View source for Assam Bengal Railway

{{Short description|Railway company in British India (1892–1942)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox company
|name = Assam Bengal Railway
|logo = Assam Bengal Railway Logo.jpg
|type = 
|foundation =1892
|location_city = [[Chittagong]]
|location_country = [[British Raj|British India]]
|location =
|locations = <!--# of locations-->
|key_people = 
|area_served = [[Assam]] and [[Bengal]]
|industry = [[Railways]] 
|products =
|services = [[Rail transport]]
|revenue = 
|operating_income =
|net_income =  
|num_employees = 
|parent = 
|divisions =  
|subsid =
|slogan = 
|homepage = 
|dissolved = 1942
|footnotes =
|intl = 
}}

The '''Assam Bengal Railway''' ('''ABR''') was one of the pioneering railway companies in [[British Raj|British India]]. [[Central Railway Building|Headquartered]] in [[Chittagong]], it functioned from 1892 to 1942.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date%3D2012-04-01%26nid%3D5747#.UjOIQcanrSk |title=Chittagong – looking for a better future |work=New Age |access-date=13 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926230552/http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2012-04-01&nid=5747 |archive-date=26 September 2013 }}</ref><ref name=BangRail1>{{cite book |last=Mukherjee |first=Hena |year=2012 |chapter=Assam Bengal Railway |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Assam_Bengal_Railway |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Mukherjee |first=Hena |year=2012 |chapter=Eastern Bengal Railway |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Eastern_Bengal_Railway |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Islam |first=Sirajul |year=2012 |chapter=East Indian Railway |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=East_Indian_Railway |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

==History==
Assam Bengal Railway was incorporated in 1892 to serve British-owned tea plantations in Assam.<ref name=timeline>{{cite web |url=http://irse.bravehost.com/IRHTML.htm |title=Indian Railway History timeline |last=R.P. Saxena |access-date=24 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229092028/http://irse.bravehost.com/IRHTML.htm |archive-date=29 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Assam Bengal Railway started construction of a railway track on the eastern side of [[Bengal]] in 1891. A {{convert|150|km}} track between [[Chittagong]] and [[Comilla]] was opened to traffic in 1895. The Comilla-Akhaura-Kulaura-Badarpur section was opened in 1896–1898 and finally extended to [[Lumding]] in 1903.<ref name=banglapaedia/><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pL_GfLfK3lYC&pg=PA46 |title=Report on the administration of North East India (1921-22) |publisher=Mittal Publications |page=46 |year=1984 |access-date=16 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7OsLGZKYP5MC&pg=PA105 |title=Socio Economic and Political Problems of Tea Garden Workers: A Study of Assam |page=105 |author1=S.N. Singh |author2=Amarendra Narain |author3=Purnendu Kumar |date=January 2006 |publisher=Mittal Publications, New Delhi |isbn=978-81-8324-098-7 |access-date=16 December 2011}}</ref> The Assam Bengal Railway constructed a branch line to Guwahati, connecting the city to the eastern line in 1900. The line was extended to Tinsukia in 1902 and it was also connected to Dibru-Sadiya Railway in 1903.<ref name=timeline/>

In 1936, the company owned 205 locomotives, 588 coaches and 5922 goods wagons.<ref>{{cite book |title=World Survey of Foreign Railways |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxHLQGfxDa0C&pg=RA16-PA6 |year=1936 |publisher=Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C. |language=en |page=211}}</ref>

