| Old Malda–Abdulpur line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Functioning |
| Owner | |
| Locale | |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 26 |
| Service | |
| Type | Railway line in Bangladesh and India |
| History | |
| Opened | 1930 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | Broad-gauge,1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Operating speed | 100 km/h |
Old Malda–Abdulpur line was built in 1930 during theBritish Indian rule. At present, the Bangladesh part of the railway line is operated and maintained underBangladesh Railway and the Indian part of the railway line is managed and maintained byIndian Railways.[1]
In 1878, theHowrah–New Jalpaiguri line was divided into two sections. The first leg was a 185 km journey on the East Bengal State Railway from Calcutta railway station (nowSealdah) to Damukdia Ghat on the south bank of thePadma River, followed by a second journey across the river by ferry. The North Bengal Railway's 336 km meter gauge line connected Saraghat on the north bank of the Padma withSiliguri.[2] The Howrah–New Jalpaiguri main line was gradually converted to broad gauge. TheHardinge Bridge was opened in 1915, while the Saraghat–Sirajganj line was built by the Sara–Sirajganj Railway Company between 1915-16. Then in 1930, the Abdulpur–Amnura broad gauge line was opened as a branch of the Saraghat–Sirajganj line.[3][4]
It is currently functioning as an active transit and is connected toSinghabad railway station inMalda district, India. The railway entered India for the transport of goods from Bangladesh toNepal through an agreement signed on 15 August 1978.[5] A new route between Bangladesh and India was provided for through a renegotiation on 6 September 2011.[6]
Bangladesh started using this transit in 2011 by exporting fertilizers to Nepal. The Singabad–Rohanpur transit point is used fromRaxaul Junction railway station near the border of Nepal toKhulna railway station in Bangladesh without any transshipment charges.[7][8]
A branch of the Old Malda–Abdulpur line runs from Amnura toChapainawabganj. The line has two stations. Namely:Amnura Bypass railway station andChapainawabganj railway station.[9]
