Emergence and expansion of Railway
The rapid expansion of Railways was the most important infrastructure development in India during the British Raj. Starting in 16 April 1853, when the first railway passenger train started its operations, Indian railway system expanded to become, the fourth largest in the world by 1910.
The pioneer of railway expansion in India was Governor-General Lord Dalhousie who formulated the plan to build a network of trunk lines connecting the major regions of India. Investments in railways were encouraged by the government guarantees, as a result a string of new rail companies were established, paving the way for rapid expansion of the rail system in India. Then several large princely states joined the railway expansion drive by building their own railway systems and the railway network spread to the regions that became the modern-day states of Assam, Rajasthan , Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The route length of railway network expanded from 1,349 kilometres (838 mi) in 1860 to 25,495 kilometres (15,842 mi) in 1880 – mostly radiating inland from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. Most of the railway construction was done by Indian companies supervised by British engineers. The system was heavily built, in terms of sturdy tracks and strong bridges. By 1900 India …show more content…
It also played a major role in the limited industrialisation India had achieved during the British especially in establishment of metallurgical industries like iron and steel industry. It has played key role in emergence of large metropolises of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.for the agricultural sectors, Indian agriculture became linked to the world trade cycles. Farmers now became price responsive while determining their cropping
The rapid expansion of Railways was the most important infrastructure development in India during the British Raj. Starting in 16 April 1853, when the first railway passenger train started its operations, Indian railway system expanded to become, the fourth largest in the world by 1910.
The pioneer of railway expansion in India was Governor-General Lord Dalhousie who formulated the plan to build a network of trunk lines connecting the major regions of India. Investments in railways were encouraged by the government guarantees, as a result a string of new rail companies were established, paving the way for rapid expansion of the rail system in India. Then several large princely states joined the railway expansion drive by building their own railway systems and the railway network spread to the regions that became the modern-day states of Assam, Rajasthan , Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The route length of railway network expanded from 1,349 kilometres (838 mi) in 1860 to 25,495 kilometres (15,842 mi) in 1880 – mostly radiating inland from the three major port cities of Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. Most of the railway construction was done by Indian companies supervised by British engineers. The system was heavily built, in terms of sturdy tracks and strong bridges. By 1900 India …show more content…
It also played a major role in the limited industrialisation India had achieved during the British especially in establishment of metallurgical industries like iron and steel industry. It has played key role in emergence of large metropolises of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.for the agricultural sectors, Indian agriculture became linked to the world trade cycles. Farmers now became price responsive while determining their cropping