West of India Portuguese Railway
| West of India Portuguese Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:|150px| ]] | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Marmagao to Londa | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | 51 miles (1905) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1888 | Opened to traffic | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Bombay | |
| Stations | Castle Rock, Londa, Marmagao | |
| System agency | ||
| 1902 | Southern Mahratta Railway | |
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
The West of India Portuguese Railway (WIPR) was a metre gauge(MG) line linking the port of Marmagao/Mormugao (in the Portuguese enclave of Goa) via Castle Rock to Londa, junction with the Southern Mahratta Railway (SMR). [1]
History
In 1902, with the metre gauge line on the verge of bankruptcy, the Portuguese leased the railway to the SMR which set up the WIPR to manage it. [2]
With Independence, operation of the WIPR passed to Indian Railways and, in 1951, to Southern Railway. Between 1955 and 1961, the lines within the enclave reverted to Portuguese control. In 1963, the railway was once more taken over by Indian Railways' Southern Railway.[3]
Records
An on-line search of the India Office Records (IOR) records held at the British Library relating to this railway [4] gives several entries, the most relevant as follows: -
- L/AG/46/19; “Records of the West of India Portuguese Guaranteed Railway Company”; 1881-1951
- L/F/7/2177; “Collection 370/22: Railways: Miscellaneous: West of India Portuguese Railway, workings of by the Madras and South Mahratta Railway Company”; 1897-1926
- L/F/7/1515; “Collection 266/3: Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway: Contracts with the West of India Portuguese Railway and Portuguese Government (also transit tax in Goa)”; 1926-29
- L/F/7/1516; “Collection 266/4: Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Company: Renewal of agreement for working the West of India Portuguese Railway; transfer of working to the Madras and Southern Mahratta State Railway on 1 Apr 1944” 1927-45.
References
- ↑ " Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page 94; Retrieved 21 Dec 2015
- ↑ "A Portuguese-British deal," The New York Times, Thursday, 16 October 1902, p1 (digital image, The New York Times Archives : accessed 25 November 2008).
- ↑ "Landmark events of the past seventy years", Mormugao Port Trust (accessed 25 November 2008).
- ↑ “British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue” - Search; Retrieved 15 Apr 2016