Sylhet District tramways

Sylhet District tramways

Sylhet District Tramways

A group of four tramways on the 2ft 6in/762mm narrow gauge(NG) in the Sylhet District were surveyed in 1897-98. The Report states:-
” The following lines have been proposed in the interests of the tea industry and as feeders to the Assam-Bengal Railwayand surveys have been made on behalf of the promoters :-

• ‘Sutang to Madna’, reconnoitred in 1898 – 30 miles
• ‘Srimangal to Manumukh’, reconnoitred in 1898 – 22 miles
• ‘Kalaura via Sylhet to Chhatak’, reconnoitred in 1898 – 53 miles
• ‘Karimganj to Chandi Khira’, with branch from ‘Pathar Kandri Bazar to Magura Cherra’, reconnoitred in 1897 – 43 miles

The 1906 Report shows that only part of one of the four tramways was in progress -

• The ‘Kalaura to Sylhet Tramway’was under construction for the section from Kalaura to Sylhet; this superceeded the ‘Kalaura via Sylhet to Chhatak’ proposal <ref name=Hist1906/ref>.

See below which shows that this line was finally built as a metre gauge (MG) line.

The other proposals were not apparently under construction in 1906.

Later Developments

• The ‘Sylhet Branch Railway’ was constructed as a metre gauge (MG) branch line from [[Kalaura] to Sylhet. This railway opened in stages from 1911 and completed in 1916. The line was part of the Assam-Bengal Railway(ABR) and connected to the ABR mainline at Kalaura - see separate page .
• Srimangal (Sreemangal) is on the ABR main line and a branch line to Manumuka (Moulvibazar) leaves there.
• Sutang is also on the ABR main Line.
• Lastly the Karimganj (Karamanji) line is covered by the Maymaman Singh to Barihab Bazar ABR line.

Hence the tramways were not needed.