Calcutta Port and Docks - Railways

Calcutta Port and Docks - Railways

Calcutta is India’s only inland port, lying around 125 miles(200km) from the Bay of Bengal on the Hooghly River. Before the British established a port there, both the Portugese and the Dutch had used the Hooghly for trade and had established jetties in the area. However British private traders and merchants built a number of piers and jetties on the river from the middle of the 17th century, first developed port facilities on the Howrah at Calcutta. By 1758 these came under control of the ‘EIC Marine Establishment’. In addition to the private jetties, the EIC had their own jetties, wharf and a dock and marine yard at Kidderpore.
In 1866 the control of the facilities passed to ‘Calcutta Municipality’ to the Government of Bengal and by 1870 who formed the ‘Calcutta Port Commissioners’ to run the port .

A number of schemes and proposals were put forward over the years:-

Kidderpore Wet Dock Proposal, 1824

An early proposal for a ‘Wet Dock’ to be constructed to serve Calcutta was put forward in a Report with justifications by P Chrichton (position/rank unknown). The Report, pages 1-20, concludes the best location would be at Kidderpore some 1¾ miles (2.8km) downstream and provides a cost estimate for 4 dry docks and 12 godowns (warehouses). A Supplement to the Report, pages 20-27 proposes a Canal of 40 miles(64km) to provide safe passage from the sea at Channel Creek to the ‘Wet Docks, with a single lock gate at the seaward end join the . Clearly no action was taken at this time on either project .

Diamond Harbour Dock and Railway to Calcutta Proposal, 1838

The Calcutta and Diamond Harbour Railway was first proposed in 1838 in a Report by W D Holmes Esq Chief Engineer to the Provincial Committee. A railway ‘might be constructed between Calcutta and Diamond Harbour, a distance of 25 miles (by straight line), that would ensure a very liberal return for the investment, on the mercantile and shipping interests connected with the trade to Bengal, and on the city and trade especially’. The Report goes on to propose and estimate a single track railway of 7 ft gauge to be laid on the embankment and the construction of docks and warehouses at Diamond Harbour connected to the bonded warehouses at Calcutta. This proposal was supported by Captain J T Boileau, Bengal Engineers . No action was taken at this time.

Calcutta and Diamond Harbour Dock & Railway Proposal, 1845

The ‘Calcutta and Diamond Harbour Dock & Railway Co Ltd’ was formed in 1845, the survey had been undertaken in 1839 but the construction did not commence see separate page

Diamond Harbour Dock and Wet Dock Proposals, 1846

The ‘Diamond Harbour Dock and Railway Company’ proposal of 1846 was for the establishment of a Wet Dock at Diamond Harbour and a railway and canal from the Docks to Calcutta. The Consulting Engineer to Government, Mr Frederick Walter Simms put forward a justification for the construction of Wet Docks. A ‘Wet Dock Committee’ had been set up by Government in 1844 examined and estimated two proposals:-

• Kidderpore, a suburb of Calcutta, which was recommended by the Committee
• Diamond Harbour, at a distance of 28½ miles(46km) by rail or by water 50 miles(80km) down the river.

The ‘Committee’ concluded:- “as Docks and Railways involve several connected questions, we think that neither the Diamond Harbour, nor the Kidderpore Docks can be safely decided upon, until it is known where the terminus of the ‘Great Trunk Railway’ is to be”. As a consequence there was no decision see separate page for further information

Diamond Harbour Railway Scheme, 1852-53

The ‘Diamond Harbour Scheme for railway communication with Calcutta’ proposal was put forward for consideratrion

Calcutta Port Commissioners' Railway

The ‘Calcutta Port Commissioners' Railway'(CPCR) was a broad gauge(BG) port railway that opened in stages from 1875 onwards serving the docks area of Calcutta along the bank of the Hooghly from Chitpur in the north to Kidderpore Docks in the south see separate page