The
Viceroy, Lord Dufferin opened the old Gandak Railway Bridge by the side of the Sonepur
Railway Station, in March, 1887. It is 2,176 feet long and is built of eight spans of 250
feet, with two broad pathways for pedestrians. Because of the swift flow of the Gandak
when in flood and of the unstable nature of its bed, the bridge was regarded as a triumph
of engineering skill when it was built.
But this bridge was later found unable to meet
the requirements of the heavy traffic, which developed with time, and another magnificent
Railway Bridge at some distance from the old one wasconstructed. The old bridge was handed
over to the State Government for road traffic. Without an effective railway bridge the
Hariharnath temple at Sonepur will be almost inaccessible. The river has no regular
steamer service. Sonepur is also connected with Hajipur, a town across the river, by a
pontoon bridge, which is dismantled during the floods. |
