Dhanbad Division is a premier coal loading division. The first colliery line on the Division was laid in 1894 and the Grand Chord section was opened in 1906. The Division was initially created as a transportation sub-division of Asansol Division in l946. A full-fledged independent division became functional in l963. The Division today covers 3 distinct coal mining areas viz., the Jharia coalfields serving primarily Bharat Coking Coal Limited, Karanpura area serving primarily Central Coalfields Ltd., and the Singrauli coalfields of the Northern Coalfields Ltd.  The Division deals with traffic on two important routes namely, the Grand Chord section from Pradhankhunta to Manpur and on the CIC section from Gomoh -Barkakana-Garwa Road. Apart from these routes, the Division has a number of branch lines and colliery/industrial sidings.