Pondicherry Branch (SIR)
The Pondicherry Branch was a short metre gauge(MG) branch line of the South Indian Railway(SIR) from the SIR mainline at Villupuram to connect the French enclave of Pondicherry with the rest of British India. The branchline from Villupuram was 16 miles(26km) in length to the Gingee River bridge where in met the Pondicherry Railway[1]
The Pondicherry Railway was constructed under the supervision of the SIR and commenced in 1878 simultaneously with the Pondicherry Branch.
The branch line, comprising the two sections, opened in 1879 by SIR under a joint working agreement.