associated auxiliary force | ||
| Bengal and North Western Railway Battalion | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The Bengal and North-Western Railway (B&NWR) was a metre gauge railway, eventually comprising a complicated network of lines on the left (north) bank of the Ganges between Katihar in the east and Lucknow in the west.
Bengal & North Western main line
B&NWR main line was 301 miles long Metre gauge consisting of following sections:
- Sonepur to Mankapur (219 miles) opened 15 January 1885
- Mankapur to Gonda (17 miles) opened 2 April 1884
- Gonda to Colonelganj (18 miles) opened (29 October 1891) 1 February 1892
- Colonelganj to Jarwal Road (11 miles) opened 1 February 1892
- Jarwal Road to Bahramghat (5 miles) (including Elgin Bridge) opened 18 December 1896
- Bahramghat to Burhwal (4 miles) opened 24 November 1896
- Burwhal to Barabanki (Broad gauge: 17 miles) opened 1 April 1872
- Burhwal to Barabanki (Broad to Mixed gauge) converted 24 November 1896
- Burhwal to Barabanki (Mixed to Metre gauge) converted around 1943
- Dighwara-Goldingganj diversion (7 miles) opened around 1960
- Barabanki to Chhapra (Metre to Broad gauge) converted 1981
- Chhapra Kacheri to Dighwara (Metre to Broad gauge: 10 miles) converted autumn 2006
Lines worked by B&NWR
- Benares City Branch Railway, opened as branch of Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway(O&RR) 1899; however worked by B&NWR
- Cawnpore-Barabanki Railway, opened 1896; worked Jointly between B&NWR and Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway( R&KR) networks
- Darbhanga State Railway, opened 1883-84 as Nirmali Branch of Tirhoot State Railway(TSR); worked by B&NWR 1886-1890; then reverted to TSR
- Nirmali Branch Railway, alternative name forDarbhanga State Railway
- Masharak-Thawe Extension Railway, opened 1931, worked by B&NWR
- Patna-Baraich Railway, constucted by B&NWR under arrangement with Government of India(GoI); first phase opened 1884 and worked by B&NWR.
- Sagauli-Raxaul Railway,opened 1899, included under B&NWR, 1904
- Tirhoot State Railway, opened 1874. Temporary famine relief line; worked by B&NWR 1886-1890; then independent
History
The B&NWR was unusual in that it was one of the very few railways promoted and constructed without Government assistance other than the gift of land, the original contract being signed in 1882.
On 1 January 1943, the Government of India nationalised the B&NWR and amalgamated it with the Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway to form the Oudh and Tirhut Railway which subsequently, in 1952, became part of North Eastern Railway, a zone of Indian Railways.
Notes
- Rao, M.A. (1988). Indian Railways, New Delhi: National Book Trust
- Chapter 1 - Evolution of Indian Railways-Historical Background
External links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_and_North_Western_Railway