Guwahati–Lumding section

Guwahati–Lumding section (including Chaparmukh-Silghat Town & Chaparmukh-Mairabari branch lines)
Guwahati–Lumding section (including Chaparmukh-Silghat Town & Chaparmukh-Mairabari branch lines)
	Chaparmukh Junction an important railway station on Guwahati–Lumding section
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	Assam
Termini	Guwahati; Lumding;
Service
Operator(s)	Northeast Frontier Railway zone
History
Opened	1900; 124 years ago
Technical
Line length	181 km (112 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Old gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Electrification	Ongoing
Operating speed	110 km/h (68 mph)
Route map
	Legend
	New Bongaigaon–Guwahati
	section
	38
	0
	Assam
	Meghalaya
	under construction ↑
	planned ↓
	Salona-Khumtai line
	(planned)
	planned bridge over
	Brahmaputra River
	Silghat Town–Dekargaon
	line (planned)
	Source: Indian Railway Time Table[full citation needed]

The Guwahati–Lumding section is a broad-gauge railway line connecting Guwahati and Lumding Junction. The 179-kilometre (111 mi) long railway line operates in the Indian state of Assam. It is under the jurisdiction of Northeast Frontier Railway zone.

History

In the pre-partition days, Assam was linked to Chittagong through the Akhaura-Kulaura-Chhatak Line and Akhaura-Laksam-Chittagong Line. The Chittagong link had been constructed in response to the demand of the Assam tea planters for a railway link to Chittagong port. Assam Bengal Railway started construction of a railway track on the eastern side of Bengal in 1891. A 150-kilometre long (93 mi) track between Chittagong and Comilla was opened to traffic in 1895. The Comilla-Akhaura-Kulaura-Badarpur section was opened in 1896–1898 and finally extended to Lumding in 1903.^[1]^[2]^[3] The Assam Bengal Railway constructed a branch line to Guwahati, connecting the city to the eastern line in 1900. During the 1900–1910 period, the Eastern Bengal Railway built the Golakganj-Amingaon branch line, thus connecting the western bank of the Brahmaputra to the western line.

Broad gauge

The railway tracks from Guwahati to Lumding and from Chaparmukh to Haibargaon were upgraded from metre gauge to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge in 1994.^[4]

Line doubling

The Guwahati-Lumding-Dibrugarh line was proposed to be doubled in the Railway Budget for 2011–12.^[5]

The 44.92 km (28 mi) long Lumding-Hojai doubling project was sanctioned in 2012–13. The Lumding Hojai patch doubling was completed on 10 July 2019.^[6] The 30.50 km (19 mi) long New Guwahati-Digaru doubling project was completed in 2012–13.^[7]^[8]

Railway reorganisation

The Assam Railway and Trading Company Limited was merged with Assam Bengal Railway in 1945.^[9] With partition, Assam Bengal Railway was split up and railway lines in Assam became Assam Railway.^[10] In 1952, North East Railway was formed with the amalgamation of Assam Railway, Oudh-Tiirhut Railway and the Kanpur-Achnera section of Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway.^[11] Northeast Frontier Railway was created with a part of NE Railway in 1958.^[10]

References

^ Fida, Quazi Abul (2012). "Railway". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^ Report on the administration of North East India (1921–22). Mttal Publishers Distributors. 1984. p. 46.
^ S.N. Singh; Amarendra Narain; Purnendu Kumar (2006). Socio Economic and Political Problems of Tea Garden Workers: A Study of Assam. New Delhi: Mittal Publications. p. 105. ISBN 81-8324-098-4.
^ "Welcome to the website of Lumding Division, Northeast Frontier Railway". Lumding Division, NF Railway. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
^ "State Congress elated, opposition critical". The Assam Tribune, 26 February 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
^ "Lumding-Hojai Patch Doubling Project" (PDF). NF Railway. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
^ "New Guwahati Patch Doubling Project" (PDF). NF Railway. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
^ "North Eastern Region" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
^ Urban History of India: A Case-Study by Deepali Barua, pages 79-80, ISBN 81-7099-538-8, Mittal Publications, A-110 Mohan Garden, New Delhi - 110059
^ a b "History". Northeast Frontier Railway. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
^ "Geography : Railway Zones". IRFCA. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

[banglapaedia-1] Fida, Quazi Abul (2012). "Railway". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

[2] Report on the administration of North East India (1921–22). Mttal Publishers Distributors. 1984. p. 46.

[3] S.N. Singh; Amarendra Narain; Purnendu Kumar (2006). Socio Economic and Political Problems of Tea Garden Workers: A Study of Assam. New Delhi: Mittal Publications. p. 105. ISBN 81-8324-098-4.

[4] "Welcome to the website of Lumding Division, Northeast Frontier Railway". Lumding Division, NF Railway. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.

[5] "State Congress elated, opposition critical". The Assam Tribune, 26 February 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

[6] "Lumding-Hojai Patch Doubling Project" (PDF). NF Railway. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

[7] "New Guwahati Patch Doubling Project" (PDF). NF Railway. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

[8] "North Eastern Region" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

[9] Urban History of India: A Case-Study by Deepali Barua, pages 79-80, ISBN 81-7099-538-8, Mittal Publications, A-110 Mohan Garden, New Delhi - 110059

[nfrly-10] "History". Northeast Frontier Railway. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

[11] "Geography : Railway Zones". IRFCA. Retrieved 13 May 2013.