NOSTALGIC CHILDHOOD MEMORY OF CROSSING THE GANGES BY FERRY IN CALCUTTA – SILIGURI RAIL ROUTE

NOSTALGIC CHILDHOOD MEMORY OF CROSSING THE GANGES BY FERRY IN CALCUTTA – SILIGURI RAIL ROUTE

I would like to share about crossing of the Ganges by Ferry run by Railways, which might be of interest to those who have not experienced the same and also as a nostalgia to those who had travelled in that Route. To understand this fully by the younger generation, one has to go through little History of Calcutta – Siliguri Rail Route. So I start from the history (collected from various articles on Indian Railways from the net) with my experience coming in due time in this chronicle.

During the British period, all connections to North Bengal were through East Bengal (now Bangladesh). Calcutta – Siliguri Rail Route was in two laps. The first lap was a 185 km journey over Broad Gauge track started in 1878 under Eastern Bengal State Railway from Calcutta Station (later renamed Sealdah) to Damookdeah Ghat on the southern bank of the Padma River. The second lap of the journey was a 336 km Metre gauge line of the North Bengal Railway that linked Saraghat on the northern bank of the Padma to Siliguri, after crossing the river in a ferry run by the Railways. Details of the Ferry service will be given later.

The Hardinge Bridge (1.8 km long - Commonly known as SARA Bridge) across the Padma came up in 1912. In 1926 the Metre-gauge section north of the bridge was converted to Broad gauge, so that entire Calcutta - Siliguri route became broad-gauge. 

Darjeeling Mail, one of the legendary trains in the eastern region of India, started running from this time, thus following the Route : Sealdah - Ranaghat – Banpur – Gede – Darshana – Chuadanga - Bheramara - Hardinge Bridge - Iswardi – Pabna – Santahar - Hili - Parabtipur - Nilphamari - Haldibari -Jalpaiguri - Siliguri. It was thus an overnight journey only like present days.

With the partition of India in 1947, while the main part of the route lay in East Pakistan (Bangladesh now), the two ends of the route lying in India got detached. However, this route continued to be operational till the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965). There being no bridge across the Ganges in West Bengal or Bihar, this dislocation of Route to Siliguri posed a major hurdle in connecting North Bengal with Kolkata. A generally acceptable route to Siliguri was found via Sahibganj Loop to Sakrigali Ghat (and sometimes Sahibganj Ghat) by Train, crossing the Ganges by ferry to Manihari Ghat, then again by Train on metre gauge track via Katihar and Barsoi to Kishanganj and finally narrow gauge to Sliguri [The Narrow gauged Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) was originally from Kishangunge to Darjeeling via Siliguri Jn]. In 1949, Kishanganj-Siliguri section was converted to Metre gauge, thus Sealdah got connected to Siliguri again in two laps, but the time taken was almost 22 Hours.

PART – I 

It is at this stage I come in with my experience of 1953, when I was of 06 years. I was staying at Dinhata (Cooch Behar Dist.) After my sister’s birth at Kolkata, I came back to Dinhata with my Mother and the child accompanied by a Veterinary Doctor of Dinhata, who was our neighbour. I have forgotten his name, but I do remember quite a bit about the Journey.

We started from Sealdah by “North Bengal Express” at around 09-15 AM. The Route was Bardhaman (Via Bally Bridge) – Bolpur – Saithia – Rampurhat – Nalhati – Barharawa – Tinpahar – Sakrigali Jn. - Sakrigali Ghat. We reached Sakrigali Ghat in the afternoon at about 06-00 PM.

Sakrigali Ghat Station used to be a temporary one on the Sandy bank of the Ganges, needing shifting from time to time commensurate to the changes in the course of the Ganges. Due to this reason, there was no Platform as such and the rooms of the Station were Hut type made with Bamboo strips as well as the end point of the Train used to be Sahibganj Jn. at times for boarding Ferry at Sahibganj Ghat instead of Sakrigali.

There were four classes of accommodation in the train in those days – First, Second, Inter and Third. The Ferry used to be a Large Double Decker Steam Launch having Inter & Third class at the lower deck and First & Second class at the upper deck. The Upper deck was furnished with cushioned Sofa type seats – the First class demarcated from the Second by a Restaurant serving Snacks and A-La-Cart or Thali Dinner. The Ferry service used to be operated by Private Agencies, but under the management of the Railways, hence through Ticket used to be issued from Sealdah to the Stations in North Bengal inclusive of Ferry Charges – Food charges at the Ferry was of course to be paid extra.

Coming back to the journey, we had to pass over a long area of Sandy River Bank to the Ferry. The River was quite wide at Sakrigali Ghat, but there was a Land mass (CHAR) in between, hence the Ferry used to sail straight and cross the river through a U-turn to Manihari Ghat. The Steam Launch left at about 07-00 PM and reached Manihari Ghat at about 08-30 PM (after one and a half hour). This was also a make-shift station, but not changing frequently like Sakrigali Ghat.

