Northern Bengal State Railway
| Northern Bengal State Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Sara Ghat to Siliguri Parbatipur to Dinagepore, Parbatipur to Kaunia | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | 156 miles (1879) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1874-1879 | Initial construction | |
| 1887 | Merged into Eastern Bengal State Railway | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Bengal | |
| Stations | Santahar, Chilahati, Jalpaiguri, Rungpore | |
| System agency | ||
| State agency | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The Northern Bengal State Railway (NBSR) was one of the first metre gauge(MG) lines to be constructed opening in 1874 from Sara Ghat, on the left bank of the Padma River. Initially built only as far as Chilahati but later extended to Siliguri , the NBSR branched west at Parbatipur to Dinagepore and east to Kaunia.
History
At the same time, a broad gauge(BG) extension of the Eastern Bengal Railway(EBR) from Poradaho to Damukdia on the right bank of Padma, opposite Sara Ghat branched off and extended eastward. Passengers crossed the river Padma by railway operated steamer ferry using the Sara Train Ferry [1]
With the later extension of the NBSR in 1879 to Siliguri the journey from Calcutta to Shiliguri became possible without a break. At Siliguri , in the foothills of the Himilayas, there was a connection with the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway (which opened 1879-81) [1]
In 1887, to ensure better management, the NBSR along with Dacca State Railway(DSR) and the narrow gauge(NG) Kaunia-Dharlia State Tram/Railway were amalgamated to form the Eastern Bengal Railway(EBR).
Associated auxiliary force
Personnel
- Thomas Ellis Owen,1875-86, deployed from the Railway Branch of the Public Works Department to the Northern Bengal State Railway, as Superintendent of Works in various divisions.
Further Information
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh – Railways” ; Retrieved 10 Feb 2016