Francis Joseph Edward Spring

Francis Joseph Edward Spring Sir KCIE, MAI (1849-1933) entered the Indian Imperial Civil Service's engineering section in 1870. He served as Consulting Engineer to the Government of India(GoI) and played a pivotal role in the development of railways in East India.

Railway Acheivements in India

• 1873-1878 Punjab Northern State Railway survey and construction of various parts of that Railway and on the Alexandra Bridge (River Chenab)
• In 1878 promoted to the temporary position of Executive Engineer, which was confirmed in 1880, and had charge of a division of the Bhavnagar-Gondal-Junagad-Porbandar Railway.
• 1880-84, Bengal-Nagpur Railway Survey and the Benares-Cuttack Railway Survey
• 1884, appointed Under-Secretary to the Government of Bengal on the Public Works Department, Railway Branch, and assistant to the Chief Engineer of Bengal.
• 1888 he became Secretary for the Railway Board, Bombay, a post which he only held for a few months as he then received the appointment of Government Consulting Engineer in Assam.
• 1891 Secretary for Railways to the Government of Madras.
• 1893-? Manager of the extensive East Coast State Railway which opened from Cuttack via Khurda Road to Puri.
• 1893 Bezwada-Madras Railway Survey; opened in 1899 as part of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway
• 1896 Deputy Secretary of the Railway Board of the Government of India(GoI) and Secretary in 1897.
• 1897-1900 Consulting Engineer for the Havelock Bridge taking the main line over the Godavari River.
• 1902 Consulting Engineer for the Hardinge Bridge to carry the broad gauge(BG) East Bengal Railway(EBR) for easier communication between Calcutta and Eastern Bengal and Assam.
• 1904 retired with the rank of Chief Engineer, 1st class.