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Jharia Coalfield Railways

The Jharia Coalfield lies in the Damodar River Valley, and covers about 110 square miles (280 square km), and produces bituminous coal suitable for coke. Most of India's coal comes from Jharia, it consists of 23 large underground and nine large open cast mines .

It became possible to develop mining in the Jharia Coalfield in the late nineteenth century primarily because of the introduction of railways.

• The East Indian Railway (EIR) Company extended the Grand Chord Line to Katrasgarh, to the north of the coalfields, via Dhanbad in 1894 . Branch lines were constructed to access the coalfields
• The southern area of the coalfield was served by the Bengal-Nagpur Railway(BNR) Jharia Coalfield Line

Background

The discovery of coal near Jharia led to the construction by the EIR of a short branch line of approximately 30 miles(48km) from Sitarampur, on the ‘EIR Main Line’, via Kumardhubi to Dhanbad in 1880 . Kumardhubi was the location of an early Colliery. The line was extended from Dhanbad to Katrasgarh in 1894 .

In 1890 the EIR submitted a Report by Mr T H Ward on the economic resources of the coalfield which was superior to the quality from the Raniganj coalfield. The construction of the EIR line from Barakhar to Katras was sanctioned in Apr 1892 and the line via Dhanabad opened in May 1894 and a year later another line from Kusunda to Pathordi thus connecting ‘the whole length of the coalfield’ . Kumardhubi was the location of an early Colliery. The line was extended from Dhanbad to Katrasgarh in 1894 .
This line later further extended to Gomoh to form the route Sitarapur-Barakar-Kumardhubi-Dhanabad-Katrasgarh-Gomoh. This line become part of the ‘EIR Grand Chord Line’ which fully opened in 1906 and reduced the distance for carrying coal to North India by 110 miles(177km) as it was no longer necessary to detour via Sitrampur.

All the lines were broad gauge(BG) serving the Jharia Coalfields had four major sections  :-

• ‘Katras EIR Branch Line’ from Dhanbad opened in 1894 via Kasunda to Katrasgarh, 9½ miles(15km) and extended to Phularitand in 1924 to form the ‘Dhanbad-Phularitand Section’, 14 miles (22 km).
• ‘Jharia EIR Branch Line’ from Dhanabad to Jharia opened 1894, 3¾ miles(6km) .
• ‘Damuda EIR Branch Line’ from Kasundra to Jharia opened in 1895, 4 miles(7km) ; extended in 1903 to Pathardi to form the ‘Dhanbad-Pathardih Section 9½ miles(15km) .
• ‘Pradhankhanta-Pathardih EIR Chord’ linking Pradhankhanta and Pathardih 9½ miles(15 km), opened in 1913.

BNR Jharia Coalfield Railways

The Bengal Nagpur Railway, ‘BNR Main Line’ between Asansol and Nagpur was a broad gauge(BG) line. The section between Purulia and Asansol, 46 miles(km), opened in 1891.
At Asasnol there was a junction with the ‘EIR Main Line’.
All these lines were broad gauge(BG)

• ‘BNR Jharia Extension Line’. The ‘Bankura-Bhojudih BNR Section’; 61 miles(98km), opened 1903.

Midway between Asansol and Purlia the line crossed the’ BNR Main Line’ at Adra Junction.
At Gomoh there was a junction with the ‘EIR Grand Chord Line’.

• ‘Bhojudih-Sudamdih-Gomoh BNR Section’, 26 miles(42km)was opened in 1907 as a further extension to the ‘BNR Jharia Extension Line’

Midway between Sudamdih and Gomoh is Mahuda Junction, the connection to the ‘Loop Line’ described below, giving access from the south to the Jharia Coalfields

Branches and extensions on the Jharia Coalfields:-

• ‘Bhojudih-Bhaga-Malkera-Mahuda BNR Loop Line’ ; 19 miles(31km), opened 1903-04
• ‘Bhowra Branch BNR Line’; 3 miles(5km), opened 1903
• ‘Bhojudih-Pathardihi BNR Link Line’; 1½ miles(2.3km); opened 1906 and 1915
• ‘Mahuda Junction-Chandrapura-Bermo Branch Line’, 22 miles(35km), opened in 1913

The section from Mahuda Junction to Jamuniatand, 4 miles (6km) was owned by BNR
The section from Jamuniatand to Chandrapura and Bermo Colliary, 18 miles(29km) was jointly owned by BNR and EIR
This section is described as part of the ‘Bokaro Ramgarh Extension Line’ in the 1918 Administration Report . Note: Bokaro is 4 miles west of Bermo: Ramgarh is a further 24 miles west of Bokaro, the line was later extended further west to Bokaro and Ramsgarh.

Further Informtion

See East Indian Railway - Lines owned and worked and [[Bengal-Nagpur Railway - Lines Owned and Worked]