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[[Category:Railways]]
{{Line Railways Infobox
[[Image:Ebr.jpg]]
|image=
|caption=
|route= [[Calcutta]] to [[Faridpur]] (BG) with branches to<br>[[Budge-Budge]], [[Diamond Harbour]], [[Lalgola]]
|gauge1= Broad gauge
|gauge1details= 495 miles (1905)
|gauge2= Metre gauge
|gauge2details= 637 miles (1905)
|gauge3= 2' 6" NG
|gauge3details= 55 miles (1905)
|gauge4=
|gauge4details=
|timeline1date= 1857
|timeline1details= Formed as [[Guaranteed Railways|Guaranteed company]]
|timeline2date= 1868
|timeline2details= [[Calcutta and South Eastern Railway]] taken over
|timeline3date= 1884
|timeline3details= Taken over by State
|timeline4date= 1915
|timeline4details= Opening of [[Hardinge Bridge]] at Sara Ghat 
|timeline5date=
|timeline5details= 
|presidency= [[Bengal]]
|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
|system1date= 1884
|system1details= State agency
|system2date=
|system2details=
|system3date=
|system3details= 
}}
 
{{System_Railways_Infobox
|image= Eastern Bengal Railway logo.jpg
|caption= ''Eastern Bengal Railway device''
|timeline1date= 1884
|timeline1details= Renamed '''Eastern Bengal State Railway'''
|timeline2date=
|timeline2details=
|timeline3date= 1915
|timeline3details= Reverted to [[Eastern Bengal Railway]]
|timeline4date=
|timeline4details= 
|timeline5date=
|timeline5details= 
|company1=
|company1details=
|company2=1868
|company2details= [[Calcutta and South Eastern Railway]]
|company3= 1887
|company3details= [[Dacca State Railway]]
|company4= 1887
|company4details= [[Northern Bengal State Railway]]
|company5= 1887
|company5details= [[Kaunia-Kurigram Railway]]
|company6=
|company6details= [[Cooch Behar Railway]]
|company7=
|company7details= [[Mymensingh-Jamalpur-Jagannath Railway]]
|company8=
|company8details=
|company9= 1904
|company9details= [[Bengal Central Railway]]
|company10=
|company10details= [[Brahmaputra-Sultanpur Railway]]
|company11=
|company11details=
|company12= 1941
|company12details= [[Bengal Dooars Railway]]
|headquarters= [[Calcutta]]
|stations= See also separate page [[Calcutta_Railways_%26_Stations#Sealdah_Station| ''' Calcutta Seadah Station''']] for details
|workshop= [[Kanchrapara]], [[Saidpur]] <br>''See'' [[EBR Railway Workshops]]
|system1date= 1942
|system1details= Merged into [[Bengal and Assam Railway]]
|system2date=
|system2details= 
|system3date=
|system3details= 
|gauge1= Broad gauge
|gauge1details= 495 miles (1905)
|gauge2= Metre gauge
|gauge2details= 688 miles (1905)
|gauge3= 2' 6" NG
|gauge3details= 89 miles (1905)
|gauge4=
|gauge4details=
|auxillary forces= [[Eastern Bengal Railway Battalion]]
}}
 
[[File: Eastern Bengal Railway Map 1909.png|thumb| Eastern Bengal Railway Map 1909]]
 
The '''Eastern Bengal Railway''' Company (EBR) was formed as a [[Guaranteed Railways|Guaranteed Railway]] company in 1857 for "the construction and working of a line from [[Calcutta]] to [[Dacca]], with a branch to [[Jessore]].  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'' " <ref> "Money Market and City Intelligence", ''The Times'', Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a. </ref>.
 
==History==
The first construction started in October 1859. Isambard Kingdom Brunel  had been  engaged in Britain as consulting engineer to the EBR and [[Bradford Leslie]],  an English civil engineer who specialised in bridges,  was sent to India as engineer in charge of bridges and viaducts. He supervised the building of the [[East_Bengal_Railway_Bridges#Ichamati_River_Railway_Bridge|Eschamutter(Ichamati)]] and [[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 meaning of Empire, Chapter 5.3” by D. Johnson, Richard Watson"]; Retrieved on  2 Jun 2016</ref>.
 
The '[[Brassey & Co|Brassey, Wythes and Paxman Partenership]] undertook the construction  of the EBR a line of 112 miles(179km) from [[Calcutta]] to [[Kushtia|Kooshtea(Kushtia)]] on the River Ganges. The line opened in stages from [[Calcutta]] in 1862 and completed through to [[Kushtia]] in 1864.
 
