Eastern Bengal Railway
Calcutta , | |
Area served | Bengal and Assam |
---|---|
Services | Rail transport |
The Eastern Bengal Railway (full name: "Eastern Bengal Railway Company"; shortened EBR) was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in the Bengal and Assam provinces of British India.[1]
History
Formation
Eastern Bengal Railway Act 1857 | |
---|---|
Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 25 August 1857 |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
The Eastern Bengal Railway Company was incorporated by the
Rolling stock
By the end of 1877 the company owned 43 steam locomotives, 180 coaches and 691 goods wagons.[4] By 1936, the rolling stock had increased to 327 locomotives, 3 steam railcars, 1560 coaches and 13.781 freight wagons.[5]
Classification
It was labeled as a Class I railway according to the
Subsequent developments
The EBR was taken over by the Government of India in 1884 and renamed the Eastern Bengal State Railway.
The Calcutta and South-Eastern Railway (CSER) was formed in 1859 to connect
In 1915, it reverted to its old name Eastern Bengal Railway. In 1941, the
Railways in British India[11]
"As a child of its era, the railway left an indelible mark on the 19th century developments in India. In a country of continental distances, it provided the foundation for modern economic expansion by facilitating the carriage of huge quantities of passengers and freight over very long distances at hitherto unparalleled speeds. During the early part of 20th century, in a growing economy with rapid increase in demand for mobility, railway development was sparked off at a pace similar if not more marked than in Western countries in the 19th century. Development and rapid expansion of railway network in British India served as the backbone for economic growth and industrial development in the post independence era."
Successors
After the
On 14 April 1952, the Assam Railway and the
With the formation of the
The portion of the system which fell within the boundary of erstwhile East Pakistan was named as Eastern Bengal Railway. On 1 February 1961, the Eastern Bengal Railway was renamed as the Pakistan Railway and in 1962 it became the Pakistan Eastern Railway.[17] With the emergence of Bangladesh, it became the Bangladesh Railway.[3][13]
Lines
The first line of Eastern Bengal Railway was from Calcutta to
The Eastern Bengal Railway, which operated east of the Hooghly, was linked with the East Indian Railway, which operated west of the river, when Jubilee Bridge, linking Bandel and Naihati, was opened in 1887. The Calcutta Chord Railway constructed the line from Dum Dum to Dankuni over the Willingdon Bridge in 1932. The bridge was later renamed Vivekananda Setu.[18]
Hindrance to free flow of water
In many parts of riverine eastern Bengal, with long stretches of low lands, the railways had to be built on embankments which hindered the free flow of water. In a brief case study of Eastern Bengal Railway it has been revealed that the water regime of the Rajshahi Division of present Bangladesh was destabilized by the way the railway exposed itself to the
Conversion to broad gauge
The Indian part of EBR was converted to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge in 1990s to 2010s. The Bangladesh part is under conversion to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge.
See also
- Eastern Railway FC
- Indian Railway
References
- ^ Karmakar, Rajat (21 December 2013). "ইস্টার্ন রেলওয়ে ফুটবল ক্লাব — ১৪১ বছরের পুরনো একটি ক্লাবের ইতিহাস ও ঐতিহ্য" [Eastern Railway Football Club — History and heritage of a 141-year-old club]. archives.anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Anandabazar Patrika. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Eastern Bengal Railway". IRFCA. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Mukherjee, Hena (2012). "Eastern Bengal Railway". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ^ Archiv für Post und Telegraphie, Band 7 (in German). Reichsdruckerei, Berlin. 1879. p. 62–63. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ World Survey of Foreign Railways. Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C. 1936. p. 213. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ "Indian Railway Classification". Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ World Survey of Foreign Railways. Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C. 1936. p. 210–219.
- ^ "History Of Indian Railways, constructed and in progress', 31 March 1937 by 'The Government of India - Railway Department'". Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ "Administration Report on Railways 1918". Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ "Eastern Bengal Railway". fibis. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "The story of Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) now South Eastern Railway". Anglo-India-Central. Archived from the original on 25 October 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- ^ Rao, M.A. (1988). Indian Railways, New Delhi: National Book Trust, p.39
- ^ a b "History". Northeast Frontier Railway. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ Rao, M.A. (1988). Indian Railways, New Delhi: National Book Trust, pp.42-3
- ^ "Engineering". Sealdah Division. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^ "History". North East Frontier Railway. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "History". Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 15 November 2007. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^ R. P. Saxena. "Indian Railway History timeline". IRFCA. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ Khondker Iftekhar Iqbal. "Railways and the water regime of the Eastern Bengal Delta, c. 1905-1943: a reappraisal" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2012.