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The discovery of coal ne]]ar [[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 <ref name=Symph> “Symphony of Progress - The Saga of the Eastern Railway 1854-2003”; published by Eastern Railway, 2003; page 18-19</ref>. [[Kumardhubi ]] was the location of an early Colliery. The line was extended from [[Dhanbad]] to [[Katrasgarh]] in 1894 <ref name=wiki/><ref name=Admin54>[https://archive.org/stream/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System#page/n63/mode/1up “Administration Report on Railways 1918” page 54 (pdf63) ]; Retrieved 22 Apr 2019</ref>.

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 [[Katrasgarh|Katras]] was sanctioned in Apr 1892 and the line via [[DhanabadDhanbad]] opened in May 1894 and a year later another line from [[Kusunda]] to [[Pathardi]] thus connecting ‘the whole length of the coalfield’ <ref name=manrhum>[https://archive.org/details/manbhum01coup/page/174 “Bengal District Gazetteer - Manbhum” by H.Coupland, 1911, Chapter IX ‘Coalfields in Manbhum’, pages 174-5]; Retrieved 22 Apr 2019</ref>.