The [[1870-71_Report_on_Railways#Progress_on_State_lines._Paragraphs_5-10.3B_Pages_3-4| “1870-71 Annual Report for Indian Railways  for the  Eastern Bengal Railway“]] gives:- [[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|
‘Broad Gauge (BG)]] Line sanctioned  159 miles(256km),  which included 45 miles(72km)of Line opened 1870 with nil to be finished’. The Report also details the [[1870-71_Report_on_Railways#Eastern_Bengal_Railway._Paragraphs_76-78.3B_Page_36|‘progress of the railway and the commercial summery’]] - ''see separate pages for Report details.''
 
[[Franklin Prestage]] became the  Agent for the EBR in the early 1870's. In its original contract with the Secretary of State for India, the EBR Company  was to open a rail-line to [[Darjeeling]]. However the [[Government of India]] took a decision to stop expansion of rail-lines by Guaranteed companies in new areas and instead decided to construct and manage new rail-lines as [[:Category:State Railways|State Railways]].  Prestage resigned from EBR  and in 1879 set up the [[Darjeeling Steam Tramway]] Company <ref>[http://www.irfca.org/articles/eminent-railwaymen.html#prestage “Eminent Railwaymen of Yesteryears” by R R Bhandari July 2008, reproduced by IRFCA ''Indian Railways Fan Club''] Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016</ref>.
 
The EBR became the '''Eastern Bengal State Railway'''(EBSR), owned and managed by the Government of India([[Government of India |GoI]]), on 30 June 1884.
 
The GoI merged the broad gauge([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]])  [[Calcutta and South Eastern Railway]] into the EBSR, and in 1887 several  metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) and narrow gauge [[Rail_gauge#Narrow_Gauge|NG]] railways
Railways – this giving the three Rail Gauges that made up the EBR network.
 
In 1915, the system reverted to the style, '''Eastern Bengal Railway'''.
 
During the 1920s, the EBR continued to grow by merger and amalgamation, and also began to convert sections of metre and narrow gauge to eliminate rail bottlenecks.
 
On 1 January 1941, the GoI acquired the [[Bengal Dooars Railway]] and merged it into the EBR.
 
In 1942, the GoI merged the EBR with the [[Assam Bengal Railway]] to create the [[Bengal and Assam Railway]].
 
== EBR Personnel ==
See separate page  '''[[Eastern Bengal Railway  Personnel]]''' 
 
== EBR Lines owned and worked ==
The development of the EBR network  is detailed in a separate page '''[[Eastern Bengal Railway  - Lines owned and worked]] '''  broken down into the three Rail Gauge Divisions.
<br>The initial construction of Bridges is covered in a separate page '''[[East Bengal Railway Bridges|Eastern Bengal Railway Bridges]]''' as part of the development of the EBR system
 
==External Links==         
*[http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Railway Banglapedia "National Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh" Railway]
*[http://inforail.blogspot.com/2012/10/brief-history-of-bangladesh-railway.html "Brief History of Bangladesh Railway" Bangladesh Railway Information]


The [[East Bengal Railway]] (EBR) was originally formed to lay track along the east bank of the Ganga to Kushthia and then across the river to Dhaka. The line to Kushthia was opened in 1862, ending in Calcutta at Sealdah.
== References ==
<references />


Staff agreements dated 1862-1869 and Staff lists dated 1879-1891 can be found at the [[British Library]] in the [[India Office Records]] L/AG/46/10/35
[[Category:Railways]]
[[Category:Guaranteed Railways]]
[[Category:State Railways]]
[[Category:Narrow Gauge (NG) Railways]]

Latest revision as of 09:03, 8 March 2021

Eastern Bengal Railway
[[Image:|150px| ]]
Line of route
Calcutta to Faridpur (BG) with branches to
Budge-Budge, Diamond Harbour, Lalgola
Gauge / mileage
Broad gauge 495 miles (1905)
Metre gauge 637 miles (1905)
2' 6" NG 55 miles (1905)
Timeline
1857 Formed as Guaranteed company
1868 Calcutta and South Eastern Railway taken over
1884 Taken over by State
1915 Opening of Hardinge Bridge at Sara Ghat
Key locations
Presidency Bengal
Stations Calcutta Sealdah , Dum Dum, Naihati, Kaliganga, Rajbari, Goalundo, Ranaghat, Krishnagar, Plassey, Murshidabad, Bangaon, Jessore,

