Changes

|timeline2date= 1868|timeline2details= [[Calcutta and South Eastern Railway]] mergertaken over

|timeline4date= 1915|timeline4details= Opening of [[Hardinge Bridge]] at Sara Ghat

|company1= 1884|company1details= [[Eastern Bengal Railway]]|company2=1868

|workshop= [[Kanchrapara]], [[Saidpur]] <br>''See'' [[EBR Railway Workshops]]

The '''[[File: Eastern Bengal Railway''' (EBR) was formed in 1857 for "the construction and working of a line from [[Calcutta]] to [[Dacca]], with a branch to [[Jessore]]Map 1909. Capital 1,000,000''l''. This amount has been sanctioned for the line from Calcutta to the Ganges at Kooshtee([[Kushtiapng|thumb| Eastern Bengal Railway Map 1909]]), 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''." ¹

== History ==The first construction started in October 1859 and the first train ran between '''Eastern Bengal Railway''' Company (EBR) was formed as a [[Sealdah]] and [[RanaghatGuaranteed Railways|Guaranteed Railway]] company in September 1862. Thereafter further phases considerably extended 1857 for "the reach construction and working of the a line and, by 1866, it linked from [[Calcutta]] to [[KushtiaDacca]]. The company had also acquired , with a steam vessel service operating between branch to [[KushtiaJessore]] and . Capital 1,000,000''l''. This amount has been sanctioned for the line from Calcutta to the Ganges at Kooshtee([[DaccaKushtia]]), 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>[https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228649/8330.pdf H.M. Government “Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report : Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill; April 2012"; pages 127-8Money Market and City Intelligence", ''The Times'', Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, paragraphs 37a.51 - 3.55] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>.

==History==The first construction started in October 1859. Isambard Kingdom Brunel had been engaged in Britain as consulting engineer to the EBR became the '''Eastern Bengal State Railway'''(EBSR)and [[Bradford Leslie]], an English civil engineer who specialised in bridges, owned was sent to India as engineer in charge of bridges and managed by viaducts. He supervised the Government building of the Eschamutter and Koormar 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>[Government 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 India |GoIEmpire, Chapter 5.3” by D. Johnson, Richard Watson"]]), ; Retrieved on 30 June 1884 2 Jun 2016</ref>.

The GoI merged the [[Calcutta and South Eastern RailwayFranklin Prestage]] into became the Agent for the EBSR, and several others EBR in 1887the early 1870's. In 1904its original contract with the Secretary of State for India, the EBSR took over the EBR Company was to open a rail-line to [[Bengal Central RailwayDarjeeling]] which it had previously been working, and . However the [[Brahmaputra-Sultanpur RailwayGovernment of India]]. In 1915, the system reverted took a decision to stop expansion of rail-lines by Guaranteed companies in new areas and instead decided to the style, '''Eastern Bengal Railway'''.<ref>construct and manage new rail-lines as [[https://ia801009Category:State Railways|State Railways]].us.archive.org/8/items/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System.pdf " Administration Report on the Railways Prestage resigned from EBR and in India – corrected 1879 set up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; pages 42(BG); 47(MG); 52(NG)the [[Darjeeling Steam Tramway]]; Retrieved 17 Dec 2015</ref>Company <ref>[http://enwww.banglapediairfca.org/index.php?title=Railway Banglapedia "National Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh" Railway]; Retrieved 17 Dec 2015<articles/ref><ref>[http://inforail.blogspot.com/2012/10/brief-historyeminent-of-bangladesh-railwayrailwaymen.html "Brief History #prestage “Eminent Railwaymen of Bangladesh Railway" Bangladesh Railway InformationYesteryears” by R R Bhandari July 2008, reproduced by IRFCA ''Indian Railways Fan Club'']; Retrieved 17 Dec 2015on 2 Jun 2016</ref>.

During the 1920s, the 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 became the [['''Eastern Bengal Dooars State Railway]] '''(EBSR), owned and merged it into the EBR. In 1942, the GoI merged the EBR with managed by the Government of India([[Assam Bengal Railway]] to create the [[Bengal and Assam RailwayGovernment of India |GoI]]), on 30 June 1884.

