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→History: Paras 3 & 4 Bridge links added and mileage corrected
== History ==
In 1852 [[John Pitt Kennedy]] was introduced in London to Lieutenant-Colonel French, who had been Acting Resident at the Court of the Guicowar of Baroda. Colonel French wanted to get up a company to construct a line of railway from [[Baroda]] to [[Tankaria Bunda]], in the gulf of Cambay, a distance of about 45 miles. Colonel Kennedy joined him, but instead of the original line proposed, they projected what became the '''Bombay, Baroda, and Central India railway''' <ref name=grace>[http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/John_Pitt_Kennedy_(1796-1879) Grace's Guide "John Pitt Kennedy"]Retrieved on 21 Apr 2016</ref>.
Their object was to open the most effectual line from Bombay, through the central and north-western districts, to meet the railway in progress of construction from [[Calcutta]] to [[Delhi]], together with all the branches that such a line could require. In 1853 the '''[[Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway]] Company'''(BB&CIR) was formed with Colonel [[John Pitt Kennedy]] appointed as consulting engineer and managing director. A staff of engineers was sent to Bombay, and during the cold season of 1853, comparative surveys, sufficient to lay a well-considered scheme before the Government, were made <ref name=grace/>.
On the 3rd of November, 1854, the Governor-General, Lord Dalhousie, sanctioned the construction of the sections [[Broach]], and [[Baroda]], to [[Ahmedabad]], leaving the remainder of the scheme for future decision, and the work to be commenced at [[Bombay]]. The Home Government, however, decided that the work should be commenced at [[Surat]] <ref name=grace/>. Although on flat country, this. line had to traverse some of the mightiest rivers and water channels in the country including the Narmada River [[Nerbudda (Broach) Bridge BB&CIR| Nerbudda Bridge near Baruch.Broach]] and the [[Taptee (Surat) Bridge BB&CIR|Taptee Bridge near Surat]]
Construction commenced in 1855 and began work on track from [[Baroda]] to [[Surat]]. By 1865, the [[Bombay]]-[[Surat]]-[[Baroda]]-[[Ahmedabad]] route was complete; in 1867, the Virar -. The [[Bombay Back Bay Reclamation Scheme Railway|Bombay Backbay Back Bay]] suburban service commenced in 1870 with one train in each direction each day. In 1871, trackage the [[Bombay-Ahmadabad BB&CIR Main Line|Bombay-Ahmadabad Main Line]] was 300 extended north to [[Viramgam]] to 350 miles (480km563km).
On 31 December 1905, ownership of the BB&CIR passed to the Government of India [[Government of India |GoI]] and a new company formed to manage the BB&CIR under a contract agreed in 1907 and revised in 1913.