See also separate page Calcutta Seadah Station for details

System agency
1884 State agency
How to interpret this infobox
Eastern Bengal Railway

Eastern Bengal Railway device
System timeline
1884 Renamed Eastern Bengal State Railway
1915 Reverted to Eastern Bengal Railway
Constituent companies / lines
1868 Calcutta and South Eastern Railway
1887 Dacca State Railway
1887 Northern Bengal State Railway
1887 Kaunia-Kurigram Railway
Cooch Behar Railway
Mymensingh-Jamalpur-Jagannath Railway
1904 Bengal Central Railway
Brahmaputra-Sultanpur Railway
1941 Bengal Dooars Railway
Key locations
Headquarters Calcutta
Workshops Kanchrapara, Saidpur
See EBR Railway Workshops
Major Stations See also separate page Calcutta Seadah Station for details
Successor system / organisation
1942 Merged into Bengal and Assam Railway
System mileage
Broad gauge 495 miles (1905)
Metre gauge 688 miles (1905)
2' 6" NG 89 miles (1905)
Associated auxiliary force
Eastern Bengal Railway Battalion
How to interpret this infobox
Eastern Bengal Railway Map 1909

The Eastern Bengal Railway Company (EBR) was formed as a Guaranteed Railway company in 1857 for "the construction and working of a line from Calcutta to Dacca, with a branch to Jessore. Capital 1,000,000l. 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 1,000,000l " [1].

History

The first construction started in October 1859. Isambard Kingdom Brunel had been engaged in Britain as consulting engineer to the EBR and Bradford Leslie, an English civil engineer who specialised in bridges, was sent to India as engineer in charge of bridges and viaducts. He supervised the building of the Eschamutter(Ichamati) and Koomar(Kumar) river bridges before returning to Britain in 1861. He returned to India in 1865 and became Chief Engineer and Agent [2] [3].

The 'Brassey, Wythes and Paxman Partenership undertook the construction of the EBR a line of 112 miles(179km) from Calcutta to Kooshtea(Kushtia) on the River Ganges. The line opened in stages from Calcutta in 1862 and completed through to Kushtia in 1864.

The “1870-71 Annual Report for Indian Railways for the Eastern Bengal Railway“ gives:- ‘Broad Gauge (BG) Line sanctioned 159 miles(256km), which included 45 miles(72km)of Line opened 1870 with nil to be finished’. The Report also details the ‘progress of the railway and the commercial summery’ - see separate pages for Report details.

Franklin Prestage became the Agent for the EBR in the early 1870's. In its original contract with the Secretary of State for India, the EBR Company was to open a rail-line to Darjeeling. However the Government of India took a decision to stop expansion of rail-lines by Guaranteed companies in new areas and instead decided to construct and manage new rail-lines as State Railways. Prestage resigned from EBR and in 1879 set up the Darjeeling Steam Tramway Company [4].

The EBR became the Eastern Bengal State Railway(EBSR), owned and managed by the Government of India(GoI), on 30 June 1884.

The GoI merged the broad gauge(BG) Calcutta and South Eastern Railway into the EBSR, and in 1887 several metre gauge(MG) and narrow gauge NG railways Railways – this giving the three Rail Gauges that made up the EBR network.

In 1915, the system reverted to the style, Eastern Bengal Railway.

During the 1920s, the EBR continued to grow by merger and amalgamation, and also began to convert sections of metre and narrow gauge to eliminate rail bottlenecks.

On 1 January 1941, the GoI acquired the Bengal Dooars Railway and merged it into the EBR.

In 1942, the GoI merged the EBR with the Assam Bengal Railway to create the Bengal and Assam Railway.

EBR Personnel

See separate page Eastern Bengal Railway Personnel

EBR Lines owned and worked

The development of the EBR network is detailed in a separate page Eastern Bengal Railway - Lines owned and worked broken down into the three Rail Gauge Divisions.
The initial construction of Bridges is covered in a separate page Eastern Bengal Railway Bridges as part of the development of the EBR system

External Links

References

  1. ↑ "Money Market and City Intelligence", The Times, Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia "Bradford Leslie"; Retrieved on 5 May 2016
  3. ↑ Google Books “New Delhi: The Last Imperial City- Sir Bradford Leslie and the meaning of Empire, Chapter 5.3” by D. Johnson, Richard Watson"; Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016
  4. ↑ “Eminent Railwaymen of Yesteryears” by R R Bhandari July 2008, reproduced by IRFCA Indian Railways Fan Club Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016
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