==Branch Lines and extensions==*The GoI merged the broad gauge([[Budge-Budge Branch RailwayRail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]] opened 1890. Branch line of EBR*[[Canning Branch Railway]] opened ) 1862-63. Branch line of EBR *[[Chitpur Branch Calcutta and South Eastern Railway]] opened 1873. Branch line of EBR *[[Dalsingpara Branch Railway]] opened after 1811. Branch of Jainti Section of EBR ; under construction into the EBSR, and in 1911*[[Dhubri Branch Railway]] opened 1902. Branch of Assam Section of EBR.*[[Faridpur Branch Railway]] opened 1898-99. Branch from Poradaha Section of EBR*[[Gauhati Branch Railway]] opened 1906. Part of Assam Section of EBR incorporating part of [[Kaunia-Dharlia State Tram/Railway]]; extended up to 1909*[[Goalundo Branch Railway]] opened 1862. Branch from Poradaha Section of EBR ; extended up to 1882.*[[Godagari Ghat Branch Railway]] opened 1909. Branch from Katihar Section of EBR *[[Jainti Branch Railway]] opened 1900-1. Branch of Jainti Section of EBR*[[Jogbani Branch Railway]] opened 1887. Branch from Katihar Section of EBR ; extended 1909*[[Kankurgachi Chord Railway]] opened 1907. Short connecting section of EBR*[[Katihar Branch Railway]] opened 1883. Branch of Katihar Section of EBR ; opened 1883 and extended 1889*[[Kaunia-Bonarpara Extension Railway]] opened 1905. Extension to EBR several network*metre gauge([[Khulna Branch Railway]] opened 1883-4. Originally [[Bengal Central RailwayRail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]; in 1905 became Branch line of EBR *[[Kishanganj Branch Railway]] opened 1892. Branch from Katihar Section of EBR*[[Kurigram Branch Railway]] opened 1882. Branch line of Eastern Bengal State Railway*[[Lalgola Ghat Branch Railway]] opened 1905. Branch line of EBR ; opened 1905, extended 1907*[[Lalmonirhat-Gitaldaha(Geetaldaha) Railway]] opened c.1900. Link between [[Bengal Dooars Railway]] and narrow gauge [[Cooch Behar State RailwayRail_gauge#Narrow_Gauge|NG]].railways*[[Manihari Branch Railway]] opened 1887. Branch from Katihar Section of Railways – this giving the three Rail Gauges that made up the EBR *[[Murshidabad Branch Railway]] opened 1909network. Branch line of EBR*[[Patipukur Loop Railway]] opened 1904. Chord line of EBR for goods*[[Raiti Branch Railway]] opened 1910. Branch from Poradaha Section of EBR*[[Tanga Branch Railway]]. Branch of Assam Section of EBR ; under construction, 1911

