>Pallav1995 at 15:03, 28 September 2021

2021-09-28T15:03:36Z

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{{short description|Railway zone of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox rail
|name = Eastern Railway
| logo_filename = File:Shortened form of Eastern Railway Zone of Indian Railways.jpg
| logo_size = 80px
| system_map = Indianrailwayzones-numbered.png
| map_caption = 4-Eastern Railway
| map_size =
| marks =
| image = Howrah Railway Station 02.jpg
| image_size =
| image_caption = Howrah Junction
| locale = [[West Bengal]] and [[Jharkhand]], and some parts of [[Bihar]]
| start_year = {{start date and age|df=yes|1952|4|14}}
| end_year =
| predecessor_line = [[East Indian Railway]]
| successor_line =
| gauge = Broad gauge (BG) & narrow gauge (NG)
| old_gauge =
| electrification = {{convert|2222.620|km}}
| length = {{convert|2818.484|km}}
| hq_city = Fairley Place, [[Kolkata]]
| website = [https://er.indianrailways.gov.in Eastern Railway]
}}

The '''Eastern Railway''' (abbreviated '''ER''') is among the 18 zones of the [[Indian Railways]]. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, [[Kolkata]] and comprises four divisions: {{rwd|Howrah}}, {{rwd|Malda}}, {{rwd|Sealdah}}, and {{rwd|Asansol}}. Each division is headed by a Divisional Railway Manager (DRM). The name of the division denotes the name of the city where the divisional headquarters is located. Eastern Railway Consists the largest and second largest rail complex in the country namely [[Howrah Junction]] and [[Sealdah railway station]] and also consists of Most no. of A1 and A Category Stations like {{stnlnk|Howrah}}, {{stnlnk|Malda Town}},
{{stnlnk|Sealdah}}, {{stnlnk|Asansol}}, {{stnlnk|Durgapur}}, [[Barddhaman Junction railway station|Barddhaman]], {{stnlnk|Bhagalpur}}, [[Jasidih Junction railway station|Jasidih]], [[Bandel Junction railway station|Bandel]], [[Dankuni Junction railway station|Dankuni]] etc. Eastern Railways operates the oldest trains of India, [[Kalka Mail]]. 3 Popular Zones [[East Central Railway zone|ECR]], [[South Eastern Railway zone|SER]] (again from SER-ECOR and SECR carved out in 2020) [[Northeast Frontier Railway zone|NFR]] were part
Indian railways.

== History ==
The [[East Indian Railway]] (EIR) Company was incorporated in 1845 to connect eastern India with [[Delhi]]. The first train ran here between {{stnlnk|Howrah}} and {{stnlnk|Hooghly}} on 15 August 1854. The train left Howrah station at 8:30 a.m. and reached Hooghly in 91 minutes. The management of the East Indian Railway was taken over by the British Indian government on 1 January 1925.<ref>Rao, M.A. (1988). ''Indian Railways'', New Delhi: National Book Trust, pp.13,34</ref>

The Eastern Railway was formed on 14 April 1952 by amalgamating three lower divisions of the East Indian Railway: Howrah, Asansol and Danapur, the entire [[Bengal Nagpur Railway]] (BNR) and the Sealdah division of the erstwhile [[Bengal Assam 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 |df=dmy }}</ref> (which was already added to the East Indian Railway on 15 August 1947). On 1 August 1955, the portions of BNR stretching from Howrah to {{stnlnk|Visakhapatnam}} in the South which is now the Headquarters of [[South Coast Railway zone]], Howrah to Nagpur in the Central area and up to Katni in the North Central Region were separated from Eastern Railway and became the [[South Eastern Railway zone|South Eastern Railway]].<ref>Rao, M.A. (1988). ''Indian Railways'', New Delhi: National Book Trust, pp.42–3</ref><ref name=er>{{cite web|url=https://www.easternrailway.gov.in/erweb_new/about_us/aboutus.asp|title=The Eastern Railway-About us|publisher=The Eastern Railway|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914220045/http://www.easternrailway.gov.in/erweb_new/about_us/aboutus.asp|archive-date=14 September 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Three more divisions: [[Dhanbad Junction railway station|Dhanbad]], [[Mughalsarai Junction railway station|Mughalsarai]] and Malda were formed later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/focus/fojul99/fo2407991.html|title=Focus-Eastern Railway|publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India}}</ref> Till 30 September 2002 ER consisted seven divisions.

On 1 October 2002 a new zone, the [[East Central Railway]], headquarters at [[Hajipur]], was carved out by separating the Eastern Railway's [[Danapur]], [[Dhanbad]] and [[Mughalsarai]] divisions from it.<ref name=er/> Presently, it comprises four divisions and they are Malda Town, Howrah, {{stnlnk|Sealdah}} and [[Asansol Junction railway station|Asansol]].

On 28 November 2017, Eastern Railways brought into service, the first rake of upgraded Sealdah–New Delhi ‘Swarna’ Rajdhani.
This rake has become India's first Swarna Rajdhani rake under Project ‘Swarna’ of Indian Railways.
Under Project ‘Swarna’, Indian Railways had given a free hand to Zonal Railways to develop and create aesthetic and passenger friendly coach interiors on running rakes of Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.

