9,628
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
→History: 1870/71 Report and internal link added
The '[[Brassey & Co|Brassey, Wythes and Paxman Partenership]] undertook the construction of the EBR a line of 112 miles(179km) from [[Calcutta]] to [[Kushtia|Kooshtea(Kushtia)]] on the River Ganges. The line opened in stages from [[Calcutta]] in 1862 and completed through to [[Kushtia]] in 1864.
The [[1870-71_Report_on_Railways#Progress_on_State_lines._Paragraphs_5-10.3B_Pages_3-4| “1870-71 Annual Report for Indian Railways for the Eastern Bengal Railway“]] gives:- [[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|
‘Broad Gauge (BG)]] Line sanctioned 159 miles(256km), which included 45 miles(72km)of Line opened 1870 with nil to be finished’. The Report also details the [[1870-71_Report_on_Railways#Eastern_Bengal_Railway._Paragraphs_76-78.3B_Page_36|‘progress of the railway and the commercial summery’]] - ''see separate pages for Report details.''
[[Franklin Prestage]] became the Agent for the EBR in the early 1870's. In its original contract with the Secretary of State for India, the EBR Company was to open a rail-line to [[Darjeeling]]. However the [[Government of India]] took a decision to stop expansion of rail-lines by Guaranteed companies in new areas and instead decided to construct and manage new rail-lines as [[:Category:State Railways|State Railways]]. Prestage resigned from EBR and in 1879 set up the [[Darjeeling Steam Tramway]] Company <ref>[http://www.irfca.org/articles/eminent-railwaymen.html#prestage “Eminent Railwaymen of Yesteryears” by R R Bhandari July 2008, reproduced by IRFCA ''Indian Railways Fan Club''] Retrieved on 2 Jun 2016</ref>.
