Madras Railway

The Madras Railway was formed in 1845 although its first section of line, from Madras to Arcot, was not opened to traffic until 1 July 1856. In 1859, its object was given as "the construction and working of a railway from Madras to the western coast at Beypore, with branches to Bangalore and the Neilgherries; also of a line from Madras, via Bellary, to join the line from Bombay - total, about 820 miles."1

Characteristics

Headquartered in Madras, whence its lines radiated, the Madras Railway was built to broad guage. It was the last guaranteed railway to fall to Government ownership (31 December 1907). In 1908, it merged with the Southern Mahratta Railway to form the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway (MSMR). The Government took over the management of the MSMR on 1 April 1944. On 14 April 1951, MSMR together with the South Indian Railway and the Mysore State Railway became the Southern Railway of Indian Railways.

Records

There are no Staff agreements held at the British Library in the India Office Records.

Notes

1 "Money Market and City Intelligence", The Times, Wednesday, 15 June 1859, #23333, 7a.