Bengal Dooars Railway
| Bengal Dooars Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Lalmanir Hat towards Bhutan | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | 153 miles (1905) 158 miles (1922) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1891 | Company formed | |
| 1941 | Merged into Eastern Bengal Railway | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Bengal | |
| Stations | Lalmanir Hat | |
| System agency | ||
| Company owned and worked | ||
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The Bengal-Dooars Railway (BDR) was a company owned and operated collection of small metre gauge lines that ran from its junction with the Eastern Bengal Railway north west towards the Bhutan border.
Confusingly, the later lines are listed separately as the Bengal Dooars Extensions Railway in railway statistics, although they form an integral part of its system; these being State funded extensions and passed to BDR on completion
History
The Company was formed in the UK in 1891 and the main contract signed in the same year. The longest line ran from Lalmanir Hat in Rangpur District north west through Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri Districts to the Western Dooars on the borders of Bhutan. The line's headquarters were at Domohani.
The undertaking was amalgamated with the Eastern Bengal State Railway in January 1941.
Branch Lines
- Ramsai Branch Railway (Metre gauge: 6 miles)
Lataguri Junction to Ramsai (6 miles) - opened 11 June 1893; this served a remote tea garden at Ramsai (362 miles).
- Madari Hat Branch Railway (Metre gauge: 44 miles);
Mal Junction to Chalsa (5 miles)- opened 1 April 1901; Chalsa to Chengmari (14 miles) - opened 1 January 1903; Chengmari to Dalgaon (16 miles) - opened 23 March 1903 Dalgaon to Madari Hat (9 miles) -opened 14 June 1903.
- Metelli Branch Railway (Metre gauge: 5 miles)
Chalsa Junction to Metelli (5 miles) - opened 10 June 1918.
- Kurigram Branch Railway (Narrow gauge: 15 miles)
Tista Junction to Kurigram - opened 6 February 1882 This line is a remnant of the Kaunia Dharle Railway, the most part of which was converted to metre gauge and incorporated in the main Assam line.
An extension to BDR opened 1891-92
Link between BDR and Cooch Behar Railway; opened c.1900
Associate Lines
Constructed c.1885 by East Bengal Railway(EBR) as Narrow Gauge Tram. Converted to Medium Gauge, 1901 with part to EBR's Gauhati Branch Railway; part to Kurigram Branch Railway mentioned above.