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[[File:Pondicherry Railway.png|right|600px|'''Pondicherry Railway''']]The '''Pondicherry Railway''' was a short metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) branch line of 8 7½ miles (13km12km) which connected the French enclave of [[Pondicherry]] with the rest of British India at the Gingi/Gingee River bridge where it met the [[South Indian Railway]] branchline. The railway was operated by the [[South Indian RailwayPondicherry Branch (SIR)| Pondicherry Branch]]., 17 miles(27km) <ref>[https://archive.org/stream/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System#page/n152/mode/2up 1up "Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page 144]; Retrieved 22 29 Jun 20162020</ref><br>The two railways were operated jointly by the [[South Indian Railway]] and when opened in 1879 connected [[Pondicherry]] to the SIR mainline at [[Villupuram]].

The construction of the railway by the ‘Pondicheri Railway Company‘ ''Company ‘ (see note)'' was under the supervision of the [[South Indian Railway]] commenced in 1878 simultaneously with the SIR [[Pondicherry Branch (SIR)| Pondicherry Branch]] so when opened in 1879 connected [[Pondicherry]] to the SIR mainline at [[Villupuram]]. The line was maintained and worked by the SIR under the management of the SIR Agent which had remained at the original [[Negapatam]]. The joint Agent finally moved to [[Trichinopoly]] in 1880 <ref> Southern Railway Heritage Centre "Marvels of the South Indian Railway 1859-1951", pages 15-19 </ref> commenced in Oct 1878. [[Robert White|Mr. White]], the Deputy Chief Engineer to the SIR Company, was appointed to carry out the entire work, both on the French and English sections <ref>British Library ‘India Office Records L/PARL/2/100 “Railways in India for the year 1878-79” by Juland Danvers , Government Director of the Indian Railways’-– presented to both Houses of Parliament’ by HM Command. Extract from Annual Report 1878-79; Para 6 </ref>.

''The works within the British territory were commenced in April 1879, and the line was opened, with a temporary road laid across the bed of the River Gingi/Gingee on the 15 Dec 1879. The French section, from that river to Pondicherry, was commenced in Oct 1878, and completed in June 1879, being opened for traffic simultaneously with the South Indian portion of the line<ref>British Library ‘India Office Records L/PARL/2/100 “Railways in India for the year 1879-80” by Juland Danvers , Government Director of the Indian Railways’-– presented to both Houses of Parliament’ by HM Command. Extract from Annual Report 1879-80; Para 12 </ref>.Thus simultaneously with the SIR [[Pondicherry Branch (SIR)| Pondicherry Branch]] so when opened in 1879 connected [[Pondicherry]] to the SIR mainline at [[Villupuram]]. The line was maintained and worked by the SIR under the management of the SIR Agent which had remained at the original [[Negapatam]]. The joint Agent finally moved to [[Trichinopoly]] in 1880 <ref> Southern Railway Heritage Centre "Marvels of the South Indian Railway 1859-1951", pages 15-19 </ref>.  Note – Pondicheri spelling was used when the Company was established. The spelling soon changed to Pondicherry.''