Bengal Nagpur Railway

Bengal Nagpur Railway

Industry	Railways
Founded	1887
Defunct	1952 (Merged with East Indian Railway Company to form Eastern Railway)
Headquarters	Kolkata, India
Area served	Eastern and Central India
Services	Rail transport

Railways in British India^[1]
“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.”

The Bengal Nagpur Railway was one of the companies which pioneered development of the railways in eastern and central India. It was succeeded first by Eastern Railway and subsequently by South Eastern Railway.

A Beyer Garratt 6594 Engine of Bengal Nagpur Railway at the National Rail Museum

History

The opening of the Mumbai-Thane line in 1853 marked the beginning of railways in India. Extension of the railways was set off throughout the country. On the north-eastern side of Mumbai, the Great Indian Peninsular Railway line was extended up to Bhusawal and then split in two. While one track lead to Nagpur, the other to Jabalpur to connect with the East Indian Railway line from Allahabad to Jabalpur, thereby connecting Mumbai and Kolkata. The great famine of 1878 provided an opportunity for the construction of 150 km long meter gauge link called the Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway in 1882 connecting Nagpur with Rajnandgaon.^[2]

The Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway was owned by the Great Indian Peninsular Railway.^[3] Bengal Nagpur Railway was formed in 1887.^[4] The Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway was purchased from Great Indian Peninsula Railway by Bengal Nagpur Railway in 1888, and was converted to broad gauge.^[3]

The Bengal Nagpur Railway was formed for the purpose of upgrading the Nagpur Chhattisgarh Line and then extending it via Bilaspur to Asansol, in order to develop a shorter Howrah-Mumbai route than the one via Allahabad.^[2] The Bengal Nagpur Railway main line from Nagpur to Asansol was opened for goods traffic on 1 February 1891.^[5] It was only after Kharagpur was linked from the west and the south that it was connected to Howrah in 1900.^[6]

The civil engineer Lt Col Arthur John Barry was the Executive Engineer in charge of the construction of the bridge over the Damuda River and the work of the Damuda district of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway, of which he was afterwards Superintending Engineer of the Bengal section.^[7]

Linking Howrah with Mumbai and Chennai

Although Bengal Nagpur Railway was not a part of original design to connect major points in the subcontinent with a network of railways, it was instrumental in developing a shorter, and hence more popular, route from Howrah to Mumbai and the trunk route from Howrah to Chennai.^[2]^[5]^[6]

Successors

The Bengal Nagpur Railway was nationalized in 1944.^[5]Eastern Railway was formed on 14 April 1952 with the portion of East Indian Railway Company east of Mughalsarai and the Bengal Nagpur Railway.^[8] In 1955, South Eastern Railway was carved out of Eastern Railway. It comprised lines mostly operated by BNR earlier.^[8]^[9] Amongst the new zones started in April 2003 were East Coast Railway and South East Central Railway. Both these railways were carved out of South Eastern Railway.^[8]

References

↑ "The story of Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) now South Eastern Railway". Anglo-India-Central. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Number 1 Down Mail". Railways of the Raj. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
↑ 3.0 3.1 "Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway". fibis. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
↑ "Bengal-Nagpur Railway". fibis. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Major Events in the Formation of S.E. Railway". South Eastern Railway. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
↑ 6.0 6.1 R.P.Saxena. "Indian Railway History timeline". Retrieved 2012-02-19.
↑ Frederick Arthur Crisp Visitation of England and Wales, Volume 14, London (1906)
↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Geography – Railway Zones". IRFCA. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
↑ "IR History: Part - IV (1947 - 1970)". IRFCA. Retrieved 2012-11-21.

Railways in the North-east and Eastern India

National network/ trunk lines	Howrah–Delhi main line Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line Howrah-Chennai main line Sahibganj Loop Grand Chord Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line Barauni-Guwahati line Howrah-Gaya-Delhi line

Branch lines/ sections	Andal-Sainthia branch line Asansol-Gaya section Asansol–Patna section Asansol–Tatanagar–Kharagpur line Bairabi Sairang Railway Bakhtiyarpur–Tilaiya line Bankura-Masagram line Bardhaman-Asansol section Barauni–Katihar section Barauni–Gorakhpur, Raxaul and Jainagar lines Barauni-Samastipur-Muzaffarpur-Hajipur line Barauni-Samastipur section Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Fatuha–Tilaiya line Gaya–Kiul line Gaya–Mughalsarai section Guwahati–Lumding section Haldibari–New Jalpaiguri line Jasidih–Dumka–Rampurhat railway line Jharsuguda–Vizianagaram line Jharia Coalfield rail network Katihar–Siliguri line Kharagpur–Puri line Khurda Road–Visakhapatnam section Lalgola and Gede branch lines Lumding Agartala Rail Line Lumding–Dibrugarh section Madhupur Giridih Rail Line Mokama–Barauni section Muzaffarpur- Gorakhpur line (via Hajipur, Raxaul and Sitamarhi) Muzaffarpur-Gorakhpur main line Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi section Muzaffarpur-Hajipur section Netaji S.C.Bose Gomoh–Hatia line New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section New Bongaigaon–Guwahati section Patna–Gaya line Patna–Mughalsarai section Samastipur-Muzaffarpur section Tatanagar–Bilaspur section

