Changes

|route= [[Calcutta]] to [[Faridpur]] (BG) with branches to<br>[[Budge -Budge]], [[Diamond Harbour]], [[Lalgola]]

|timeline2date= 1868|timeline2details= [[Calcutta and South Eastern Railway]] mergertaken over

|timeline4date= 1915|timeline4details= Opening of [[Hardinge Bridge]] at Sara Ghat

|stations= '''[[Sealdah|Calcutta Sealdah]]''', [[Dum Dum]], [[Naihati]], [[Kaliganga]], [[Rajbari]], [[Goalundo]], [[Ranaghat]], [[Krishnagar]], [[Plassey]], [[Murshidabad]], [[Bangaon]], [[Jessore]],See also separate page [[Calcutta_Railways_%26_Stations#Sealdah_Station| ''' Calcutta Seadah Station''']] for details

|company1= 1884|company1details= [[Eastern Bengal Railway]]|company2=1868

|workshopstations= See also separate page [[KanchraparaCalcutta_Railways_%26_Stations#Sealdah_Station| ''' Calcutta Seadah Station''']]for details|stationsworkshop= [[BangaonKanchrapara]], [[JessoreSaidpur]] <br>''See'' [[EBR Railway Workshops]],

The '''[[File: Eastern Bengal Railway''' (EBR) was formed in 1857 for "the construction and working of a line from [[Calcutta]] to [[Dacca]], with a branch to [[Jessore]]Map 1909. Capital 1,000,000''l''. This amount has been sanctioned for the line from Calcutta to the Ganges at Kooshtee([[Kushtia]]), near Pubnah, about 80 miles, all that is authorised to be proceeded with at present. Rate of Interest Guaranteed - 5 per cent on 1,000,000''l''." ¹ == History ==The first construction started in October 1859 and the first train ran between [[Sealdah]] and [[Ranaghat]] in September 1862. Thereafter further phases considerably extended the reach of the line and, by 1866, it linked [[Calcutta]] to [[Kushtia]]. The company had also acquired a steam vessel service operating between [[Kushtia]] and [[Dacca]].<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228649/8330.pdf H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pages 127-8, paragraphs 3.51 - 3.55] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref> The EBR became the '''png|thumb| Eastern Bengal State Railway'''(EBSR), owned and managed by the Government of India([[Government of India |GoIMap 1909]]), on 30 June 1884.

The GoI merged the '''Eastern Bengal Railway''' Company (EBR) was formed as a [[Calcutta and South Eastern Guaranteed Railways|Guaranteed Railway]] into company in 1857 for "the EBSR, construction and several others in 1887. In 1904, the EBSR took over the working of a line from [[Calcutta]] to [[Bengal Central RailwayDacca]] which it had previously been working, and the with a branch to [[Brahmaputra-Sultanpur RailwayJessore]]. In 1915 Capital 1, the system reverted to the style000, 000'''Eastern Bengal Railway'l''.<ref>[https://ia801009.us.archive.org/8/items/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System.pdf " Administration Report on This amount has been sanctioned for the Railways in India – corrected up line from Calcutta to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; pages 42the Ganges at Kooshtee(BG[[Kushtia]]); 47(MG); 52(NG)]; Retrieved 17 Dec 2015</ref><ref>[http://en, near Pubnah, about 80 miles, all that is authorised to be proceeded with at present.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Railway Banglapedia "National Encyclopaedia Rate of BangladeshInterest Guaranteed - 5 per cent on 1,000,000''l'' " Railway]; Retrieved 17 Dec 2015</ref><ref>[http://inforail.blogspot.com/2012/10/brief-history-of-bangladesh-railway.html "Brief History of Bangladesh RailwayMoney Market and City Intelligence" Bangladesh Railway Information]; Retrieved 17 Dec 2015, ''The Times'', Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a. </ref>.

During the 1920s, ==History==The first construction started in October 1859. Isambard Kingdom Brunel had been engaged in Britain as consulting engineer to the EBR continued to grow by merger and amalgamation[[Bradford Leslie]], and also began an English civil engineer who specialised in bridges, was sent to convert sections India as engineer in charge of metre bridges and narrow gauge to eliminate rail bottlenecksviaducts. On 1 January 1941, He supervised the GoI acquired building of the [[Bengal Dooars RailwayEast_Bengal_Railway_Bridges#Ichamati_River_Railway_Bridge|Eschamutter(Ichamati)]] and merged it into [[East_Bengal_Railway_Bridges#Kumar_River_Railway_Bridge|Koomar(Kumar)]] river bridges before returning to Britain in 1861. He returned to India in 1865 and became Chief Engineer and Agent <ref> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_Leslie Wikipedia "Bradford Leslie"]; Retrieved on 5 May 2016</ref><ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PpJMCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT74&lpg=PT74&dq=southern+punjab+railway+company&source=bl&ots=R1AsTgkegr&sig=CzpHod72_VMtjRKj6Ire4zWNOV4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyqrig1rXMAhVrJMAKHY0EDRc4ChDoAQg3MAU#v=onepage&q=southern%20punjab%20railway%20company&f=false Google Books “New Delhi: The Last Imperial City- Sir Bradford Leslie and the EBRmeaning of Empire, Chapter 5.3” by D. Johnson, Richard Watson"]; Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016</ref>.

