Southern Punjab Railway

Southern Punjab Railway
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Line of route
Delhi to Samasata McLeod Ganj to Ludhiana Narwana to Kaithal (branch)
Gauge / mileage
Broad gauge	502 miles (1905)
Timeline
1897	Delhi to Samasata line opened to traffic
1930	Line acquired by State and merged into NWR
Key locations
Presidency	Bengal
Stations	Bahawalpur, Bhatinda, Fazilka, Ferozepore, Jakhai, Rohtak
System agency
	Worked by North Western Railway
How to interpret this infobox

The Southern Punjab Railway(SPR) was a broad gauge(BG) line built to provide a more direct connection from Karachi to Delhi by linking to the original Indus Valley line at Samasata and avoiding the North Western Railway loop via Lahore.

History

The Company was formed in 1895. The main line ran north west from Delhi to Bhatinda then south west through Bahawalpur State to Samasata, a total distance of 402 miles(643km). Several extension lines (Jullunder, Sutlej Valley etc.) extended the length to 502 miles(803km) in 1905.

The railway was worked by the North Western State(NWR) Railway (see "Records L/AG/46/34").

Purchased by Government in 1930.

SPR Branch Lines and extensions

• Delhi-Samasatta Railway was opened in 1897 by the SPR connecting Delhi with Samasatta via Bhatinda. The line passed through Muktasar and Fazilka and provided direct connection through Samasatta (now in Pakistan) to Karachi.
• Macleodganj Railway was an extension constructed by SPR in 1905 and worked by them. Later renamed Mandi Sadiqgan Railway and now in Pakistan.
• Narwana-Kaithal Railway was opened in 1899 by SPR, linking Kaitha to Narwana, from where a branch line to Kuruksheta was opened in 1910.

Railways absorbed into SPR

• Sutlej Valley Railway, opened 1910. Constructed as part of Sutlej Valley Irrigation project; merged into SPR, 1917-18. The Kasur-Lodhran Railway section of this line was dismantled in 1917.

Lines worked by SPR at some time

• Narwana-Kaithal Railway, opened 1899, extended to Kuruksheta, 1910; worked by SPR.

Records

Refer to FIBIS Fact File #4: “Research sources for Indian Railways, 1845-1947” - available from the Fibis shop. This Fact File contains invaluable advice on 'Researching ancestors in the UK records of Indian Railways' with particular reference to the India Office Records (IOR) held at the British Library

An on-line search of the IOR records relating to this railway gives many references. The most important being:-

• L/AG/46/39 “Records of the India Office relating to the Southern Punjab Railway Company; 1895-1914".'
• L/F/7/2607-2615 “Collection 401: Southern Punjab Railway, date unspecified"

also concerning the working of the Southern Punjab Railway by NWR.

• L/AG/46/34 “ Records of the India Office relating to the North Western State Railway",