The Northeast Frontier Railway (abbreviated NFR) is one of the
19 railway zones of the
Indian Railways
Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...
. It is headquartered in
Maligaon
The headquarters of Northeast Frontier Railway and Northeast Frontier Railway Stadium is situated here.
The place is also known for goddess Durga pandals. There are several temples and places of worship in and around Maligaon. Hanuman Mandir, K ...
,
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
in the state of
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, and responsible for operation and expansion of rail network all across
Northeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
states and some districts of eastern
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 ...
and northern
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 ...
.
Divisions
Northeast Frontier Railway is divided into 5 divisions:
*
Katihar railway division
Katihar railway division is one of the five railway divisions under Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 15 January 1958 and its headquarter is located at Katihar in the state of Bihar of India ...
*
Alipurduar railway division
Alipurduar railway division is one of the five railway divisions under Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 15 January 1958 and its headquarter is located at Alipurduar in the state of West Ben ...
*
Lumding railway division
Lumding railway division is one of the five railway divisions under Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 1 May 1969 and its headquarter is located at Lumding in the state of Assam of India.
Katih ...
*
Rangiya railway division
Rangiya railway division is one of the five railway divisions under Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 1 April 2003 from Alipurduar railway division and its headquarter is located at Rangiya in ...
*
Tinsukia railway division
Tinsukia railway division is one of the five railway divisions under Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 15 January 1958 and its headquarter is located at Tinsukia in the state of Assam of India. ...
Each of these divisions is headed by a Divisional Railway Manager, a Senior Administrative Grade officer of the rank of Joint Secretary to Government of India.
The departmental setup at headquarters level and divisional setup in the field assists the General Manager in running the railways. Various departments namely engineering, mechanical, electrical, signal & telecom, operations, commercial, safety, accounts, security, personal and medical are headed by a Senior Administrative Grade / Higher Administrative Grade officer, provide technical and operational support to the divisions in train operations. Another division is being to be set up in
Silchar
Silchar is a city and the headquarters of the Cachar district of the state of Assam, India. It is located south east of Guwahati. It was founded by Captain Thomas Fisher in 1832 when he shifted the headquarters of Cachar to Janiganj in Silchar. ...
by bifurcating Lumding division.
History
![Dibrugarh_Railway_Yard,_1943](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Dibrugarh_Railway_Yard%2C_1943.jpg)
In 1881, the Assam Railway and Trading Company opened a metre gauge line long from
Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh (pron: ˌdɪbru:ˈgɑ:) is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam in ...
to
Makum
Makum (IPA: mɑːkəm) is a town and a town area committee in Tinsukia district in the Indian state of Assam. It should not be mistaken for Makum Pathar (the place near Digboi where, crude oil was first struck in Asia). It is the meeting point of ...
. This company later started the first passenger train in Assam by the name of
Dibru–Sadiya Railway
Dibru–Sadiya Railway (DSR) ( as, ডিব্রু-শদিয়া ৰেলৱে) was one of the pioneering railway companies in British India and the first railway service of Assam in north-east India.
History
This metre-gauge rail ...
.
The North Eastern Railway was formed on 14 April 1952 by amalgamating two railway systems: the Assam Railway and
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 ...
. Later, it was bifurcated into two railway zones on 15 January 1958, the
North Eastern Railway and the Northeast Frontier Railway.
[Rao, M.A. (1988). ''Indian Railways'', New Delhi: National Book Trust, pp.42-4] to better serve the needs of the
northeastern
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
states.
Operational area
![Kamakhya_Junction_Railway_Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Kamakhya_Junction_Railway_Station.jpg)
The area of Northeast Frontier Railway operations is characterized by exceptional beauty and at the same time by some of the most arduous terrain. This difficult terrain limits the rail network expansion, and the only state with a decent rail network is Assam. The network is not
broad gauge
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...
in many parts and the rail lines are antiquated with speeds at some sections being limited to a maximum of . Before the Saraighat Bridge was constructed, passengers had to get down on the
Amingaon side of the
Brahmaputra
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...
and take a ferry across to Pandu Junction from where they could resume their journey.
The majority of the tracks have been converted to BG and electrification is in process starting from Katihar till Guwahati.