==Railways absorbed into EBR==*[[Bengal Central Railway]] opened 1882. Private company without guarantee; merged into EBR In 1915, 1905*[[Bengal Dooars Railway]](BDR) opened 1893. Independent Company operation small MG network; merged into EBR , 1941*[[Brahmaputra-Sultanpur Railway]] opened 1899. Amalgamated with EBR , 1904 together with [[Phulchari Branch Railway]] and [[Santahar-Kaunia Loop Railway]]. *[[Calcutta and South Eastern Railway]] opened 1862. Surrendered the system reverted to [[Government of India |GoI]] the style, 1 Apr 1868; Worked by State, 1868-70; by EBR, 1870-74; merged into EBR, 1884*[[Cooch Behar State Railway]] opened 1893. State railway, worked and finally bought by EBR c.1899*[[Dacca State Railway]] opened 1885. Formerly [[Narayanganj-Dacca-Mymensingh State Railway]] ; merged into EBR , 1887; becoming Dacca Section of EBR *[[Diamond Harbour Line Railway]] opened 1862. First opened as [[Calcutta and South '''Eastern Railway]]; merged into EBR , 1884*[[Kaunia-Dharlia State Tram/Railway]] opened 1884-85. Constructed by EBR as [[Rail_gauge#Metre_Gauge|NG]] Tram, converted to [[Rail_gauge#Metre_Gauge|NG]], 1901; part to EBR Gauhati Branch ; part to BDR Kurigram Branch *[[Kaunia-Kurigram Railway]] opened c.1885. Narrow gauge(NG); merged into EBR 1887; converted to metre gauge 1928/29.*[[Mymensingh-Jamalpur-Jagannath Railway]] opened 1898. Owned by [[Indian General Navigation and Railway Company]]; worked and finally purchased by EBR * [[Northern Bengal State Railway]](NBSR)opened 1877. Merged into EBR , 1887; becoming the EBR North Bengal Section*[[Poradah Branch Railway]] opened c.1880. Constructed by [[Northern Bengal State Railway]](NBSR) but worked by EBR; apparently taken over by EBR c.1913*[[Ranagat-Bangaon Railway]] opened 1882. Opened as part of [[Bengal Central Railway]]; became section of EBR , 1905*[[Ranaghat-Krishnagar Light Railway]] opened 1899. Narrow gauge(NG), via Shantipur. Constructed by [[Martin's Light Railways]] Company taken over by EBR, 1904*[[Santipur-Nabadwip Light Railway]] opened 1898. Constructed by [[Martin's Light Railways]] Company; taken over by EBR , 1904 *[[Sara-Sirajgonj Railway]] opened 1915-16'. Private company, worked by EBR, finally purchased by EBR

==Lines worked by During the 1920s, the EBR at some time==*[[Khulna-Bagerhat Railway]] opened 1918-19. Narrow gauge(NG) railway; constructed in 1918. Worked continued to grow by EBR*[[Lalmonirhat-Gitaldaha(Geetaldaha) Railway]] opened c.1900. Link between [[Bengal Dooars Railway]] merger and [[Cooch Behar State Railway]]amalgamation, jointly worked.*[[Teesta-Kurigram Railway]] opened c.1885. Section and also began to convert sections of [[Kaunia-Kurigram Railway]] , worked by EBR*[[Netrakona-Mohanganj Railway]] was constructed between 1912 metre and 1918 by the Mymensingh–Bhairab Bazar Railway Company, worked by EBRnarrow gauge to eliminate rail bottlenecks.

==Train Ferry Links EBR==*[[Pandu Ghat-Gauhati Railway]] opened c.1908 Link constructed by EBR to link On 1 January 1941, the [[Amingaon-Pandu Train Ferry]]. Rail transhipment by ferry crossing GoI acquired the Brahmaputra River linking EBR system to [[Assam Bengal Dooars Railway]](ABR)'s network. Worked by ABR; transferred to ABR, 1922*[[Sara Train Ferry]] opened c.1899. Ferry link from and merged it into the EBR main line across Ganges to Sara taking Goods wagons. Operated until 1915 on opening of Hardinge Bridge

== Records == The following are held in In 1942, the GoI merged the EBR with the [[India Office RecordsAssam Bengal Railway]] at to create the [[British LibraryBengal and Assam Railway]]. *'''L/AG/46/10/35''' : Contracts of appointment (1862-1869). The above is partially indexed in *'''Z/L/AG/46''' : Index to UK Appointments to Indian Railways (1849-1925)

*== EBR Lines owned and worked ==The development of the EBR network is detailed in a separate page '''L/AG/46/10/35[[Eastern Bengal Railway - Lines owned and worked]] ''' : Lists of staff, 1879-1881 broken down into the three Rail Gauge Divisions.

== Notes External Links== <sup>1<*[http:/sup> /en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Railway Banglapedia "Money Market and City IntelligenceNational Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh", ''The Times'', Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7aRailway]*[http://inforail.blogspot.com/2012/10/brief-history-of-bangladesh-railway.html "Brief History of Bangladesh Railway" Bangladesh Railway Information]