View source for Calcutta to Delhi Railway Proposal 1852-53

'''Calcutta to Delhi Railway Proposal 1852-53'''

There had been an earlier proposal for railways [[East India Company - Early Proposals for Railways, 1845|from the ‘East India Company - Railway Proposals 1845’  - ''see separate page'']] 

The next consideration was the [[Great Trunk Railway from Calcutta|‘Great Trunk Railway from Calcutta  1847 Proposal ’ - ''see separate page'']]

Both these proposals came to nothing.

'''1852 December''', the decision was made to construct a line to form a trunk designed to connect [[Calcutta]] with  [[Delhi]] with a second section to ((Rajmahal]]. The work would start in different places at the same time and 
eventually connect. This would start immediately initially the cost would have been raised either on the stock market or from Central Government <ref> British Library IOR/E/4/818 Financial Department Dispatch 21 December 1852 p.505</ref>. This was altered before the Dispatch was sent out, referring to the Governors Report <ref> British Library IOR/E/4/818 Financial Department Dispatch 21 December 1852  p.509</ref> and the Resident Consulting Engineer ‘s Report<ref> British Library IOR/E/4/818 Financial Department Dispatch 21 December 1852  p.508</ref>

'''1853 October''', the dispatch referred to the expansion of Indian Railways and that a new company had undertaken to construct the railway to Delhi and the work to commence as decided in 1852 in different parts and operations started before the completion of the whole line. <ref> British Library IOR/E/4/822 Financial Department Dispatch 5 October 1853 p5364</ref> This was a joint undertaking with the [[East India Railway|‘East India Railway Company’]] and the [[Upper India Railway|‘Upper India Railway Company’]] (formed in 1852 specifically to construct the line from Allahabad to Cawnpore) - [[Upper India Railway|''see separate page'']]

'''1854 August''', the first section of the [[East Indian Railway]] from [[Howrah]](serving Calcutta)  to Hooghly opened to traffic in Aug. 1854 and the Allahabad to Cawnpore Section opened in Mar. 1859 and Delhi was reached in 1867 , it became the [[Howrah-Delhi EIR Main Line|‘EIR Main Line’ - ''see separate page'']] 

== References ==
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[[Category:Railways]]
[[Category:Early Railway Experiments and Proposals]]