Major sections
A few of the major sections under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone are:
*
Eklakhi–Balurghat branch line
Eklakhi–Balurghat branch line is a branch line of the Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line of Indian Railways connecting Balurghat, the district headquarters of Dakshin Dinajpur district with Eklakhi in Malda district of West Bengal.
History
The ...
*
New Bongaigaon–Guwahati section
The New Bongaigaon–Guwahati section of the Barauni–Guwahati line connects New Bongaigaon and Guwahati in the Indian state of Assam.
History
Early developments within Assam
The Assam Railway and Trading Company played a pioneering role in ...
*
New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
*
Rangiya–Murkongselek section
The Rangiya-Murkongselek section is a long railway line connecting Rangiya in Kamrup district with Murkongselek in Dhemaji district in the Indian state of Assam. The entire section is under the jurisdiction of Northeast Frontier Railway.
Hist ...
*
Guwahati–Lumding section
The Guwahati–Lumding section is a broad-gauge railway line connecting and . The 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, Assa ...
*
Lumding–Dibrugarh section
The Lumding–Dibrugarh section is a broad-gauge railway line connecting and . The -long railway line is functional in the Indian state of Assam. It is under the jurisdiction of Northeast Frontier Railway.
History
The Assam Railway and Tradi ...
*
Silchar–Sabroom section
*
Katihar–Siliguri section
*
Katihar–Jogbani branch line
*
Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line
*
New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line
The New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line is a railway line that connects - Siliguri Junction with Alipurduar and in the Indian state of West Bengal. This railway line passes through the beautiful Doars region, which includes Maha ...
*
Barauni–Guwahati line
The Barauni–Guwahati railway line connects Barauni, Saharsa, Purnia and Katihar in the Indian state of Bihar and in Assam via Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar in West Bengal. It is a linkage of prime importance for Northeast ...
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
![Train-toy-final-2-720](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Train-toy-final-2-720.jpg)
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is maintained and governed under the responsibility of Katihar division. It ascends from
New Jalpaiguri
New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station (station code NJP) established in 1960, is an A1 category broad gauge and narrow-gauge railway station under Katihar railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway zone. It is the largest as well as the ...
; the climb begins at Sukna, continues uninterruptedly to
Ghum () and descends the final to
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, ...
. After independence, India's partition resulted in the isolation of the Northeast region. Consequently, the DHR was merged into Assam Railways, it was closed for the construction of the Assam–Bengal link line and one of its extension lines to Kishanganj was converted to
metre gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
. DHR's other extension line to Kalimpong was washed away due to floods. On reopening, the DHR was merged with
North Eastern Railway in 1952 and later into Northeast Frontier Railway in 1958.
The DHR achieved worldwide fame for many reasons such as:
* A gateway to the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
* The tiny four-wheeled
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s of the 19th century
* The curves, loops, "Z"s and steep grades crisscrossing the road
An interest in DHR all along has ensured that it continues to operate notwithstanding very heavy losses. The steam locomotive is an icon of this Railway. Tindharia workshop has kept 13 locomotives surviving, some of which are over 100 years old and the youngest is about 70 years old.
Timeline of DHR:
* 20 January 1948: Purchased by the Government of India
* 26 January 1948: Transferred to Assam Rail Link
* 26 January 1950: Transferred to Assam Railway
* 14 January 1952: Transferred to North Eastern Railway
* 15 January 1958: Transferred to Northeast Frontier Railway
Major Trains
*
Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express
''Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express'' is one of the premier train in the exclusive fleet of Rajdhani Expresses of Indian Railways. It connects in Delhi and in Assam.
History
* The first version of this train was inaugurated on 26 October 1996 as G ...
*
Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express
*
Avadh Assam Express
The 15909 / 15910 ''Avadh Assam Express'' is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways – Northeast Frontier Railway zone that runs between Dibrugarh railway station of Dibrugarh, Assam and Lalgarh Junction of Bikaner, Rajasthan in Ind ...
*
Agartala Rajdhani Express
*
Bangalore Humsafar Express
*
Agartala - Firozpur Tripura Sundari Express
*
Aronai Superfast Express
*
Dibrugarh-Chandigarh Express
*
Dibrugarh-Amritsar Express
*
Dwarka Express
The 15635 / 15636 Dwarka Express is an Express train of the Indian Railways connecting in Gujarat and in Assam. It is currently being operated with 15635/15636 train numbers on a weekly basis.