Lines around Kolkata	Howrah–Bardhaman main line Howrah–Bardhaman chord Sheoraphuli–Bishnupur branch line Sealdah–Ranaghat line Sealdah–Hasnabad–Bangaon–Ranaghat line Sealdah South lines Barasat Basirhat Railway Howrah–Kharagpur line

Monorail	Aizawl Monorail Kolkata Monorail Patna Monorail

Defunct lines revived//under revival	Ahmedpur Katwa Railway Bankura Damodar Railway Burdwan Katwa Railway Bukhtiarpur Bihar Light Railway Futwah-Islampur Light Railway

Defunct lines	Kalighat Falta Railway Bengal Provincial Railway Mayurbhanj State Railway The Cherra Companyganj State Railways East Coast State Railway

Production units/ workshops	Chittaranjan Locomotive Works Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam Braithwaite & Co. Ltd. Burn Standard Company Bharat Wagon and Engineering Braithwaite, Burn & Jessop Construction Company

Named trains	Amritsar Mail Ananya Express Anand Vihar Muzaffarpur Garib Rath Express Anga Express Aranyak Express Arunachal Express Assam Mail Azad Hind Express Bagh Express Bandra – Patna Express Barisal Express Bhagalpur – Anand Vihar Terminal Garib Rath Express Bhagirati Express Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express Bhubaneswar Duronto Express Black Diamond Express Brahmaputra Mail Cachar Express Chambal Express Chennai Mail Coalfield Express Coromandel Express Darbhanga–Bangalore Express Darjeeling Mail Dhauli Express Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express Doon Express East Bengal Express East Bengal Mail Falaknuma Express Farakka Express Ganadevata Express Ganga Kaveri Express Ganga Sagar Express Gour Express Guwahati Bangalore Express (Kaziranga Express) Hazarduari Express Hirakud Express Howrah – Dhanbad Double Decker Express Howrah-Delhi Yuva Express Howrah-Kanyakumari Express Howrah – New Delhi Duronto Express Howrah – New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi Howrah Rajdhani Express Indore – Patna Express Indore – Rajendra Nagar Via. Faizabad Express Ispat Express (train) Jnaneshwari Express Kalinga Utkal Express Kalka Mail Kamrup Express Kanchenjunga Express Magadh Express Maithili Express Mithila Express Maitree Express Manikarnika Express Muzaffarpur Anand Vihar Garib Rath Express North East Express Patna Duronto Express Patna – Kota Express Pratham Swatrantata Sangrm Express Poorva Express Purushottam Express Rajdhani Express – Rajendranagar Rajendranagar Express Ranchi Rajdhani Express Sampoorna Kranti Express Sanghamithra Express Sapt Kranti Express Sealdah – New Delhi Duronto Express Sealdah Rajdhani Express Shaktipunj Express Shramjeevi express Shipra Express Surat Bhagalpur Express Surat–Muzaffarpur Express Tiruchirappalli Express Tirhut Express Utsarg Express Vikramshila Express West Bengal Sampark Kranti

Transit points with Bangladesh	Singhabad–Rohanpur Gede–Darshana Petrapole–Benapole

Defunct transit points with Bangladesh	Mahisasan-Shahbajpur Radhikapur–Biral Changrabandha–Burimari Haldibari–Chilahati Gitaldaha–Mogalhat

Indian railheads near India-Nepal border	Raxaul Bairgania Jainagar Jogbani Laukaha Bazar Thakurganj

Railway companies	East Indian Railway Company Bengal Nagpur Railway Eastern Bengal Railway Assam Bengal Railway Bengal Dooars Railway Cooch Behar State Railway Indian Branch Railway Company Martin's Light Railways Eastern Railway East Central Railway South Eastern Railway East Coast Railway Northeast Frontier Railway North Eastern Railway

See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Suburban rail in India Kolkata Suburban Railway Northeast Indian Railways during World War II Trains of East Coast Railway (India)

Railways in Central India

National network/ trunk lines	Howrah–Allahabad–Mumbai line Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line Delhi–Chennai line

