Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines

Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines
Overview
Status	Operational
Locale	Bihar, Uttar Pradesh
Termini	Barauni Gorakhpur
Operation
Owner	Indian Railway
Operator(s)	East Central Railway, North Eastern Railway
Technical
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ^3⁄8 in) metre gauge Some gauge conversions in progress

Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines
Legend
km to Varanasi 339 Gorakhpur Gorakhpur Cantonment Pipraich Kaptanganj Khada 255 Paniyahawa Gandaki River UP-Bihar border 240 Valmiki Nagar Road 237 Awasani (halt) 233 Bagaha 223 Kharpokhra 215 Bhaironganj 266 Hari Nagar 258 Chamua 251/271 Narkatiaganj 306 Bhikhana Thori 293 Gawnaha 287 Bhitiharwa Ashram (halt) 284 Amolwa Sardar Nagar Chauri Chaura Gauri Bazar Batalpur Deoria Ahilyapur to Varanasi Bhatni Nonapar Bhatpar Rani UP-Bihar border Mairwa Padrauna Tamkuhi Road Taria Sujan Tinpheria UP-Bihar border Nechua Jalapur Sasa Musa Thawe Siwan Pachnukhi Daraunda Chainwa Ekma Kopa Samhota Tekniwas Gopalganj Manjagarh Sidwalia Brajkishor (halt) Hakam Dighwa Dubaili Katalpur Allyapur (halt) Parsa Kerawan Shamkaunia Agouther Marhaurah Paterahi Jalal Banni to Varanasi Chhapra Khirah 257 Musharwa (halt) 252 Sathi 248 Rameswar Nagar (halt) 243 Chanpatia 236 Kumarbagh 229 Prajapati (halt) 226 Bettiah 219 Majhwalla 209 Parsanagar (halt) 204 Sugauli 210 Dharminia (halt) 219 Ramgarhwa 224 Masanadih 272 Gokhula 265 Marjadwa 257 Sikta 252 Kangali (halt) 247 Bhelwa 240 Raxaul 198 Semra 191 Chailaha (halt) 183 Motihari 180 Motihari Court (halt) 174 Jiwdhara 169 Bangari (halt) 165 Kuwar-Chintawanpur (halt) 161 Pipra 157 Kuria (halt) 151 Chakia 145 Harpur Nag (halt) 141 Mehsi 137 Mahwal 130 Motipur 124 Nariyar (halt) 119 Pipraha 115 Kanti 105 Kaparpura Goldingganj Awatarnagar Dighwara Sitalpur Nayagaon Paramanandpur 94 Sonpur Gandaki River 88 Hajipur Ghoshawar (halt) 99 Sarai Bithauli 108 Bhagwanpur Benipati Pirapur (halt) 116 Goraul 123 Kurhani 130 Turki 137 Ramdyalunagar 103 Muzaffarpur 234 Nakardei (flag) 228 Adapur 222 Pachpokharia (halt) 216 Chauradano 211 Jaimurtinagar (halt) 205 Ghorasahan 200 Ramroop Nagar (halt) 197 Kundwa Chainpur 192 Gurhanwa (halt) 186 Bairgania 178 Dhang 172 Mohini Mandal (halt) 167 Riga 163 Tapasi Narayan Nagar (halt) 158 Sitamarhi 154 Bhisa (halt) 150 Parsauni 144 Bajpatti 139 Awapur (halt) 132 Janakpur Road 129 Chandanauna (halt) 124 Jogiara Devera 119 Bandhauli (halt) 114 Muraitha (halt) 113 Kamtaul 106 Tektar (halt) 101 Muhammadpur 95 Shiso (halt) 89 Darbhanga 96 Kakar Ghatti 99 Bijuli (halt) 102 Tar Sarai 105 Saheed Suraj Narayan Singh (halt) 109 Sakri 113 Ugna (halt) 117 Pandaul 126 Madhubani 136 Rajnagar 140 Lalit Lakshimpur (halt) 145 Khajauli 151 Korahiya (halt) 158 Jainagar 116 Manigachhi 120 Mandan Mishra (halt) 124 Lohna Road 128 Jhanjharpur 133 Mithila Deep (halt) 137 Tamuria 143 Chikna 149 Ghoghagardiha 154 Parsanavroli (halt) 160 Nirmali 134 Jhanjharpur Bazar (halt) 136 Mahrail 142 Chandeshwar Asthan 148 Vachaspatinagar 155 Barhara (halt) 162 Khutauna 170 Laukaha Bazar 98 Narayanpur Anant 90 Silaut 84 Siho 77 Dholi 71 Dubaha 64 Khudiram Bose Pusa 57 Karpurigram 84 Laheriasarai 79 Thalwara 73 Hayaghat 68 Ram Bahadurpur 61 Kishanpur 55 Muktapur to Khagaria 51 Samastipur 41 Ujiarpur 35 Nazirganj 27 Dalsinghsarai 23 Satha Jagat 82 Chakmakrand 78 Akshaywat Rai Nagar 73 Chak Sikander 70 Gram-Kharika (halt) 68 Desari 63 Sahei Bujurg 58 Mahnar Road 54 Basdeopur-Chandel (halt) 50 Shahpur Patoree 45 Nandini Lagunia 38 Mohiuddinagar 32 Harpur Bochaha 28 Vidyapati Nagar 23 Sherpur Dhipura (halt) 21 Fateha (halt) 16 Bachhwara 12 Majnupur Nawada (halt) 7 Teghra 3 Barauni (flag) 0 Barauni to Mokama–Barauni section to Barauni–Katihar section Source: Indian Railways Time Table, Eastern Zone

The Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines are a set of three lines connecting Barauni in the Indian state of Bihar with Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. The lines run in an east-west direction between the Ganges and India-Nepal border, covering northern Bihar west of the Kosi river and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The southernmost of the three lines connects via Hajipur Junction, Sonpur Junction and Chhapra. The central line connects via Muzaffarpur, Motihari and Sugauli. The northern line connects via Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and Raxaul. The lines have interconnections between them and the northern line has extensions to places near the India-Nepal border.

