Bangalore Harihar Railway

The Bangalore Harihar Railway was a section of the Mysore State Railway(MSR)

The railway opened originally as a famine relief project. The Princely Mysore State Durbar opened the Mysore State Railway(MSR) first from Mysore to Bangalore in 1881, and extended to Gubbi in 1884 and reaching Harihar in 1889. The railway headquarters was at Mysore.

In 1887, in order to eradicate its "famine debt", the State of Mysore leased the MSR to the Southern Mahratta Railway (SMR) for a period of 45 years.

In 1907, the SMR merged with Madras Railway(MR) to become the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway(M&SMR) and they continued to work and manage the railway.

Records

An on-line search of the India Office Records (IOR) records held at the British Library relating to this railway gives the following: -

• R/2/Box4/35 File 479B 1888 Mysore Govt. cede jurisdiction over the Bangalore - Hindupur & the Bangalore - Harihar railway lines. Question of jurisdiction over the Kolar Gold Fields Railway”; 1893-94

This record has not been examined and may provide further information to add to the above.

Personnel

• Augustus Le Messurier Col. R.E. from the Public Works Department was the Engineer-in-Chief from 1882 .

Further Information

See Madras Railway and Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway