New Gitaldaha railway station

The area was agog with railway activity in the 19th–20th century. The Assam Behar State Railway linked Parbatipur to Katihar, with a metre-gauge line in 1889. In the early 1900s, the Eastern Bengal Railway extended railways to Lalmonirhat, Gitaldaha (via Mogalhat), Bamanhat, Golokganj and other places, thereby connecting Assam to Katihar, in Bihar, via North Bengal. In 1901 Cooch Behar State Railway built the narrow-gauge line from Gitaldaha to Jayanti, near the Bhutan border. Shortly thereafter, the line was upgraded to meter gauge.[4][5]

The Lalmonirhat–Mogalhat–Gitaldaha route was functional when India and Pakistan agreed in 1955 for resumption of railway traffic between the two countries, and it included movement of cross traffic via Mogalhat through the Eastern Bengal Railway.[6] A portion of the bridge across the Dharla River at 26.00304°N 89.46934°E / 26.00304; 89.46934 was washed away by floods in 1988.[7][8]

Alipurduar-Bamanhat branch line
km New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line 0 Alipurduar Junction New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala line 3 Alipurduar Court 5 Alipurduar Kaljani River 15 Baneswar New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section New Cooch Behar–Changrabandha line 23 New Cooch Behar Junction New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section New Cooch Behar–Golokganj line 27 Cooch Behar Torsa River 37 Dewan Hat 41 Bhetaguri 48 Dinhata College Halt 50 Dinhata 57 Falimari closed MG section 65 Gitaldaha Junction 67 Gitaldaha Ghat India Bangladesh border ( broken bridge over Dharla River ) 68 Mogalhat Lalmonirhat–Parbatipur line 62 New Gitaldaha 67 Abutara Halt 72 Bamanhat closed MG section India Bangladesh border 80 Bhurungamari 84 Pateswari Dudhkumor River 91 Sonahat Bangladesh India border Dudhkumor River closed MG section New Cooch Behar–Golokganj line 97 Golokganj to Fakiragram to Dhubri & Jogighopa km

Defunct Lalmonirhat–Geetaldaha line
Technical Track gauge Metre gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
km to Burimari–Lalmonirhat–Parbatipur line Lalmonirhat Mogalhat Bangladesh India Dharla River with broken bridge Gitaldaha to Golokganj

Burimari–Lalmonirhat– Parbatipur line
to Changrabandha India Bangladesh border Burimari Patgram Alauddin Nagar Baura Barkatha Hatibandha Sahid Borhan Nagar Bhotmari Tush Bhandar Kakina Namurirhat Aditmari to Geetaldaha broken bridge across Dharla River India Bangladesh border Mogalhat Lalmonirhat Junction Mahendranagar Ramna Bazar Balabari Ulipur Panchor Mazhar Old Kurigram Kurigram Rajarhat Singhardabari Hat Tista Junction Teesta River Kaunia Santahar–Kaunia line Mirbag Rangpur Shyampur Auliaganj Badarganj Kholahati Parbatipur Junction Chilahati–Parbatipur– Santahar–Darshana line
Source: Bangladesh Railway Route Map

Prior to the partition of India, the prestigious Assam Mail used to travel from Santahar to Guwahati.[9]

The conversion of the 72 km-long Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge in 2007, and its subsequent recommissioning, had a station at New Gitaldaha.[10]

New Gitaldaha railway station serves Gitaldaha and the surrounding areas.

The map alongside presents the position as it stands today (2020). The international border was not there when the railways were first laid in the area in the 19th-20th century. It came up in 1947. Since then, it has been an effort to live up to the new realities. The map is 'interactive' (the larger version) - it means that all the places shown in the map are linked in the full screen map.