Eklakhi–Balurghat branch line

(Redirected from Eklakhi-Balurghat branch line) Railway line in West Bengal, India

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.

Eklakhi-Balurghat branch line

Balurghat railway station

Overview

Status

Operation

Owner

Indian Railways

Locale

West Bengal

Termini

Stations

Service

Operator(s)

Northeast Frontier Railway zone

History

Opened

2004; 21 years ago (2004)

Technical

Line length

87 km (54 mi)

Electrification

2023 with 25 kV AC

Route map

Legend

116

Hilli

109

Trimohani

Kamarpara

↑ planned

Balurghat

Barsoi–Radhikapur line

Mallickpurhat

Kaliyaganj

Rampur Bazar

Malancha

Barsoi–Radhikapur line

Fatepur Hat

Kushmundi

Aminpur

Kaliyaganj-Buniadpur line

(planned)

Barsoi–Radhikapur line

Raiganj

Daulatpur

Deotala

Barsoi–Radhikapur line

Mahanagar

Rupahari Halt

Harirampur

Durgapur

Itahar–Buniadpur line

(planned)

Raiganj–Itahar line

(planned)

Itahar

Bangar

Itahar–Gazole line

(planned)

Gazole

Eklakhi Junction

Barsoi–New Farakka section

History

The main line of Eastern Bengal Railway from Sealdah to Siliguri via Ranaghat, Darshana, Santahar, Parbatipur and Haldibari was built in 1878. It passed through Hili in the then unified Dinajpur District.

With the partition of India in 1947, the Chilahati–Parbatipur–Darshana section went to the then East Pakistan. Almost three-fourths of the town of Hili along with the railway station fell inside East Pakistan. The partitioned West Dinajpur district in India had only one connection from Barsoi to Radhikapur near the border. With the partition of this district in 1992, the newly formed Dakshin Dinajpur district lacked any rail connections. To rectify this situation a new line was proposed from Eklakhi in Malda district to the Dakshin Dinajpur district headquarters in Balurghat. This line was completed and opened on 30 December 2004.

Proposed Extensions

The line from Balurghat has been proposed to be extended right up to Hili town on the Indian side of the Indo-Bangladesh border. A major junction has also been planned to be set up in Itahar and to connect it with Buniadpur & Gazole stations on the Eklakhi–Balurghat line and with Raiganj on the Barsoi–Radhikapur branch line. A new line connecting Buniadpur to Kaliyaganj on the Barsoi–Radhikapur line via Kushmandi is also planned.

Stations

Station code	Station name	Distance (km)
EKl	Eklakhi	0
GZO	Gazole	14
MANG	Mahanagar	20
DOTL	Deotala	25
DLPH	Daulatpur Halt	33
BNDP	Buniadpur	42
GRMP	Gangarampur	55
MLNH	Malancha	64
RMPB	Rampur Bazar	67
MKRH	Mallickpurhat	75
BLGT	Balurghat	87

Electrification

The electrification of this route was started in 2018 and now functioning with 25 kV AC from May 2023.

References

"Opening of Eklakhi – Balurghat new line". pib.nic.in. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
"India: the complex history of the junctions at Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri". Archived from the original on 13 December 2004. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
"Border cloud on revelry- BDR bar on puja pandals". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
"Opening of Eklakhi – Balurghat new line". Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
"NEFR Pink Book 2021-22 Pg 2 #1" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
"NEW BG RLY LINE FROM EKLAKHI-BALURGHAT INCLUDING GAZOLE-ITAHAR(NL), NEFR". Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
"NFR Electrification underway". Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
"Railway Budget 2018: 881 km rail network set to be electrified in West Bengal". Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2021.

Railways in Eastern India

National network/
trunk lines

Other lines/sections

Interstate	Asansol–Gaya section Asansol–Patna section Asansol–Tatanagar–Kharagpur line Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines Barkakana–Son Nagar line Barsoi–New Farakka section Barsoi–Radhikapur branch line Dumka–Bhagalpur line Gaya–Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction section Hatia–Rourkela line Jasidih–Dumka–Rampurhat line Jharsuguda–Vizianagaram line Katihar–Siliguri line Kharagpur–Puri line Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section Kothavalasa–Kirandul line New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section Tatanagar–Bilaspur section
Bihar	Bakhtiyarpur–Tilaiya line Barauni–Katihar section Barauni–Samastipur section Fatuha–Tilaiya line Gaya–Kiul line Mokama–Barauni section Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur line (via Hajipur, Raxaul and Sitamarhi) Muzaffarpur–Gorakhpur main line Muzaffarpur–Sitamarhi section Muzaffarpur–Hajipur section Narkatiaganj–Bhikhna Thori branch line Neora–Daniyawan–Bihar Sharif–Sheikhpura line Patna–Gaya line Patna–Mughalsarai section Patna–Sonepur–Hajipur section Raxaul–Sagauli line Samastipur–Muzaffarpur section
Jharkhand	Barkakana–Netaji S.C.Bose Gomoh line Barkakana–Muri–Chandil line Dhanbad–Chandrapura line Railways in Jharia Coalfield Koderma–Hazaribagh–Barkakana–Ranchi line Madhupur–Giridih–Koderma line Netaji S.C.Bose Gomoh–Hatia line
Odisha	Khurda Road–Bolangir line Cuttack–Sambalpur line
West Bengal	Ahmadpur–Katwa line Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line Andal–Sainthia branch line Andal–Sitarampur loop line Bandel–Katwa line Bankura–Masagram line Bardhaman–Asansol section Bardhaman–Katwa line Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Eklakhi–Balurghat branch line Haldibari–New Jalpaiguri line Howrah–Barddhaman main line Howrah–Bardhaman chord Howrah–Kharagpur line Kharagpur–Bankura–Adra line New Mal–Changrabandha–New Cooch Behar line Santragachi–Amta branch line Sealdah Main and North section Calcutta Chord link line Kolkata Circular Railway Sealdah–Bangaon line Sealdah–Ranaghat–Gede line Ranaghat–Krishnanagar City–Lalgola line Sealdah South section Sheoraphuli–Bishnupur branch line

Suburban
rail transport

Monorail

Defunct lines

Revived/ Under revival	Ahmedpur–Katwa Railway Bankura–Damodar Railway Barasat–Basirhat Light Railway Burdwan–Katwa Railway Bakhtiarpur–Bihar Light Railway Futwah–Islampur Light Railway
Inactive	Bengal Provincial Railway East Coast State Railway Kalighat Falta Railway Mayurbhanj State Railway Dehri Rohtas Light Railway Patna–Digha Ghat line Parlakimedi Light Railway

Zones & Divisions

Eastern	Asansol Howrah Malda Sealdah
East Central	Danapur Dhanbad Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Samastipur Sonpur
East Coast	Sambalpur Khurda Road Waltair
North Eastern	Varanasi
Northeast Frontier	Katihar Alipurduar
South Eastern	Adra Chakradharpur Kharagpur Ranchi

Production units/
workshops

Transit points
with Bangladesh

Active	Haldibari–Chilahati Singhabad–Rohanpur Radhikapur–Biral Gede–Darshana Petrapole–Benapole
Defunct	Mahisasan–Shahbajpur Changrabandha–Burimari New Gitaldaha–Mogalhat

Indian railheads
near India–Nepal border

Railway companies