Coach composition
The train consists of 22 coa ...
*
Amarnath Express
The 15653 / 54 Guwahati–Jammu Tawi Amarnath Express is an Express train belonging to Indian Railways - Northeast Frontier Railway zone that runs between Guwahati and Jammu Tawi in India.
It operates as train number 15653 from Guwahati to Jam ...
*
Kamakhya–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express
The Kamakhya–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express is an Superfast Express trains in India, Superfast Express train belonging to Northeast Frontier Railway zone that runs between and in India. It is currently being operated with 15655/15656 ...
*
Kamakhya - Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Karmabhoomi Express
*
Kamakhya - Udaipur City Kavi Guru Express
*
Kamakhya - Dr. Ambedkar Nagar Express
*
Kamakhya–Gandhidham Superfast Express
*
Dibrugarh– Chennai Tambaram Express
*
Dibrugarh - Mumbai LTT Express
Loco sheds
* Diesel Loco Shed, Siliguri
* Diesel & Electric Loco Shed, Malda Town
* Diesel Loco Shed, New Guwahati
* Diesel Loco Shed, Mariani
Sicklines & Pitlines
* Dibrugarh Coaching Depot, Dibrugarh
* Pitline, Dibrugarh
* N.F.Railway Mechanical Workshop, Dibrugarh
* Coach Maintenance Depot/Sickline, Guwahati
* Pitline, Guwahati
* Pitline, New Guwahati
* New Bongaigaon Carriage & Wagon Workshop, New Bongaigaon
* Coach Maintenance Depot, Kamakhya
* Automatic Coach Washing Pitline, Kamakhya
* Silchar Coaching Depot, Silchar
* Pitline, Silchar
* DEMU cum Sick Shed, Agartala
* Pitline, Agartala
* Routine Overhaul(ROH) Depot, New Tinsukia
* Tinsukia Carriage Depot, Tinsukia
Major stations
These are the major railway station which have large numbers of passenger frequencies and stoppages of trains in the zone.
{, {, class="wikitable"
, + List of major railway stations in Northeast Frontier Railway Zone of Indian Railways
, -
! Sl. No. !! Name of station !! Station code !! Division
, -
, 1 , , , , GHY , , Lumding
, -
, 2 , , , , DBRG , , Tinsukia
, -
, 4 , , , , RNY , , Rangiya
, -
, 5 , , , , KYQ , , Lumding
, -
, 7 , , , , LMG , , Lumding
, -
, 9 , , , , MXN , , Tinsukia
, -
, 10 , , , , BPB , , Lumding
, -
, 11 , , , , SCL , , Lumding
, -
, 12 , , , , DMV, , Lumding
, -
, 13 , , , , NTSK , , Tinsukia
, -
, 14 , , , , RPAN , , Rangiya
, -
, 15 , , , , NBQ , , Rangiya
, -
, 16, , , , NOQ , , Alipurduar
, -
, 17 , , , , NCB , , Alipurduar
, -
, 18 , , , , APDJ , , Aipurduar
, -
, 19 , , , , NJP , , Katihar
, -
, 20 , , , , KIR , , Katihar
, -
, 21 , , , , AGTL , , Lumding
, -
, 22 , , , , SGUJ , , Katihar
See also
*
All India Station Masters' Association
The All India Station Masters' Association (AISMA) (Regd. No. NDD/09) is an Indian trade union representing the Station Masters of Indian Railways. Formed in 1953, it is among the best examples of work-category based unions in the Indian railwa ...
*
Zones and divisions of Indian Railways
Indian Railways divides its operations into zones, which are further sub-divided into divisions, each having a divisional headquarters. There are a total of 19 zones (including Metro Railway, Kolkata) and 70 Divisions on Indian Railway System. E ...
*
Northeast Frontier Railway Stadium
North-East Frontier Railway Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at Maligaon in Guwahati, Assam. It is mainly used for organizing matches of football and cricket. The stadium has hosted 33 first-class matches in 1976 when Assam cricket team pla ...
Further reading
*
References
External links
Northeast Frontier RailwayIndian Railways Online(official site)
Indian Railways Fan ClubIR. Online TicketsN F Railway (construction)Northeast Frontier Railway Recruitment
{{coord missing, Assam
N
*
Rail transport in Assam
Transport in Guwahati
Economy of Guwahati