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1937 info added and ‘Further Information’ Gondal added
|gauge4=
|gauge4details=
|timeline1date= 18981893
|timeline1details= Opened to traffic
|timeline2date=
|presidency= Bombay
|stations= [[Gondal]], [[Jetalsar]], [[Rajkot]]
|system1date= 18901893
|system1details= [[Bhavnagar-Gondal-Junagad-Porbandar Railway]]
|system2date= 1911
}}
[[File:Jetalsar-Rajkot Railway.png|thumb|Jetalsar-Rajkot Railway]]The '''Jetalsar-Rajkot Railway''' was a short (but important in the context of the railways of the [[Kathiawar]] peninsula) metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) line. Jointly owned by the [[Princely states|Princely ]][[Gondal State]], the [[Junagadh State]], the [[Rajkot State]], and the Talukdar of [[Jetpur State]]. The line of 46 miles(72km) connected [[Jetalsar]] to [[Rajkot]] and opened in 18981893.
<ref name=name>[https://archive.org/stream/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System#page/n189/mode/2up "Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page 181]; Retrieved 7 Feb 2016</ref>
The line was worked by the [[Bhavnagar-Gondal-Junagad-Porbandar Railway]](BGJPR) until the breakup of that coalition in 1911; then by the administration of the [[Gondal-Porbandar Railway]](GPSR )<ref name=name/>
==History==The line from [[Jetalsar]] to [[Rajkot]] was proposed by the Government in 1891. The Gondal State had spent most of its reserves on the [[Porbandar State Railway]] which reached the port of [[India Office RecordsPorbandar]] in 1890. Various meetings were called by the Political Agent and an agreement was reached in 1891. Junagadh State had already started the line as far as [[Navagad]]. Under the agreement when the line was continued to Gondal it would be handed over at cost to Gondal. The financing states agreed to have the [[Bhavnagar-Gondal-Junagad-Porbandar Railway]](BGJPR) as the operating company. The capital was split between Gondal and Junagadh with 3/8 each and Rajkot and a reluctant Jetalsar 1/8 each. Raising a total of Rs1, see ‘Records’ below600, indicate that there was an unsuccessful attempt for His Highness 000. The line opened in 1893 <ref name=memorial>British Library ‘India Office Records’ L/PS/11/126; P 3748: ‘Memorial from the Thakur Sahib of Gondal regarding his proposal to purchase the Jetpur interest in the railway.''The circumstances of this attempt have not been investigatedJetalsar-Rajkot Railway’</ref>.''
The operation of the line ran smoothly until the dissolution of the BGJPR. The agreement stated that the Railway Board would decide who the operator of the Railway would be. They granted this to Gondal in 1911 <ref name==Records==memorial/>. An In 1913 the Annual report from Rajkot stated that “The large increase in profits onthe Jetalsar-line search Rajkot Railway is due to the J-R being an integral Railway since 1911. The split of the [[India BGJP Railway has contributed to the securing on the hire its legitimate share of traffic” <ref>British Library ‘India Office Records]] (IOR) records held at Record’ V/10/1811 “Rajkot Administrative Reports 1909/10-1927/28” - 1913 Annual Report</ref>. With the inclusions of the Kathiawar Ports into the [[Kathiawar_Peninsula_Railway_and_Tramway_Systems#Customs_Union_of_British_India|'Customs Union of British LibraryIndia' ''– see separate page'']] relating to this railway <ref>[httphttps://searcharchives.blarchive.ukorg/primo_librarydetails/libweb/action/searchin.ernet.dli.2015.15023 “Kathiawar Economics” by A. B.do?vid=IAMS_VU2 Trivedi “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - SearchBombay 1943 Page 202]; Retrieved 7 Apr 201624 Sept 2017</ref>gives at about the same time, a growth of lines connecting the following:various ports started. The ‘Jetalsar-Rajkot Railway’ was an important link for north-*L/PS/11/126; P 3748; 1917; “Kathiawar: Memorial from south traffic and the Railway Board specified the Thakur Sahib proportion of Gondal regarding his proposal traffic to purchase and from the Jetpur interest in the Jetalsar-Rajkot Railway”; 13 Nov 1887-10 Dec 1923* various State Ports. <ref name=IOR> British Library ‘India Office Records’ R/1/1/1565; File 12414784(21)“Proposed takeover of the management of the Jetalsar-Rajkot Railway by the Junagadh State Railway from Gondal Railway” Gondal’s reply P1, 1935</ref>. Seeing a threat to its income Bhavnagar approached Jetalsar in 1910 about buying its share in the ‘Jetalsar-P(S); 1924; “Memorial Rajkot Railway’ this started a bidding war with both Junagadh and Gondal claiming that Jetalsar had sold its share to them. The relationship between Gondal and Junagadh deteriorated with complaints from His Highness Junagadh to the Railway Board of mismanagement, which were dismissed by the Railway Board on investigation. As the two States fought for control. Gondal made a number of pleas to obtain Jetalsar’s share with no success as the Bombay, Indian and British Governments tried to maintain a status quo. During this period a price war broke out and this also lead to a disagreement with Porbandar and the Thakur Sahib separation of the Gondal appealing against -Porbandar Railway in 1916<ref name=memorial/>. The relationship between Gondal and Junagadh deteriorated with complaints from Junagadh to the refusal [[Railway Board]] of mismanagement, which were dismissed by the Railway Board on investigation. As the two States fought for control. Gondal made a number of pleas to obtain Jetalsar’s share with no success as the Bombay, Indian and British Governments tried to maintain a status quo. In the end all such proposals were turned down by the [[Railway Board]]<ref name=IOR/>. The ‘Statistics of Working’ for 1937 <ref name=Hist1937>[https://ia801605.us.archive.org/30/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.36650/2015.36650.India-Railway-Board-History-Of-Indian-Railways-Constructed-And-In-Progress.pdf US Archive .org pdf download of ‘History Of Indian Railways, constructed and in progress’, 31 March 1937 by ‘The Government of India - Railway Department’ page 239, pdf 282]; Retrieved 19 Aug 2020</ref> show the year-by-year financial results from 1913-14 through to appoint Courts of Arbitration 1936-37 for the disposal of the ‘Gondal Railway System’ comprising:-* ‘[[Gondal Railway]]’ 119 miles (191km)* ‘[[Jetalsar-Rajkot Railway]]’ 46 miles(74km)* ‘[[Porbandar State Railway ]]’ 41 miles(66km) The line continued to operate under Gondal State, feeding both the Junagadh and Porbandar State Railways until Nationalisation in 1947. ==Further Information==See '''[[Bhavnagar-Gondal-Junagad-Porbandar Railway]]''' for period from 1893 to 1911.<br>and '''[[Gondal Railway]]''' for period from 1911 onwards<br>and '''[[Kathiawar Peninsula Railway and Tramway Systems]]''' gives a map, timeline and relates this railway to others in the Gir boundary cases”Kathiawar Peninsula.
== References ==