The objective was to establish new standards in passengers comfort. A budget of Rs. 50 lakh per rake was allocated for this purpose.
The first rake of Sealdah–New Delhi Rajdhani has been upgraded at an expenditure of about Rs. 35 lakh.
The new features in the coach are aesthetic International colour scheme and LED lighting to improve illumination, night signage for easy identifications of berth numbers, better hygiene by providing ‘auto janitor’ system in toilets, built-in ladders adjacent to berths for easy access to upper berth and CCTV cameras in doorway area and aisles to monitor any suspicious activity.

==Divisions==
* [[Howrah railway division]]
* [[Sealdah railway division]]
* [[Asansol railway division]]
* [[Malda railway division]]

==Routes==
[[File:Howrah Railway Station 02.jpg|thumb|right|View of [[Howrah railway station|Howrah station]] from [[Howrah Bridge]]]]
[[File:Sealdah North Outlook.jpg|thumb|right|Sealdah Main railway station]]

===Trunk routes===
'''[[Howrah–Delhi main line]]'''
* [[Howrah–Bardhaman main line]]
* [[Howrah–Bardhaman chord|Howrah–Bardhaman chord line]]
* [[Bardhaman–Asansol section]]
* [[Asansol–Patna section|Asansol–Rajla section of Asansol–Patna line]]

'''[[Grand Chord]] and [[Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line]]'''
* [[Howrah–Bardhaman main line]]
* [[Howrah–Bardhaman chord|Howrah–Bardhaman chord line]]
* [[Bardhaman–Asansol section]]
* [[Asansol–Gaya section|Asansol–Chhota Ambana section of Asansol–Gaya line]]

'''[[Sahibganj loop]]'''
* [[Sahibganj loop|Khana–Rampur section of Sahibganj Loop]]

'''[[Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line]]'''
* [[Howrah–Bardhaman main line]]
* [[Howrah–Bardhaman chord|Howrah–Bardhaman chord line]]
* [[Bardhaman–Asansol section|Bardhaman–Khana section of Bardhaman–Asansol line]]
* [[Sahibganj loop|Khana–Gumani section of Sahibganj loop]]
* [[Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop|Gumani–New Farraka section of Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop]]
* [[Barsoi–New Farakka section|New Farakka–Malda Town section of New Farakka–Barsoi line]]

===Suburban and Branch lines===
*[[Ahmadpur–Katwa line]]
*[[Andal–Sainthia branch line]]
*[[Andal–Sitarampur loop line]]
*[[Bardhaman–Katwa line]]
*[[Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop]]
*[[Jasidih–Dumka–Rampurhat line|Deoghar–Banka–Bhagalpur branch line]]
*[[Dumka–Bhagalpur line]]
*[[Jasidih–Dumka–Rampurhat line]]
*[[Madhupur–Giridih–Koderma line|Madhupur–Giridih branch line]]
*[[Howrah–Bardhaman main line|Howrah–Belur Math branch line]]
*[[Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop|Nalhati–Azimganj branch line]]
*[[Lalgola and Gede branch lines|Krishnanagar–Nabadwip Ghat line (NG under conversion)]]
*[[Lalgola and Gede branch lines|Ranaghat–Lalgola line]]
*[[Lalgola and Gede branch lines|Ranaghat–Gede line]]
*[[Lalgola and Gede branch lines|Ranaghat–Shantipur–Krishnanagar line]]
*[[Sealdah–Hasnabad–Bangaon–Ranaghat line|Ranaghat–Bangaon line]]
*[[Sheoraphuli–Bishnupur branch line|Seoraphuli–Tarakeswar–Goghat line]]
*[[Sealdah–Hasnabad–Bangaon–Ranaghat line|Sealdah–Barasat–Bangaon line]]
*[[Sealdah–Hasnabad–Bangaon–Ranaghat line|Barasat–Hasnabad line]]
*[[Sealdah–Ranaghat line]]
*[[Sealdah–Ranaghat line|Naihati–Bandel branch line]]
*[[Sealdah–Ranaghat line|Kalyani–Kalyani Simanta branch line]]
*[[Sealdah South lines|Sealdah–Budge Budge line]]
*[[Sealdah South lines|Sealdah–Diamond Harbour line]]
*[[Sealdah South lines|Sealdah–Canning line]]
*[[Sealdah South lines|Sealdah–Namkhana line]]
*[[Kolkata Circular Railway]]
*[[Chord link line (Kolkata Suburban Railway)|Calcutta Chord line]]

=== Discontinued routes ===
*[[Sealdah–Hasnabad–Bangaon–Ranaghat line|Dum Dum–Biman Bandar branch line]]

== Loco Sheds ==
*[[Electric Loco Shed, Howrah]]
*[[Diesel Loco Shed, Howrah]]
*[[Electric Loco Shed, Sealdah (Narkeldanga)]]
*[[Diesel Loco Shed, Sealdah (Beliaghata)]]
* [[Electric Loco Shed, Bardhaman]]
* [[Diesel Loco Shed, Bardhaman]]
*[[Electric Loco Shed, Asansol]]
* [[Diesel Loco Shed, Andal]]
* [[Diesel Loco Shed, Jamalpur]]

==See also==

* [[All India Station Masters' Association (AISMA)]]
* [[Zones and divisions of Indian Railways]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.er.indianrailways.gov.in Eastern Railway Official Website]
{{coord missing|West Bengal}}

{{Railways in Eastern India}}
{{Indian Railways}}

[[Category:Zones of Indian Railways]]
[[Category:Eastern Railway Zone| ]]

Eastern Railway zone - Revision history

>Pallav1995 at 15:03, 28 September 2021