The Asansol–Patna section is a

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

connecting in the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

and

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

. The line passes through the fringe areas of West Bengal, a portion of

Santhal Parganas Santhal Pargana division constitutes one of the five district administration units known as the divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Origin of name Santhal Pargana derives its name from two words: "Santhal", a major tribe of India a ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...

and the

Gangetic Plain The Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as the North Indian River Plain, is a fertile plain encompassing northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, including most of northern and eastern India, around half of Pakistan, virtually all of Bangla ...

in Bihar.

History

The first rail track between Howrah and Delhi was via what was later named as

Sahibganj loop The Sahibganj loop is a railway line connecting Khana Junction and Kiul Junction. Originally a part of the Howrah–Delhi main line, it was opened to traffic in 1866. With the construction of a shorter railway line for a part of the route, the ...

and the first through train on the route was run in 1864. The Kiul–Patna sector was ready around 1862. A "shorter main line" connecting Raniganj and

Kiul Junction Kiul Junction railway station (station code: KIUL), is one of the major railway junctions in Danapur division of East Central Railway. Kiul is connected to metropolitan areas of India, by the Howrah–Delhi main line via Mugalsarai–Patna rou ...

was in position in 1871 and the opening of the

Grand Chord Grand Chord is part of the Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line and Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line. It acts as a link between Sitarampur, (Asansol), (West Bengal) and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, Uttar Pradesh, previously known as Mughalsarai Jun ...

in 1907 shortened the distance from Howrah to Delhi even further.

Electrification

The Asansol–Sitarampur sector was electrified in 1960–61 and the rest of the Asansol–Patna section was electrified during the period 1994–95 to 2000–2001. Sector-wise progress was as follows: Sitarampur–Chittaranjan 1994–95, Chittaranjan–Jamtara 1995–96, Jamtara–Jasidih 1996–97, Jasidih–Narganjo 1997–98, Narganjo–Jhajha 1998–99, Jhajha–Kiul in 1997–98, Kiul–Mankatha 1999–2000, Mankatha–Barhaiya 2000–01, Barhaiya–Mokama 1999–2000 Mokama–Fatuha 1998–99, Fatuha–Danapur 1999–2000.

Speed limit

The entire Sitarampur–Patna–Mughalsarai line is classified as "B Class" line, where trains can run at speeds up to 130 km/h.

Passenger movement

and , on this line, are amongst the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railway.

Sheds and workshops

Chittaranjan Locomotive Works Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) is an electric locomotive manufacturer based in India. The works are located at Chittaranjan in the Asansol Sadar subdivision of West Bengal, with an ancillary unit in Dankuni. The main unit is 32 km f ...

, one of the largest electric locomotive manufacturers in the world, is located on this line. Initially started for manufacturing steam locomotives, it went into production on 26 January 1950, the day when India became a republic. It now produces AC and DC locomotives and accessories. Asansol is home to the oldest electric loco shed of Indian Railways. It houses

WAG-5 The Indian locomotive class WAG-5 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1978 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), alternating current (A), goods traffic ( ...

and

WAM-4 The Indian locomotive class WAM-4 is a class of 25 kV AC electric locomotives that was developed in 1970 by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works for Indian Railways. The model name stands for broad gauge (W), alternating current (A), mixed traffic ( ...

electric locomotives.

Railway reorganisation

In 1952, Eastern Railway, Northern Railway and North Eastern Railway were formed. Eastern Railway was formed with a portion of

East Indian Railway Company The East Indian Railway Company, operating as the East Indian Railway (reporting mark EIR), introduced railways to East India and North India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, South Indian Railway, Bombay, Barod ...

, east of Mughalsarai and

Bengal Nagpur Railway The Bengal Nagpur Railway was one of the companies which pioneered development of the railways in eastern and central India. It was succeeded first by Eastern Railway and subsequently by South Eastern Railway. History The opening of the ...

. Northern Railway was formed with a portion of East Indian Railway Company west of Mughalsarai, Jodhpur Railway, Bikaner Railway and Eastern Punjab Railway. North Eastern Railway was formed with

Oudh and Tirhut Railway The Oudh and Tirhut Railway was a Railway company operated in India. History On 1 January 1943, the Bengal and North Western Railway and the Rohilkund and Kumaon Railway (R&K worked) were acquired by the Government of India and they were amalg ...

, Assam Railway and a portion of

Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway The Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (reporting mark BB&CI) was a company incorporated in 1855 to undertake the task of constructing railway lines between Bombay to the erstwhile Baroda State, that became the present-day Baroda (Vadoda ...

. East Central Railway was created in 1996–97.

References

External links

Trains at PatnaTrains at Asansol
, {{DEFAULTSORT:Asansol - Patna section 5 ft 6 in gauge railways in India * * Rail transport in West Bengal Rail transport in Jharkhand Railway lines in Bihar Transport in Asansol 1871 establishments in India