The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has commissioned the existing 6.8-km Rangapani–Bagdogra siding line under its Katihar Division for regular freight operations, strengthening freight connectivity and improving goods movement in the strategically important Siliguri region of North Bengal.
The Rangapani–Bagdogra corridor, located in the Siliguri region, popularly known as the Chicken’s Neck, in Darjeeling district, is an important railway link for freight transportation.
NFR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the long-disused railway line has been brought back into operation with minimal expenditure, ensuring productive utilisation of existing railway infrastructure to meet growing freight transportation requirements.
With the commissioning of the route, trains originating from East Central Railway (ECR) and entering NFR at Forbesganj will no longer need to reverse at Siliguri Junction (SGUJ) before proceeding towards destinations beyond Barsoi.
Eliminating the reversal will result in substantial energy savings, reduce unnecessary detention of rolling stock and minimise the deployment of crew and shunting staff required for reversal operations.
Sharma said the new operational arrangement would enable NFR to receive at least 10 freight trains per day from ECR at Forbesganj for onward movement beyond Barsoi. This is expected to significantly enhance freight handling capacity, improve operational efficiency and facilitate faster movement of goods.
The additional freight route will also provide greater operational flexibility and enable more efficient utilisation of railway resources and rolling stock.
The conversion was undertaken under the guidance of NFR General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, through coordinated efforts by the Katihar Division and other concerned departments.
The initiative reflects NFR’s continued focus on improving operational efficiency and strengthening freight services through teamwork and optimal utilisation of existing infrastructure.
Headquartered at Maligaon near Guwahati, the Northeast Frontier Railway operates across the northeastern states, as well as seven districts of West Bengal and five districts of north Bihar.