The chicken neck and the Assam Rail link project

Robin Kalita

(The author is a retired officer of the Indian Railway Traffic Service – IRTS)

The Chicken’s Neck, officially known as the Siliguri Corridor, is a narrow
stretch of land in West Bengal, which connects the northeastern states of India to the rest of the country and is surrounded by Nepal in the west, Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh in the south, and China looming large in the northern vicinity, making it a politically and strategically significant region due to its geographical location and vulnerability and a sensitive area in India’s foreign policy & defence strategy. Sikkim, which lay to the north of the corridor, merged with India in 1975 following a referendum. The corridor is 20–22 km wide at its narrowest point and about 60 km long. Given its narrow width, the corridor is vulnerable to military threats. The corridor was formed after the Partition of India in 1947, when East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was created. It is the only land route connecting India’s northeastern states to the rest of the country by rail and road. Any disruption here could isolate the region.

The region has been a geopolitical flashpoint, especially during the 1962 Sino-Indian War, when Chinese forces advanced toward the corridor. Also in 2017, the Chinese Army marched into Doklam, or Donglang Caochang, after constructing a road to this trijunction of India, China and Bhutan, close to the Siliguri Corridor. This has raised concerns about potential encirclement. It has also played a role in India’s Naxal movement, which began in the late 1960s as a peasant uprising against landlords. The latest issue of concern is the plan to establish a military airbase by Bangladesh with the help of China at Lalmonirhat, 20 km from the Indo-Bangla border adjacent to the Siliguri Corridor. Currently, the Chicken’s Neck has come into the limelight after Prof. Mohammad Yunus, Chief Advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, made an explosive statement about its vulnerability in the context of the geopolitical status of northeast India.

The Assam Rail Link

Project (ARLP)

Cyril Radcliffe’s line, carved out on a drawing board without, evidently, considering the implications it would have on the communication between India’s northeast and the rest of the country, wreaked havoc and inflicted total disruption in the transport system, especially the railways – leaving disconnected fragments of sections of different gauges. India’s Northeast found itself virtually severed from the rest of India. The government at the Centre, reeling from the massive law-and-order situation due to partition on the western front, confronted this reality and plunged into urgent action by launching a project to reconnect Assam with the mainland through the Chicken’s Neck – the Assam Rail Link Project – initiated after the Partition of India in 1947.

Before the Partition of India in 1947, railways to Assam passed through the following locations/routes that became part of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), which were crucial for trade, passenger movement, and military logistics; the Partition severed them.

n Bengal-Assam Railway: The primary railway network linking Assam to Bengal and beyond. It passed through Parbatipur, Lalmonirhat, Gitaldaha, and Santahar Junction, which later became part of East Pakistan.

n Mymensingh – Part of the Surma Valley Railway, linking Assam to Sylhet and Chittagong.  The meter-gauge line from Lumding via Karimganj-Mahishashan (India) and Shahbazpur (Pakistan) connected Dibrugarh to Chittagong Port.

n Darjeeling Mail Route: The famous Darjeeling Mail ran from Sealdah (Kolkata) to Siliguri, passing through Ranaghat, Hardinge Bridge, and Parbatipur.

n Assam Mail Route: This connected Sealdah to Amingaon, passing through Parbatipur, Lalmonirhat, and Golakganj.

n Surma Valley Route: This line connected Santahar to Silchar, passing through Mymensingh and Akhaura.

n Teesta Valley Line: This narrow-gauge railway connected Siliguri to Gielle Khola but was later devastated by floods.

The Assam Rail Link Project was undertaken between 1947 and 1950, with the goal of linking Assam to the rest of India via North Bengal, reinforcing Assam’s integration with the national railway network. The ARLP faced several serious challenges, particularly due to the geopolitical and environmental conditions of the region. Since the original railway lines passed through East Pakistan, entirely new alignments were designed within Indian territory to bypass international borders. The formidable Himalayan rivers made bridge construction extremely difficult. Railway engineers developed deep foundation techniques and used high-strength steel & reinforced concrete to construct bridges over turbulent rivers, ensuring stability and durability. British engineers initially doubted the feasibility of the project. The extended monsoon season and difficult terrain slowed down construction efforts, requiring innovative engineering solutions to overcome geographical and logistical challenges. Land acquisition and local resistance posed additional hurdles, requiring negotiations with communities and authorities. The existing narrow-gauge railway lines were unsuitable for broader connectivity, necessitating new alignments and infrastructure upgrades. Given Assam’s heavy monsoon rains, railway embankments were reinforced with high-density materials to prevent erosion and flooding. Cut-and-fill methods were adopted for levelling uneven terrain, ensuring smooth railway operations. The project achieved excellent progress, thanks to prefabricated bridge components and streamlined construction techniques which helped complete the project in record time. Despite the challenges, these innovations played a crucial role in restoring Assam’s railway connectivity and strengthening India’s strategic infrastructure. The project was successfully completed in less than three years, thanks to the leadership of Sardar Karnail Singh, who played a crucial role in overcoming obstacles and ensuring the establishment of uninterrupted connectivity between Assam and the rest of India.

The project connected several fragmented railway lines that were disrupted due to the Partition of India in 1947 by linking isolated railway sections, some of which were:

n Kishanganj–Siliguri: The existing narrow-gauge line was converted to metre gauge. (106 km: 9 Dec 1949, partly opened in Jul 1948)

n Siliguri–Bagarkote: A new metre-gauge connection was established, including a major bridge over the Teesta River. (32 km: 26 Jan 1950)

n Madarihat–Hasimara: A major bridge over the Torsa River was constructed with nine spans of 150 feet each. (10 km: 25 Dec 1949)

n Siliguri Jn to Siliguri Town: 2 km (9 Dec 1949)

n Alipurduar–Fakiragram: This section linked Assam with North Bengal. (72 km: 26 Jan 1950)

Some of the major railway stations that fall within or are close to this corridor are Siliguri Junction, New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri Town, Jalpaiguri Road, Bagdogra and New Mal Jn. Several stations on narrow gauge along the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) are also within or near the Siliguri corridor. The crucial rail link between Guwahati and Barauni/Malda also passes through this corridor, ensuring Assam’s seamless integration with the national railway network.

The restored railway link, which ensured uninterrupted movement of goods, passengers, and military supplies, strengthening India’s northeastern connectivity through the Chicken’s Neck, was opened on Republic Day of 1950. This connectivity project boosted trade, agriculture, and industrial development in Assam and the Northeast and ushered in economic growth and regional integration.

The Assam Rail Link Project remains one of India’s most remarkable post-partition railway projects.