Here also we had to travel quite a distance over sand to the Station to board the Metre Guage “North Bengal Express” to Guahati, which left at 09-30 PM. The Route was Katihar – Barsoi – Kishangunge – Aluabari Road – Siliguri. We reached Siliguri at about 07-30 AM next day. It is Aluabari Road, from where the New Broad gauge line from Malda Town takes a different course to New Jalpaiguri.

There used to be another train named “Assam Link Express” leaving Manihari Ghat in the morning to Guwahati. This train was accessible from Sealdah through (the-then) 13 UP/14DN “Upper India Express” from Sealdah to Delhi via Sahibganj Loop, which used to leave Sealdah at night to reach Sakrigali Jn. in the morning.

Since Jalpaiguri had to be accessed through Siliguri only after Partition of 1947, the Broad Guage Line from Haldibari (the Border with Bangladesh) to Siliguri was converted to Metre Guage in 1949. Ironically, the same line had to be re-converted to Broad gauge in 1963 after coming up of the New Station “New Jalpaiguri” near Siliguri on the new Broad gauge Track.

PART – II

Construction of Farakka Barrage across the Ganges River was started in 1961 and completed in 1975 with operations beginning on April 21, 1975. A railway line over this Barrage was thought as a solution to link North Bengal with Kolkata via Maldah and action started.

Accordingly, a railway line was laid from Tildanga Station on the BAK ( Bandel – Azimgunge - Katwa ) Loop near Barharwa Junction to a new Station named “Farakka Ghat”, a Ferry service was introduced to the opposite side across the river, where a new station “Khejuria Ghat” was made.

While Farakka Ghat Station was more or less a fixed one having some sort of Platform, the Station Khejuria Ghat, like Sakrigali Ghat, had no Platform as such and the rooms of the Station were Hut type made with Bamboo strips.

My father working as Chief Medical Officer, Calcutta Jails in 1961 was ordered to move to Maldah. I was in Class 10 at Mitra Institution (Main), Kolkata. Since the transfer of my father would take some time and my Jethu (Late) Dr. PC Roy Chowdhury being settled at Maldah at that time, it was decided that I would be sent to Maldah by December 1961 accompanied by my Elder Brother, so that I can start Class XI there from the beginning of the session.

My Dada was a bit adventurous type, hence he planned to explore this new route. In late December of 1961, we boarded the same “North Bengal Express” at Sealdah which left at about the same time as earlier, but got down at Barharwa Junction at about 4-30 PM. From there, we took a newly introduced Passenger Train (on the newly laid track) to Farakka Ghat. It ran almost with the speed of a cart passing over several Culverts and small Bridges under construction (therefore balanced over wooden frames) and we reached farakka at about 6-00 pm!!

The Ferry Service here was similar to Sakrigali – Manihari type but with a major difference in that, here the Ferry was not a Steam Launch as such, but a large Double Deck “Tug” type marine vessel (Gada Boat) to be towed by a Steamer. Like Sakrigali – Manihari service, this vessel had Inter & Third class at the bottom and First & Second class at the upper deck. Furnished with cushioned Sofa type seats, the First class was demarcated from the Second by a Restaurant serving Snacks and A-La-Cart or Thali Dinner. Food was also available in the Hutments at Khejuria Ghat. 

The MV started after an hour at about 7-00 PM, crossing the river took around one hour to cross the river and reached Khejuria Ghat at about 8-00 PM. There was a Passenger Train waiting for us, by which we reached Maldah at about 10-30 PM. The Station here was named “Malda Town”, but was known commonly as “JHALJHALIA” after the local name of the place. The station was dimly lighted with sandy platform. Train service at that time was up to Malda Town only (from Khejuria Ghat) and subsequently extended by end of 1962 to Barsoi Jn. to meet the existing Metre Gauge line to Siliguri.

From 1964, the said “North Bengal Express” was renamed as “Darjeeling Mail” terminating at Farakka Ghat instead of Sakrigali Ghat and after crossing the river through the ferry sevice, one had to board another “Darjeeling Mail” from Khejuria Ghat to New Jalpaiguri. The train used to leave Kolkata at about 9-45 AM, reach Farakka around 5-30 PM, its counter Part reaching New jalpaiguri in the early morning of the next day, leaving Khejuria Ghat by 9-00 PM.

The rail bridge over Farakka was thrown open to the public in 1971, thereby linking Kolkata with North Bengal. The same Darjeeling Mail then started leaving Sealdah at night to reach New Jalpaiguri next Morning, like the Original Darjeeling Mail of the Pre-Independence days.

Dipak Raychaudhuri

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