Branch lines/ sections	Bina–Katni rail route Satpura narrow gauge lines Tatanagar–Bilaspur section Bilaspur–Nagpur section Nagpur–Bhusawal section Allahabad–Jabalpur section Jabalpur–Bhusaval section Agra–Bhopal section Bhopal–Nagpur section Nagpur–Hyderabad line Narkhed-Amravati Railway

Monorail	Indore Monorail

Defunct lines revived//under revival	Nagpur Chattisgarh Railway

Defunct lines	Rajputana-Malwa Railway

Named trains	Ahilyanagari Express Amarkantak Express Avantika Express Azad Hind Express Bhopal Bharat Teerth Express Bhopal Jan Shatabdi Express Bhopal Janata Express Bhopal Rajya rani Express Bhopal Shatabdi Express Bhopal – Indore Intercity Express Bhopal – Indore Passenger Bhopal – Jabalpur Express Bhopal – Jabalpur Intercity Express Bhopal – Lucknow Garibrath Express Bhopal – Mumbai Express Bhopal – Ujjain Passenger Bhopal–Bilaspur Express Bhopal–Bina passenger train Bhopal-Gwalior Intercity Express Bhopal–Howrah Express Bhopal–Indore AC Double Decker Intercity Express Bhopal–Indore AC Double Decker Non-Stop Express Bhopal-Jaipur Express Bhopal–Jodhpur Bhopal-Lucknow Express Bhopal-Lucknow-Pratapgarh Express Bhopal-Pratapgarh Express Bina - Katni 505 Passenger Coimbatore Express Chambal Express Chhattisgarh Express Chhindwara - Amritsar Chhattisgarh Express Chitrakoot Express Damoh–Kota Passenger Dayodaya Express Durgavati Express Gondwana Express Grand Trunk Express Gwalior–Chhindwara Express Hazrat Nizamuddin – Indore Express Hazrat Nizamuddin – Jabalpur Express Hazrat Nizamuddin–Bhopal Express Hazrat Nizamuddin–Gwalior Express Himsagar Express Indore–Jaipur Express via Ajmer Indore Express Indore - Bangalore Express Indore - Bhopal AC Double Decker Intercity Express Indore – Bhopal Intercity Express Indore - Bhopal Passenger Indore–Bandra Express Indore - Rewa Intercity Express Indore Express Indore Tri Shatabdi Indore – Dehradun Express Indore – Hazrat Nizamuddin Express Indore – Maksi Passenger Indore – Nagda Passenger Indore – Nagpur Express Indore – Patna Express Indore – Rajendra Nagar Via. Faizabad Express Indore – Ujjain Passenger Indore–Ajmer Express Indore–Ajmer Link Express Indore–Amritsar Express Indore–Bandra Express Indore–Bhind Express Indore - Rewa Intercity Express Indore–Bhopal Non-Stop Express Indore–Chennai Express Indore–Gwalior Intercity Express Indore–Jabalpur Express Indore–Jabalpur Intercity Express Indore–Jaipur Express Indore–Kota Intercity Express Indore–Pune Express Indore–Rewa Express Indore–Surat Express Indore–Udaipur City Express Intercity Express – Agra Jabalpur - Indore Intercity Express Jabalpur – Ambikapur Express Jabalpur – Mumbai Central Garib Rath Special Express Jabalpur – Mumbai Garibrath Express Jabalpur–Amravati Express Jabalpur–Bhopal Express Via. Bina Jabalpur–Bhopal Intercity Express Jabalpur–Bhopal Jan Shatabdi Express Jabalpur–Indore Express Jabalpur–Jammu Tawi Express Jabalpur–Nagpur Express Jabalpur–New Delhi Express Jabalpur–Rewa Intercity Express Jabalpur–Somnath Express Jaipur Superfast Express Lashkar Express Madhya Pradesh Sampark Kranti Mahakoshal Express Mahanadi Express Malwa Express Meenakshi Express Mumbai–Indore Duronto Nagpur – Indore Tri Shatabdi Express Narmada Express Panchvalley Express Patalkot Express Rajendra Nagar Bihar – Indore Express Ranthambore Express Rewa – Delhi Anand Vihar Express Rewanchal Express Sarguja Express Satpura Express Shaan-e-Bhopal Express Shaktipunj Express Shanti Express Shipra Express Shramik express Surat Bhagalpur Express Surat–Muzaffarpur Express Taj Express Tapti Ganga Express Trivandrum–Indore Express Udhna Varanasi Express Ujjaini Express Vindhyachal Express

Railway companies	Bengal Nagpur Railway Great Indian Peninsula Railway South East Central Railway Central Railway Western Railway West Central Railway

See also	Indian Railways Bholu (mascot) Datia rail accident Akola–Ratlam (metre gauge trains) Indore–Ajmer metre-gauge trains Rail transport in Madhya Pradesh Dalli-Rajhara–Jagdalpur rail line