New Jalpaiguri
Encyclopedia
New Jalpaiguri is a major railway station of the city of Siliguri
in the India
n state
of West Bengal
. The station is popularly known by its acronym NJP. It is located at a distance of 2.5 kilometres from the center of the town.
junction linking Siliguri and North Eastern India to major Indian cities like Delhi
, Mumbai
, Kolkata
, Pune
, Guwahati
, Bangalore
, Chennai
, etc. The station is also a major junction for supplies and goods for the state of Sikkim
. The station still lacks direct connectivity with other major cities like Ahmedabad
, Bhopal, Indore
, Jaipur
and other South Indian cities. The station has two gauges: broad gauge
— linking regular rail traffic between Assam
and other parts of India and narrow gauge — the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
, a World Heritage Site
connecting it with the hill station
of Darjeeling. The earlier-existing metre gauge
line has been removed and converted into broad gauge.
Around 1949 Siliguri Junction station, a new station north of the old Siliguri Town station, came up with several lines converging on it. Primarily, there were three metre gauge lines – south-west to Kishanganj and Barsoi, north-east in the direction of Assam, and south to Sliguri Town and Haldibari. In addition there was the narrow gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
running from Siliguri Town station to Darjeeling via Siliguri Junction. The Assam Rail Link Project, completed in 1950, linked the railways in Assam, with a metre gauge line to Kishanganj. The line running across North Bengal, spanned the Teesta, Torsha, and Sankosh rivers.
In the early sixties, Indian Railways built a new broad-gauge station south of Siliguri south station and by 1964, New Jalpaiguri became the most important railway station in the area. It had both broad gauge and metre gauge connections and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was extended to the new station.
Siliguri
Siliguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal,...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. The station is popularly known by its acronym NJP. It is located at a distance of 2.5 kilometres from the center of the town.
Overview
New Jalpaiguri is a major railwayIndian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
junction linking Siliguri and North Eastern India to major Indian cities like Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, etc. The station is also a major junction for supplies and goods for the state of Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
. The station still lacks direct connectivity with other major cities like Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Bhopal, Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
, Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
and other South Indian cities. The station has two gauges: broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
— linking regular rail traffic between Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
and other parts of India and narrow gauge — the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a narrow gauge railway from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways....
, a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
connecting it with the hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...
of Darjeeling. The earlier-existing metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
line has been removed and converted into broad gauge.
History
The partition of India in 1947 completely disrupted communication links of North Bengal and Assam with southern parts of West Bengal. Earlier, the links were through the eastern part of Bengal, which formed a part of Pakistan in 1947. Siliguri gained in importance as the gateway to North Bengal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Assam.Around 1949 Siliguri Junction station, a new station north of the old Siliguri Town station, came up with several lines converging on it. Primarily, there were three metre gauge lines – south-west to Kishanganj and Barsoi, north-east in the direction of Assam, and south to Sliguri Town and Haldibari. In addition there was the narrow gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a narrow gauge railway from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways....
running from Siliguri Town station to Darjeeling via Siliguri Junction. The Assam Rail Link Project, completed in 1950, linked the railways in Assam, with a metre gauge line to Kishanganj. The line running across North Bengal, spanned the Teesta, Torsha, and Sankosh rivers.
In the early sixties, Indian Railways built a new broad-gauge station south of Siliguri south station and by 1964, New Jalpaiguri became the most important railway station in the area. It had both broad gauge and metre gauge connections and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was extended to the new station.