Katihar–Siliguri line

Katihar–Siliguri line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railway
Locale	North Bengal-Bihar
Termini	Katihar Siliguri Junction
Stations	35
Service
Operator(s)	Northeast Frontier Railway
History
Opened	1878
Technical
Line length	203 kilometres (126 mi)
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad gauge

Katihar–Siliguri line
km km to Teznarayanpur to Barauni 00 0 Katihar Junction Katihar-Jogbani line Maniyan 06 4 Nayatola Kuretha 11 9 Dandkhora Sahja Halt 15 12 Gorphar Pranpur Road 18 Labha 23 16 Sonaili Dilli Dewan Ganj 26 19 Bishanpur Halt Barsoi–New Farakka section 23 Jhaua Babhangaon Halt 32 25 Meenapur Khurial 35 Kamalpur Halt 38 Azamnagar Road 43 29 Salmari Bhawanipur Bihar Halt 47 34 52 Mukuria 38 Barsoi Barsoi–Radhikapur line 43 Khempur 46 Sanjay Gram 50 Sudhani 56 Ajhrail 59 Telta Bihar West Bengal border Raiganj-Dalkhola line (planned) 67 Dalkhola NH 34 74 Surja Kamal 82 Kanki 87 Hatwar West Bengal Bihar border 93 Tauheed Halt 96 0 Kishanganj planned connection Kishanganj City 97 4 Mahangaon Bihar West Bengal border 12 Kuttihat Panjipara 104 18 Majgaon Ikarchala 108 20 Majhok Halt Gaisal 113 26 Routa Dhantola 115 35 Taslim Nagar Gunjaria 118 40 Pora Halt Aluabari Road Junction 126 45 Khata Halt Katihar-Jogbani line West Bengal Bihar border 50 Jalalgarh Pothia 131 Katihar-Jogbani line Taiabpur 139 Mahananda River Thakurganj 146 0 West Bengal Bihar border planned connection Dhulabari 131 3 Bhogoabar Mangurjan 137 9 Kooagaon Halt NH 31 15 Pawakhali Bihar West Bengal border 29 Tulsia Tin Mile Hat 143 37 Bibiganj Dumdangi 152 44 Taragach Halt Mahananda River 54 Kaliaganj Chattarhat 161 64 Bardha Halt 75 Lakshmipur Piprithan 152 84 Khawaspur Halt Galgalia 158 90 Bansbari Bihar West Bengal border 97 Rahamatpur Adhikari 167 Katihar-Jogbani line Batasi 170 100 Arariya Naksalbari 179 Katihar-Jogbani line Hatighisa 183 Bagdogra 192 Nijbari 168 Rangapani 175 Mahananda River 196 Raja Rammohanpur Halt New Jalpaiguri Junction 182 Balason River New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section Siliguri Town 186 198 Matigara Siliguri Junction 189 202 Panchai River Siliguri-Kishanganj closed NG section Panchnai Junction 204 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway NG line to Darjeeling New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar– Samuktala Road Line Siliguri-Gielkhola closed NG section km km

The Katihar–Siliguri line is a railway line connecting Katihar in the Indian state of Bihar with Siliguri Junction in West Bengal, via Kishanganj, Aluabari Road Junction (Islampur), Thakurganj, Adhikari, Naxalbari and Bagdogra. It was a metre-gauge track that was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad Gauge in 2011.

Another railway line with a slightly different route with shorter distance exists between Siliguri Junction and Aluabari Road Junction (Islampur) and its details are available in Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line article.

History

Early developments

Railway developments in the area started in the 1880s. East Indian Railway Company opened the Manihari-Katihar-Kasba section in 1888 and the North Bengal Railway opened the Katihar-Raiganj section the same year. The Barsoi-Kishanganj section opened in 1889. All these lines were metre gauge lines. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, operating narrow gauge lines, extended their operations from Siliguri to Kishenganj in 1915.

Siliguri was connected to Calcutta (now spelt as Kolkata) via the eastern part of Bengal since 1878 (for details see Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Line). However, with the partition of India in 1947, railway services in the region were completely disrupted. In 1949, the narrow gauge Siliguri-Kishanganj section was upgraded to metre gauge. Thus there was a direct metre gauge connection from Manihari to Siliguri via Katihar. A generally acceptable route to Siliguri was via Sahibganj Loop to Sakrigali ghat. Across the Ganges by ferry to Manihari Ghat. Then metre gauge via Katihar and Barsoi to Kishanganj and finally narrow gauge to Sliguri, before Kishanganj-Siliguri was converted to metre gauge. This, therefore, remains a historic route, even though for a short period.

Surviviving as a metre gauge line in the broad gauge era

In the sixties, new broad gauge lines were laid in the area and in 1971 with the rail bridge over Farakka Barrage, Siliguri was once again directly connected with Calcutta (now spelt as Kolkata) by broad gauge track. A section of the broad gauge line from Mukuria to Aluabari Road ran alongside the metre gauge line. The metre gauge line survived for many years until 2011.

An Indian Railways Fan Club enthusiast reported (in June 2005): "Near Siliguri, a MG line emerges to the right, on a somewhat high embankment and continues to run parallel to the road. This is the Siliguri-Kishanganj-Katihar MG line which still exists. Bagdogra is a station on this line, in fact the airport's runway almost ends within station limits! Both road and rail curve northwards but then diverge with the road crossing over the railway tracks. This overpass is above the Siliguri-New Mal Junction-Alipurduar Junction-Samuktala Road line and the DHR. The former was MG in 2000 and is BG now."

Gauge conversion

The Siliguri-Katihar line was the last surviving metre gauge line in the area. The Aluabari Road-Katihar section already had a broad gauge line running alongside the metre gauge line. The Aluabari Road-Siliguri section needed to be converted. Conversion work was taken up in 2008, train services in the section was suspended and conversion work completed early in 2011.