East Bengal Mail
Overview
Service type	Mail train
Route
Termini	Sealdah Parbatipur Junction
Service frequency	Daily
Technical
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)

Sealdah–Parbatipur line

Technical
Track gauge	Broad gauge 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)

Sealdah

Ranaghat

to Lalgola

border

to Jessore

Poradah

to Goalundo Ghat

Hardinge Bridge across Padma

Iswardi

to Dhaka

to Rahanpur–Singhabad border

Abdulpur

Santahar

to Lalmonirhat Junction MG

Hili

to Biral–Radhikapur border MG

Parbatipur Junction

to Lalmonirhat Junction MG

to Chilahati–Haldibari border

km

The East Bengal Mail was one of three trains operated between India and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The rail link was suspended at the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

Overview

Prior to 1965, when armed conflict broke out between India and Pakistan, rail links existed between India and East Pakistan. Three trains ran between the two countries carrying goods and passengers: (1) East Bengal Express between Sealdah and Goalundo Ghat via Gede–Darshana, (2) East Bengal Mail between Sealdah and Parbatipur Junction via Gede–Darshana, and (3) Barisal Express between Sealdah and Khulna via Petrapole–Benapole.^[1]^[2]

History

From 1878, the railway route from Kolkata, then called Calcutta, to Siliguri was in two legs through the eastern part of Bengal. The first leg was a 185 km journey along the Eastern Bengal State Railway from Calcutta Station (later renamed Sealdah) to Damookdeah Ghat on the southern bank of the Padma River, then across the river in a ferry and the second leg of the journey. A 336 km metre-gauge line of the North Bengal Railway linked Saraghat on the northern bank of the Padma to Siliguri.^[3]

The 1.8 km long Hardinge Bridge across the Padma opened for trains in 1915. Presently, it is between the Paksey and Bheramara stations on the broad-gauge line between Khulna and Parbatipur in Bangladesh.^[4] In 1926 the metre-gauge section north of the bridge was converted to broad gauge, and so the entire Calcutta – Siliguri route became broad-gauge.^[3]

In the pre-independence days, two legendary mail trains used the Sealdah–Parbatipur line. The Darjeeling Mail linked Kolkata, then known as Calcutta, and Siliguri. The Assam Mail originally ran from Sealdah to Santahar by broad gauge, and onwards by metre gauge from Santahar to Guwahati (then spelt Gauhati).^[5]

Branch lines

Not only was the mainline an important one but a cursory glance at the route map shows important links. The Maitree Express uses a part of the route from Iswardi.

Abdulpur is an important junction with links to Rajshahi and the India–Bangladesh border at Rahanpur-Singhabad. In olden days, it was the route for travel between Malda and Kolkata.

Santahar is another important junction, with a metre-gauge connection to many places in the northern part of Bangladesh.^[6]

In pre-independence days, there was a metre-gauge line: Katihar–Radhikapur–Biral–Parbatipur–Tista–Geetaldaha–Golakganj–Fakiragram.^[2]

References

^ Sangeeta Thapliyal. "India–Bangladesh Transportation Links: A Move for Closer Cooperation". Retrieved 10 December 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Geography – International". IRFCA. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
^ ^a ^b "India: the complex history of the junctions at Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri". IRFCA. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
^ Bhuiyan, Muhammad Masudur Rahman (2012). "Hardinge Bridge". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^ "Trains of fame and locos with a name – Part 2". IRFCA. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
^ Fida, Quazi Abul (2012). "Railway". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

v t e Bangladesh Railway
Zones	East Zone West Zone
Lines	Narayanganj–Bahadurabad Ghat line Rajbari–Bhanga line Dhaka–Jessore line Joydebpur–Bangabandhu Shetu East line Tongi–Bhairab–Akhaura line Tongi–Manikganj–Paturia Ghat line Akhaura–Kulaura–Chhatak line Habiganj Bazar–Shaistaganj–Balla line Kulaura–Shahbajpur line Akhaura–Laksam–Chittagong line Chittagong Circular Railway Chittagong–Cox's Bazar line Chilahati–Parbatipur–Santahar–Darshana line Darshana–Jessore–Khulna line Old Malda–Abdulpur line Burimari–Lalmonirhat–Parbatipur line Santahar–Kaunia line Iswardi–Sirajganj line Khulna–Mongla Port Railway
Defunct lines	Jessore–Jhenidah Light Railway Kaunia–Dharlla State Railway Khulna–Bagerhat Railway Cherra Companyganj State Railways
Passenger trains	Barisal Express East Bengal Express East Bengal Mail Maitree Express Bandhan Express Chitra Express Kalni Express Kapotaksha Express Lalmoni Express Parabat Express Shonar Bangla Express Suborno Express Tista Express Banalata Express
Rolling stock	Locomotives of Bangladesh
Railway bridges	Hardinge Bridge Bangabandhu Bridge Padma Bridge Rupsha Rail Bridge
Transit points with India	Old Malda–Abdulpur line Akhaura–Agartala line Darshana–Gede Benapole–Petrapole Biral–Radhikapur Chilahati–Haldibari
Defunct transit points with India	Burimari–Changrabandha Shahbajpur–Mahisasan Mogalhat–Gitaldaha
History	Eastern Bengal Railway Assam Bengal Railway Pakistan Eastern Railway
See also	Saidpur railway workshop Bangladesh Railway Museum Dhaka Metro Rail Dhaka Subway Trans-Asian Railway
Category Commons

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–Mughalsarai 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–Jatdumari–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 Mughalsarai 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 Gitaldaha–Mogalhat

Indian railheads
near India–Nepal border

Railway companies