[[File:Indian Railway Heritage Logo-05 – Bengal Assam Railway (NER).jpg|thumb|200px|Logo of the Bengal and Assam Railway]]
[[File:Indian Railway Heritage Logo-04 – Assam Railway (NER).jpg|thumb|200px|Logo of the Assam Railway]]
On 1 January 1942, the Assam Bengal Railway combined with the [[Eastern Bengal Railway]] to form the '''Bengal and Assam Railway'''.<ref name=BangRail1/><ref name=Railhist>[http://www.railway.gov.bd/history.asp History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115201005/http://www.railway.gov.bd/history.asp |date=15 November 2007 }}, [[Bangladesh Railway]], [[People's Republic of Bangladesh]], Retrieved: 11 January 2007</ref><ref>Rao, M.A. (1988). ''Indian Railways'', New Delhi: National Book Trust, p.37</ref> At time of the independence of India in 1947, Bengal and Assam Railway was split up and portions of the Bengal Assam Railway which lay in Assam and the Indian part of North Bengal became '''Assam Railway''' and [[East Indian Railway]] respectively.<ref name=timeline/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nfr.railnet.gov.in/engir/History1.htm |title=History |publisher=Northeast Frontier Railway |access-date=24 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502032906/http://www.nfr.railnet.gov.in/engir/History1.htm |archive-date=2 May 2014}}</ref> and the portions about 2,600&nbsp;km long which fell within the boundary of erstwhile [[East Pakistan]] was named as Eastern Bengal Railway, the control remaining with the central Government of [[Pakistan]]. Later, with the effect from 1 February 1961, Eastern Bengal Railway was renamed as Pakistan Railway,<ref name=Railhist/> and in 1962 it became [[Pakistan Eastern Railway]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railway.gov.bd/history.asp |title=History |publisher=Bangladesh Railways |access-date=24 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115201005/http://www.railway.gov.bd/history.asp |archive-date=15 November 2007}}</ref> With the emergence of Bangladesh, it became [[Bangladesh Railway]] with its headquarters at [[Dhaka]].<ref name=banglapaedia>{{cite book |last=Fida |first=Quazi Abul |year=2012 |chapter=Railway |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Railway |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

On 14 April 1952, the 2,857&nbsp;km long Assam Railway and the [[Oudh and Tirhut Railway]] were amalgamated to form one of the six newly carved zones of the [[Indian Railways]]: the [[North Eastern Railway (India)]].<ref name=r>{{cite web |url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/financecode/ADMIN_FINANCE/AdminFinanceCh1_Data.htm |title=Chapter 1 - Evolution of Indian Railways-Historical Background |publisher=Ministry of Railways, India website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601024404/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/financecode/ADMIN_FINANCE/AdminFinanceCh1_Data.htm |archive-date=1 June 2009 }}</ref><ref>Rao, M.A. (1988). ''Indian Railways'', New Delhi: National Book Trust, pp.42-3</ref> On the same day, the reorganized Sealdah division of the erstwhile Bengal Assam Railway (which was added to the East Indian Railway earlier) was amalgamated with the [[Eastern Railway (India)|Eastern Railway]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.easternrailwaysealdah.gov.in/WebForm/FrameContent/Engineering.html |title=Sealdah division-Engineering details |publisher=The Eastern Railway, Sealdah division |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215161611/http://www.easternrailwaysealdah.gov.in/WebForm/FrameContent/Engineering.html |archive-date=15 February 2012}}</ref>

==Classification==
It was labeled as a Class I railway according to [[Indian Railway Classification]] System of 1926.<ref>{{cite web |title=Indian Railway Classification |url=https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Indian_Railway_Classification |access-date=10 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=World Survey of Foreign Railways |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxHLQGfxDa0C&pg=RA16-PA5 |year=1936 |publisher=Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C. |language=en |pages=210–219}}</ref>

== Conversion to broad gauge ==
The Indian part of ABR was converted to {{RailGauge|1676mm|lk=on}} broad gauge in 1990s to 2010s. The Bangladesh part is under conversion to {{RailGauge|1676mm|lk=on}} broad gauge.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111220203245/http://www.railway.gov.bd/brief_history.asp Bangladesh railway timeline]
* {{PM20|FID=co/047749|TEXT=Documents and clippings about|NAME=}}

{{Class I railways according to Indian Railway Classification System}}
{{Railway lines in Eastern India}}
{{Railways in Bangladesh}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assam Bengal Railway}}
[[Category:Rail transport in Chittagong]]
[[Category:Transport in Guwahati]]
[[Category:Metre-gauge railways in India]]
[[Category:Defunct railway companies of India]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Assam]]
[[Category:Rail transport in West Bengal]]
[[Category:Defunct railway companies of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:History of Assam]]
[[Category:History of rail transport in West Bengal]]
[[Category:Bengal Presidency]]