Saharsa–Purnia line

Saharsa–Purnia line is a single 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge track from Saharsa Junction to Purnia Junction of Bihar state. The line connects Saharsa to the Mini Darjeeling of Bihar Purnia. The Saharsa–Purnia Court section falls under Samastipur Division of East Central Railway and Purnia Court–Purnia Junction section under Katihar Division of Northeast Frontier Railway.

Saharsa–Purnia line
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Indian Railways
Locale	Bihar, India
Termini	Saharsa Junction Purnia Junction
Stations	16
Service
Type	Single Electric Line
Operator(s)	East Central Railway zone
History
Opened	1954; 71 years ago (1954)
Technical
Line length	99 km (62 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Electrification	Yes
Operating speed	100 km/h (62 mph)
Route map Legend km Saharsa–Forbesganj line 99 Saharsa Junction to Mansi 96 Karu Khirhar Nagar 91 Baijnathpur 83 Methai 78 Dauram Madhepura 69 Budhma 66 Bhairopatti 62 Deenapatti 56 Murliganj 50 Rupauli 43 Jankinagar 40 Harapatti to Kursela(planned) 63 Bihariganj 31 Mahikhand Halt 56 Raghunans Nagar 51 Barhara Kothi 49 Sukhsena 46 Aurahi 43 Sukhasan Kothi 36 Banmankhi Junction 26 Sarsi 23 Alinagar Tola 14 Krityanand Nagar 5 Purnia Court Saura river to Jogbani 0 Purnia Junction to Katihar

History

The construction of the Purnea - Banmankhi - Murliganj and Bihariganj line, built by the East Bengal Railway, began in 1929 and was completed in 1937, passing through this station.^[1]

After India’s independence, the Saharsa - Budhmaghat line was extended to Murliganj in 1954, connecting the entire Purnea - Saharsa section with 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)-wide metre-gauge tracks.^[2]

The gauge conversion work on the Purnia - Saharsa line commenced in the year 2007-08, resulting in a partial suspension of train services. However, the unprecedented floods in the Kosi River in 2008 severely disrupted and delayed the project.^[3] After eight years of construction, the broad gauge (BG) line on the remaining Banmankhi - Purnia section was finally completed and inaugurated on June 10, 2016, by the then Railway Minister of India, Suresh Prabhu.^[4]

Branch Line

Banmankhi–Bihariganj line

The Banmankhi–Bihariganj line is a broad-gauge railway line in Bihar, under the jurisdiction of the East Central Railway. The line spans approximately 27 km, connecting Banmankhi Junction (BNKI) in Purnia district to Bihariganj (BHGJ) in Madhepura district. The gauge conversion of this line was part of the Purnia–Saharsa line gauge conversion project. It was inaugurated in 2018, enhancing rail connectivity in the region. The line have primarily three passenger trains for Saharsa Junction and Purnia Court, facilitating transportation between rural and urban areas.^[5]

Trains

1. Kosi Express
2. Janaki Intercity Express
3. Hate Bazare Express
4. Purnia Court–Amritsar Jan Sewa Express
5. Janhit Express
6. Saharsa–Purnia DEMU
7. Saharsa–Bihariganj DEMU
8. Saharsa–Purnia Court Fast Passenger
9. Bihariganj–Purnia Court DEMU
10. Saharsa–Dauram Madhepura MEMU

See also

• Indian Railways
• Saharsa Junction
• Purnia Junction
• Purnia Court railway station
• Banmankhi Junction
• Samastipur railway division
• Katihar railway division
• Kosi Division
• East Central Railway zone
• Northeast Frontier Railway zone