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The line was constructed primarily to reduce the journey time on the final stage of long haul from Britain to [[Delhi]] and [[Calcutta]]. Once the ‘Karachi-Kotri Railway’ was completed the [[Indus Flotilla|’Indus Flotilla’]] Company steamers, also owned by the [[Scinde Railway Company]] could take cargo from [[Kotri]] instead of [[Karachi]] upstream to [[Multan]] saving approx 250km of circuitous journey through Indus River delta.
<ref> [http://pakistaniat.com/2009/09/17/karachi-to-kotri-the-story-of-first-railways-in-pakistan/ All Things Pakistan “Karachi to Kotri - The first railways in Pakistan” by Owais Mughal, Posted on September 17, 2009]; Retrieved on 8 Apr 2016</ref>. From [[Multan]] the ‘[[Punjaub Railway ]]’ ran to [[Amritsar]] where it became the ‘[[Delhi Railway]]’, both owned by the [[Scinde Railway Company]], connected to the [[East Indian Railway]] at [[Ghaziabad]](just east of [[Delhi]] ) thus providing a connection between [[Karachi]] and [[Delhi]] and onward to [[Calcutta]].
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The Company had been invited to tender in 1855 by the [[Government of India]] to build a railway from [[Karachi|Kararchee(Karachi)]] to [[Hyderabad]], to be called the '''Scinde Railway''' <ref> British Library IOR/L/F/8/10 (853) ‘Contract to build a railway from Kararchee to Hyderabad’, 1855 </ref>, this being a distance of about 120 miles(192km). The company contracted with the Government of India ([[Government of India |GoI]]) to construct the initial section from [[Karachi]] to [[Kotri]]. The company was granted a 5% return on investment up to a maximum of £1 million in order to build the ‘120 mile’ line <ref name=name> [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 134-135, paragraphs 3.78-3.83] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>.
[[File:Scinde Railway Company - Lines.png|thumb|File:Scinde Railway Company - Lines]]
The 'Scinde Railway' was one part of a communication link developed by the '[[Scinde Railway Company]]' constructed primarily to reduce the journey time on the final stage of long haul from Britain to [[Delhi]] and [[Calcutta]].
Once the
‘Karachi-Kotri Railway’ was completed the [[Indus Flotilla|’Indus Flotilla’]] Company steamers, also owned by the [[Scinde Railway Company]] could take cargo from [[Kotri]] instead of [[Karachi]] upstream to [[Multan]] saving approx 250km of circuitous journey through Indus River delta.
<ref> [http://pakistaniat.com/2009/09/17/karachi-to-kotri-the-story-of-first-railways-in-pakistan/ All Things Pakistan “Karachi to Kotri - The first railways in Pakistan” by Owais Mughal, Posted on September 17, 2009]; Retrieved on 8 Apr 2016</ref>. From [[Multan]] the ‘[[Punjaub Railway ]]’ ran to [[Amritsar]] where it became the ‘[[Delhi Railway]]’, both owned by the [[Scinde Railway Company]], connected to the [[East Indian Railway]] at [[Ghaziabad]](just east of [[Delhi]] ) thus providing a connection between [[Karachi]] and [[Delhi]] and onward to [[Calcutta]].
==Construction==
The work commenced in April 1858 to construct the broad gauge([[Rail_gauge#Broad_Gauge|BG]]) single track railway <ref name=Gaz344> Sind Gazette British Library Compiled by E H Atkin Bombay Salt Department. Printed for government at the Steam Press Karachi 1907 Page 344</ref> and on 13 May 1861 succeeded in connecting the port town of [[Karachi]] to [[Kotri)) on the Indus River, the first railway line for public traffic between these towns.
<ref> [http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Scinde_Railway Grace’s Guide “Scinde Railway”] Retrieved on 2 January 2016</ref>.
‘Bahrun River Railway Viaduct’ The route involved construction a large stone viaduct, the heaviest piece of masonry upon the line with a length of 1,728 feet(527 metres), work commenced 1859 and completed in Jan 1861. In addition there were 19 bridges of 48 arches each of 20ft spans; 1 bridge of 3 arches each of 30ft spans; 2 bridges of 10 arches of 40ft spans and 2 bridges of 4 arches of 45ft spans.
