New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line

New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line (including New Cooch Behar–Golakganj branch line)
New Alipurduar Junction an important railway station on New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	West Bengal
Termini	New Jalpaiguri Samuktala Road
Stations	24
Service
Operator(s)	Northeast Frontier Railway
History
Opened	1950
Technical
Line length	182 km (113 mi)
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Electrification	Yes
Route map Legend km km New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section 238 105 Fakiragram New Jalpaiguri-New Bongaigaon section Fakiragram–Golakganj branch line to Dhubri & Abhayapuri 58 Golakganj Gadadhar River closed MG section to Bamanhat 43 Agomoni 36 Bidyar Dabri Assam West Bengal border 30 Boxirhat New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section 23 Tufanganj Samuktala Road 174 213 12 Maradanga 203 New Alipurduar Kaljani River 192 New Baneswar Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line 184 0 New Cooch Behar New Mal–Changrabandha– New Cooch Behar line New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section 176 Baneswar Kaljani River 166 Alipurduar Salsala Bari 169 164 Alipurduar Court Alipurduar College 164 161 Alipurduar Junction 157 Damanpur 150 Rajabhatkhawa Buxa Road 156 closed MG section Jayanti 166 planned Rajabhatkhawa–Jayanti new BG line 144 Garopara 138 Kalchini 135 Hamiltonganj 126 Hasimara Air Force Base Torsa River Dalsingpara 120 closed MG section 116 Madarihat 107 Mujnai 101 Dalgaon 92 Binnaguri 85 Banarhat Jaldhaka River 77 Chengmari 74 Carron, West Bengal 69 Nagrakata 62 Chapramari Naxal 71 planned Chalsa-Naxal new BG line Metelli 64 closed Chalsa-Metelli MG section 55 Chalsa Neora River Gangtok 122 48 New Mal Junction Singtam 90 New Mal–Changrabandha– New Cooch Behar line planned/approved ↑ under construction ↓ 42 Damdim Rangpo 68 37 Odlabari Sikkim West Bengal border Ghish River Melli 51 33 Bagrakote Tista Bazaar 46 Leesh River Teesta River 26 Pillamshat Teesta River Gielkhola 44 Rilli 40 Riyang 37 Siliguri-Gielkhola closed NG section Kalijhora 27 21 Sivok 18 Gulma Khola Salugara 13 Mahananda River Siliguri-Gielkhola closed NG section 16 Gulma 11 Pashwashraya Panchnai Junction 13 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway narrow-gauge line Siliguri-Kishanganj closed NG section Panchai River 7 Siliguri Junction Matigara 11 4 Siliguri Town Balason River New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section 0 New Jalpaiguri R.R. Halt 14 7 Rangapani Bagdogra 17 Katihar–New Jalpaiguri line Katihar–Siliguri line 0 Sources: Google Maps Indian Railway – East Zone Time Table 55425 Alipurduar–Bamanhat Passenger 55426 Bamanhat–Alipuduar Passenger

The New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line is a railway line that connects New Jalpaiguri- Siliguri Junction with Alipurduar and Samuktala Road in the Indian state of West Bengal. This railway line passes through the beautiful Doars region, which includes Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Dooars-Terai tea gardens, Sevoke Railway Bridge, River Teesta, River Jaldhaka, River Torsha, Gorumara National Park, Buxa Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara National Park, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary, Chilapata Forests, Tunnels, Hills, Valleys etc.

Cooch Behar State Railway built the line between Geetaldaha, which connected to Lalmonirhat, and Jainti during 1893–1901.^[1] The Eastern Bengal Railway constructed the Hasimara–Alipurduar section during the period 1900–1910. The Bengal Dooars Railway also constructed certain lines in the area. Their longest line was from Lalmonirhat to the western Dooars. Those were metre-gauge railways. The Eastern Bengal Railway and the Assam Bengal Railway were merged during World War II and came to be known as the Bengal Assam Railway. With the partition of India in 1947, the Indian part of Bengal Assam Railway became Assam Railway, which subsequently became part of North Eastern Railway and Northeast Frontier Railway.^[2][3][4] The metre-gauge track was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge.^[5][6] The 182 kilometres (113 mi) long New Jalpaiguri/ Siliguri–Samuktala Road line was constructed as part of the Assam Rail Link project in 1948–50. After conversion to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in), it was re-opened on 20 November 2003.^[4][7]

The Dooars or the Himalayan foothills cover a stretch of about 140 km in the northern part of Jalpaiguri district between the Teesta and Sankosh rivers with fields, forests and tea gardens in the backdrop of low hills. Numerous mountain streams criss-cross the region. The Dooars are particularly notable for its forests and wild life sanctuaries – Gorumara National Park, Jaldapara National Park, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary, Chilapata Forests, and Buxa Tiger Reserve. The New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line runs through the area.^[8] It also runs through another sanctuary outside the Dooars – Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.

The line running through deep forests has taken a toll on elephant herds. A large number of elephants have been killed by speeding trains. Following protests by the local population, restrictions have been placed on the speed of trains, particularly at night.^[5][9]

The construction of a new 44.4-kilometre (27.6 mi) long Sevoke-Rangpo Railway Line from Sivok railway station in Sevoke on the New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line in West Bengal to Rangpo railway station in Rangpo, Sikkim commenced in 2010.^[10][11] The railway line up to Rangpo is expected to be completed in December 2023.^[12] In the second phase the line will be extended up to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim.^[13]

The broad gauge branch line i.e New Mal–Changrabandha–New Cooch Behar line from Malbazar in Jalpaiguri district to Changrabandha in Cooch Behar district exists with connecting line to New Cooch Behar. Old metre gauge extension of this line on the Bangladesh side from Burimari to Lalmonirhat is still functional.^[14][15]

The Alipuduar–Bamanhat branch line ends near the India–Bangladesh border across the Dharla River. In pre-independence days, it used to connect to Mogalhat, now in Bangladesh, across the Dharla. The bridge is broken. The line from Golokganj meets the branch line. Before the Dharla bridge was broken the rail link from Parbatipur to Fakiragram used to pass through Geetaldaha, now a border village in Cooch Behar district, and Bamanhat.^[15][16] The Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) in 2007.^[17] Dhubri-New Jalpaiguri Inter-city Express via Cooch Behar was introduced in February 2012.^[18]

Rajabhatkawa-Jainti line is a new project sanctioned in 2012–13.^[19]

Important railway stations in this line are as follows:

• New Jalpaiguri Junction
• Siliguri Town
• Siliguri Junction
• Gulma
• Sivok Junction
• Bagrakote
• Odlabari
• Damdim
• New Malbazar Junction
• Chalsa
• Chapramari
• Nagrakata
• Carron, West Bengal
• Banarhat
• Binnaguri Junction
• Dalgaon
• Mujnai
• Madarihat
• Hasimara
• Hamiltonganj
• Kalchini
• Rajabhatkhawa
• Alipurduar Junction
• Salsalabari
• Samuktala Road Junction

External videos
Video shots of the Dooars from a train

• Trains at Hasimara

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