In 1942The '[[Brassey & Co|Brassey, Wythes and Paxman Partenership]] undertook the GoI merged construction of the EBR with the a line of 112 miles(179km) from [[Assam Bengal RailwayCalcutta]] to create [[Kushtia|Kooshtea(Kushtia)]] on the River Ganges. The line opened in stages from [[Bengal Calcutta]] in 1862 and Assam Railwaycompleted through to [[Kushtia]]in 1864.

==Branch Lines and extensions==*The [[Budge1870-Budge Branch Railway]] opened 189071_Report_on_Railways#Progress_on_State_lines. Branch line of EBR*[[Canning Branch Railway]] opened 1862_Paragraphs_5-6310. Branch line of EBR *[[Chitpur Branch Railway]] opened 1873. Branch line of EBR *[[Dalsingpara Branch Railway]] opened after 1811. Branch of Jainti Section of EBR ; under construction in 1911*[[Dhubri Branch Railway]] opened 1902. Branch of Assam Section of EBR.*[[Faridpur Branch Railway]] opened 18983B_Pages_3-4| “1870-99. Branch from Poradaha Section of EBR*[[Gauhati Branch Railway]] opened 1906. Part of Assam Section of EBR 71 Annual Report for Indian Railways incorporating part of [[Kaunia-Dharlia State Tram/Railway]]; extended up to 1909*[[Goalundo Branch Railway]] opened 1862. Branch from Poradaha Section of EBR ; extended up to 1882.*[[Godagari Ghat Branch Railway]] opened 1909. Branch from Katihar Section of EBR *[[Jainti Branch Railway]] opened 1900-1. Branch of Jainti Section of EBR*[[Jogbani Branch Railway]] opened 1887. Branch from Katihar Section of EBR ; extended 1909*[[Kankurgachi Chord Railway]] opened 1907. Short connecting section of EBR*[[Katihar Branch Railway]] opened 1883. Branch of Katihar Section of EBR ; opened 1883 and extended 1889*[[Kaunia-Bonarpara Extension Railway]] opened 1905. Extension to EBR for the network*[[Khulna Branch RailwayEastern Bengal Railway“]] opened 1883gives:-4. Originally [[Bengal Central Railway]]; in 1905 became Branch line of EBR Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|*[[Kishanganj Branch Railway‘Broad Gauge (BG)]] opened 1892. Branch from Katihar Section of EBR*[[Kurigram Branch Railway]] opened 1882. Branch line of Eastern Bengal State Railway*[[Lalgola Ghat Branch Railway]] opened 1905. Branch line of Line sanctioned EBR ; opened 1905159 miles(256km), extended 1907*[[Lalmonirhat-Gitaldaha which included 45 miles(Geetaldaha72km) Railway]] of Line opened c.19001870 with nil to be finished’. Link between The Report also details the [[Bengal Dooars Railway]] and [[Cooch Behar State Railway]]1870-71_Report_on_Railways#Eastern_Bengal_Railway.*[[Manihari Branch Railway]] opened 1887_Paragraphs_76-78. Branch from Katihar Section 3B_Page_36|‘progress of EBR *[[Murshidabad Branch Railwaythe railway and the commercial summery’]] opened 1909. Branch line of EBR*[[Patipukur Loop Railway]] opened 1904. Chord line of EBR - ''see separate pages for goods*[[Raiti Branch Railway]] opened 1910. Branch from Poradaha Section of EBR*[[Tanga Branch Railway]]Report details. Branch of Assam Section of EBR ; under construction, 1911''