History

Railway lines in the area were pioneered by Tirhut Railway and the Bengal and North Western Railway lines in the 19th century. In his book The Indian Empire, Its People, History and Products (first published in 1886) W.W.Hunter, says "The Tirhut State Railway with its various branches intersects Northern Behar and is intended to extend to the Nepal frontier on one side and to Assam on the other."^[1]

The area was developed with metre gauge tracks. The 229 km (142 mi) Samastipur-Narkatiaganj loop was developed in stages between 1875 and 1907. The Samastipur-Darbhanga line was opened for famine relief in 1874 and opened to the public on 1 November 1875. The 72 km (45 mi) long Nirmali branch (Darbhanga-Nirmali) between 1883 and 1886. The Sakri-Jainagar branch was opened in 1905. The Jhanjharpur-Laukaha Bazar line was opened in 1976.^[2]

The Barauni-Bachhwara line was opened in 1883. The Bachhwara-Bagaha line was developed in stages between 1883 and 1907. The 51 km (32 mi) long Hajipur-Muzaffarpur line was opened in 1884. The 270 km (168 mi) long Tirhut main line from Katihar to Sonpur was developed in stages between 1887 and 1901.^[2]

The 105 km (65 mi) long Chhapra-Thawe line was opened in 1910. The 320 km (199 mi) long Chhapra-Allahabad line was developed between 1891 and 1913. The Maharajganj branch line was opened in 1907. The Siwan-Kaptanganj line was opened between 1907 and 1913. The 127 km (79 mi) long Bhatni-Varanasi Chord was opened between 1896 and 1899.^[2]

Gauge conversion

Conversion from metre gauge to broad gauge has been a continuous process in the area.

Samastipur to Darbhanga (metre to broad gauge) was converted around 1983. Siwan to Thawe (metre to broad gauge) was converted in early 2006.^[2] In 1999 the Railway Convention Committee noted that broad gauge conversion of such lines as the Allahabad-Varanasi-Chhapra-Sonepur-Bachhwara section or the Muzaffarpur-Sugauli-Raxaul section created most of the desired alternative routes to avoid congestion of the main trunk routes and generated additional capacity.^[3]

Gauge conversion of the 268 km long Jainagar-Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj line that was started in 2011 was completed to Raxaul in February 2014 but the Raxaul to Narkatiaganj section remained to be converted from metre gauge. Conversion of Sakri-Laukaha Bazar-Nirmali line from metre to broad gauge had not started by March 2014.

Sections

• Barauni-Samastipur section
• Samastipur-Muzaffarpur section
• Muzaffarpur-Hajipur section
• Muzaffarpur-Gorakhpur section

New lines

As of 2011-12 and 2012-13 new lines being constructed in the area include:

• the 66.9 km long Muzaffarpur-Darbhanga line
• the 79 km long Sakri-Hasanpur line
• the 63 km long Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi line
• the 148.3 km long Hajipur-Sagauli via Vaishali line
• the 84.65 km long Chhapra-Muzaffarpur line
• the 70.14  km long Darbhanga-Kusheshwar Asthan line
• the 188 km long Sitamarhi-Jainagar-Nirmali via Susand line and
• the 66.55 km long Muzaffarpur-Katra-Oral-Janakpur Road line.

The 59 km long existing Chhapra-Hajipur line was being doubled.^[4][5]

Bridge links

The Ganges divides the state of Bihar in two parts. The mighty river makes communication between the two parts a difficult task.

The construction of the 2 km long Rajendra Setu in 1959 provided the first opportunity to link the railway tracks on the north and south banks of the Ganges.^[6]

The 4.55 km long Ganga Rail-Road Bridge, opened from 3rd February 2016, links Sonpur and Parmanandpur to Pahlezaghat Junction on north side of bridge to Patliputra Junction on south side of bridge to Patna.^[7]

References

1. W.W.Hunter. The Indian Empire, Its People, History and Products. p. 547. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
2. "Indian Railways line history; 2. North Eastern Railway" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-11-06.
3. Railway Convention Committee (1999). "Fourth Report on Development of Alternative Routes for Decongesting Existing Routes". Lok Sabha Secretariat, December 2001. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
4. "Assets-Acquisition, Construction and Replacement for 2011-12" (PDF). East Central Railway. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
5. "Assets-Acquisition, Construction and Replacement for 2012-13" (PDF). East Central Railway. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
6. "Rlys begins bridge renovation work". Times of India, Patna, 12 July 2010. 2012-11-06. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
7. "New deadline for rail bridge". The Telegraph, 8 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-06.

External links

• Trains at Muzaffarpur
• Trains at Darbhanga
• Trains at Motihari
• Trains at Narkatiyaganj