Dibru–Sadiya Railway

Dibru–Sadiya Railway

Company type	Private
Founded	1881
Defunct	1945
Headquarters	Dibrugarh , British India
Area served	Dibrugarh and Tinsukia, Assam
Services	Rail transport

Tinsukia Junction, 1943

Dibrugarh Railway Yard, 1943

Dibru–Sadiya Railway plaque, Heritage Museum, Tinsukia

AR&TC mineral wagon built by MRC&W in 1922

Dibru–Sadiya Railway (DSR) was one of the pioneering railway companies in British India and the first railway service of Assam in north-east India.[1]

History

This metre-gauge railway was owned by Assam Railways and Trading Company (AR&TC), which was incorporated by John Berry White for transportation of Coal, Tea and public in the rapid growth of the tea industry. The first section of the line opened in 1882 from Brahmaputra River steamer ghat, Dibrugarh eastward, 15 miles. First train service had come into operation on 1 May 1882 from Dibrugarh's Mohanamukh to Jaipur. A 40 miles track between Dibrugarh and Makum was opened to traffic on 16 July 1883. The first railway junction in Assam was Makum Junction on the railway line that opened in 1884 to Dihing bridge. The railway was further extended in 1910 to reach Saikhoa giving a total line length of 86 miles (140km) including the Makum Branch.[1] On 1 January 1942, the working was taken over by the Bengal and Assam Railway. The railway was later merged with North Eastern Railway zone in 1952.[2][3][4][5][6]

Rolling stock

In 1936, the company owned 33 locomotives, 66 coaches and 1617 goods wagons.[7]

Classification

It was labeled as a Class II railway according to Indian Railway Classification System of 1926.[8][9]

Conversion to broad gauge

The railway network was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge in late 1990s.[1]

References

1. "State's first railway track closed down". assamtribune.com. guwahati. assamtribune. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
2. "History of NF Railway". nfr. guwahati. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
3. "[IRFCA] Indian Railways FAQ: IR History: Early Days - 2".
4. "Bangladesh Railway". Archived from the original on 15 November 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
5. "1942 Rail Map". Retrieved 28 July 2018.
6. "Railway Heritage Park of Tinsukia, Assam, India - Tinsukia Online". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
7. World Survey of Foreign Railways. Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C. 1936. p. 221.
8. "Indian Railway Classification". Retrieved 10 November 2022.
9. World Survey of Foreign Railways. Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C. 1936. p. 220–223.

External links

• Indian rail club