==Railways absorbed into EBR==*[[Bengal Central RailwayFranklin Prestage]] opened 1882. Private company without guarantee; merged into EBR , 1905*[[Bengal Dooars Railway]](BDR) opened 1893. Independent Company operation small MG network; became the merged into Agent for the EBR , 1941*[[Brahmaputra-Sultanpur Railway]] opened 1899in the early 1870's. Amalgamated In its original contract with the Secretary of State for India, the EBR , 1904 together with [[Phulchari Branch Railway]] and [[SantaharCompany was to open a rail-Kaunia Loop Railway]]. *line to [[Calcutta and South Eastern RailwayDarjeeling]] opened 1862. Surrendered to However the [[Government of India |GoI]] , 1 Apr 1868; Worked by State, 1868took a decision to stop expansion of rail-70; lines by EBR, 1870-74; merged into EBR, 1884*[[Cooch Behar State Railway]] opened 1893. State railway, worked Guaranteed companies in new areas and instead decided to construct and finally bought by EBR c.1899*[[Dacca State Railway]] opened 1885. Formerly [[Narayanganj-Daccamanage new rail-Mymensingh State Railway]] ; merged into EBR , 1887; becoming Dacca Section of EBR *[[Diamond Harbour Line Railway]] opened 1862. First opened lines as [[Calcutta and South Eastern Railway]]; merged into EBR , 1884*[[Kaunia-Dharlia :Category:State Tram/Railway]] opened 1884-85. Constructed by EBR as [[Rail_gauge#Metre_GaugeRailways|NG]] Tram, converted to [[Rail_gauge#Metre_Gauge|NG]], 1901; part to EBR Gauhati Branch ; part to BDR Kurigram Branch *[[Kaunia-Kurigram RailwayState Railways]] opened c.1885. Narrow gauge(NG); merged into Prestage resigned from EBR 1887; converted to metre gauge 1928/29.*and in 1879 set up the [[Mymensingh-Jamalpur-Jagannath RailwayDarjeeling Steam Tramway]] opened 1898. Owned by [[Indian General Navigation and Railway Company]]; worked and finally purchased by EBR * <ref>[[Northern Bengal State Railway]](NBSR)opened 1877http://www. Merged into EBR , 1887; becoming the EBR North Bengal Section*[[Poradah Branch Railway]] opened cirfca.1880. Constructed by [[Northern Bengal State Railway]](NBSR) but worked by EBR; apparently taken over by EBR c.1913*[[Ranagatorg/articles/eminent-Bangaon Railway]] opened 1882railwaymen. Opened as part html#prestage “Eminent Railwaymen of [[Bengal Central Railway]]; became section of EBR Yesteryears” by R R Bhandari July 2008, 1905*[[Ranaghat-Krishnagar Light Railway]] opened 1899. Narrow gauge(NG), via Shantipur. Constructed reproduced by [[MartinIRFCA ''s Light Indian Railways]] Company taken over by EBR, 1904*[[Santipur-Nabadwip Light Railway]] opened 1898. Constructed by [[MartinFan Club''s Light Railways]] Company; taken over by EBR , 1904 *[[Sara-Sirajgonj Railway]] opened 1915-16Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016</ref>. Private company, worked by EBR, finally purchased by EBR

==Lines worked by The EBR at some time==*[[Khulna-Bagerhat became the '''Eastern Bengal State Railway]] opened 1918-19. Narrow gauge'''(NGEBSR) railway; constructed in 1918. Worked , owned and managed by EBR*[[Lalmonirhat-Gitaldahathe Government of India(Geetaldaha) Railway]] opened c.1900. Link between [[Bengal Dooars Railway]] and [[Cooch Behar State RailwayGovernment of India |GoI]]), jointly worked.*[[Teesta-Kurigram Railway]] opened c.1885on 30 June 1884. Section of [[Kaunia-Kurigram Railway]] , worked by EBR*[[Netrakona-Mohanganj Railway]] was constructed between 1912 and 1918 by the Mymensingh–Bhairab Bazar Railway Company, worked by EBR

==Train Ferry Links EBR==*The GoI merged the broad gauge([[Pandu Ghat-Gauhati RailwayRail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]] opened c.1908 Link constructed by EBR to link the ) [[Amingaon-Pandu Train FerryCalcutta and South Eastern Railway]]. Rail transhipment by ferry crossing into the Brahmaputra River linking EBR system to EBSR, and in 1887 several metre gauge([[Assam Bengal RailwayRail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]](ABR)'s network. Worked by ABR; transferred to ABR, 1922*and narrow gauge [[Sara Train FerryRail_gauge#Narrow_Gauge|NG]] opened c.1899. Ferry link from railwaysRailways – this giving the three Rail Gauges that made up the EBR main line across Ganges to Sara taking Goods wagonsnetwork. Operated until 1915 on opening of Hardinge Bridge

The following are held in During the [[India Office Records]] at 1920s, the [[British Library]]EBR continued to grow by merger and amalgamation, and also began to convert sections of metre and narrow gauge to eliminate rail bottlenecks.

*'''L/AG/46/10/35''' : Contracts of appointment (1862-1869)On 1 January 1941, the GoI acquired the [[Bengal Dooars Railway]] and merged it into the EBR.

The above is partially indexed in *'''Z/L/AG/46''' : Index In 1942, the GoI merged the EBR with the [[Assam Bengal Railway]] to UK Appointments to Indian Railways (1849-1925)create the [[Bengal and Assam Railway]].

*== EBR Lines owned and worked ==The development of the EBR network is detailed in a separate page '''L/AG/46/10/35[[Eastern Bengal Railway - Lines owned and worked]] ''' : Lists broken down into the three Rail Gauge Divisions.<br>The initial construction of staff, 1879-1881.Bridges is covered in a separate page '''[[East Bengal Railway Bridges|Eastern Bengal Railway Bridges]]''' as part of the development of the EBR system

== Notes External Links== <sup>1<*[http:/sup> /en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Railway Banglapedia "Money Market and City IntelligenceNational Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh", ''The Times'', Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7aRailway]*[http://inforail.blogspot.com/2012/10/brief-history-of-bangladesh-railway.html "Brief History of Bangladesh Railway" Bangladesh Railway Information]