The Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (reporting markBB&CI) was a company incorporated in 1855 to undertake the task of constructing railway lines between Bombay to the erstwhile Baroda State, that became the present-day Baroda (Vadodara) city in western India. BB&CI completed the work in 1864. The first suburban railway in India was started by BB&CI, operating between Virar and Bombay Backbay station[1] (later extended to Colaba), a railway station in Bombay Backbay in April 1867.
The railway was divided into two main systems, broad (5ft. 6 in.) and metre gauge. There was also a comparatively small mileage of 2ft6in (762mm) gauge line worked by the BB&CI on behalf of the Indian States. In 1947 the mileage of the respective portions was stated to be: broad gauge, 1,198 miles, with a further 69 miles worked for Indian States; metre gauge, 1,879 miles, with a further 106 miles worked for Indian States; narrow-gauge, 152 miles, worked for Indian States and various companies. Quadruple track mileage was 22 and double-track 250, the remainder of the system being single-track, whilst running powers were exercised over 147 miles (including the important section from Muttra Junction to Delhi, owned by the Great Indian Peninsular Railway).[2]
The main headquarters of the BB&CI Railway was located at Churchgate, Bombay and the headquarters and workshops for the metre gauge tracks and services was located in Ajmer.
Construction and opening
The first section of the railway was the Ankleshwar-Amroli line (in present day Gujarat). The first train on this section ran on 10 February 1860. The line was extended to Bulsar by 1862 and to Grant Roadd by 1864.[3] This was an important milestone as the BB&CI had now reached the port city of Bombay.
The first train ran between Grant Road and Surat on 28 November 1864, and the Times of India gave a detailed report in the following day's issue. This inaugural train had thirty coaches, consisting of first, second, and third class accommodation. The last two classes were in much higher demand, and few passengers travelled First Class.[4] The station at Grant Road was more lavish than the GIP Railway'sBori Bunder Terminus, and had a platform comparable in width to the latter station. Some of the Third Class coaches were double-deckers, which gave space for travellers to lie behind seated passengers, with some degree of comfort. These coaches were built at Amroli in about 1863. A 'sloping shade' blocked the heat of the sun, while still allowing ventilation.
The first suburban train service began on 1 November 1865, between Grant Road and Bassein Road (today's Vasai Road). Soon after, the platforms of stations between the two local termini were lengthened to 500 yards (about 450 m).[5] The line was extended to Bombay Backbay Station in 1866. Three suburban services ran from the station. Ballast trains from Santacruz, carried earth for the reclamation scheme at Bombay Backbay which was filling in part of the Backbay, a large body of water at South Bombay's seafront. This plan was cut short after the liquidation of the Backbay Reclamation Company, following the end of the American Civil War. Just enough land had been reclaimed to lay tracks to Colaba, with running alongside.[5]
On 12 April 1867, a regular suburban rail service began from Bombay Backbay, to Viraur (present day Virar). The stations on the route were: Bombay Backbay, Grant Road, Dadur (Dadar), Mahim, Bandora (Bandra), Santacruz, Andaru (Andheri), Pahadi (near Goregaon), Berewali (Borivali), Panjo (on the Panju island between the Vasai Creeks), Bassein Rd (Vasai Rd), Neela (Nallasopara), and finally, Viraur (Virar).[1] This line was extended to Charni Road in 1868, and to Churchgate on 10 January 1870. The line to Colaba was completed by 1873, and a semi permanent goods terminus was established. The Colaba Terminus station was later rebuilt as a grand station, and re-opened on 7 April 1896.
During the second phase of the 1860s Backbay Reclamation project, the Churchgate-Colaba line was removed and a new Bombay Central station was opened in 1930.[clarification needed][3]
The section from Godhra to Nagda opened in 1896 and extended to Baroda. Nagda to Muttra Junction was opened in 1909, making possible through broad-gauge running between Bombay and Delhi.
The metre-gauge system was originally the Rajputana Malwa State Railway and was taken over subsequently by the BB&CI. The metre-gauge main line from Delhi to Jaipur was completed in 1874, extended to Ajmer in 1875 and to Ahmedabad in 1881.[6] The branch from Rewari to Bhatinda and Fazilka was begun in 1881 by the Ferozepore & Rewari Railway, but the section between Bhatinda and Ferozepore was subsequently built to the broad-gauge and passed to the GIPR.
Description of systems
The broad-gauge main line ran northwards from Bombay to Baroda, where it bifurcated, the north-east main line continuing towards Delhi, and the north-west main line to the industrial city of Ahmedabad and onwards to Viramgam and Kharagoda. The north-east main line passed through Godhra, Ratlam, Kotah and Bayana (from where a branch line ran to Agra Fort), to Muttra Junction, where it joined the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, over which it had running powers for 90 miles into Delhi.
The metre-gauge system was originally the Rajputana Malwa State Railway. It began at Ahmedabad and ran northwards through Baroda State and Rajputana via Abu, Ajmer, Jaipur and Rewari to Delhi. There were branches from Rewari to Bhatinda and Fazilka, from Ajmer to Ratlam, Indore and Khandwa, and from Achnera to Cawnpore.[7]
Organisation
The original Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railway Company was purchased by the Government of India in 1905, but continued to be worked by a company with a board of directors in London until 1 January 1942, on which date the working was taken over by the government and it became part of the Indian State Railway system, directly under the Railway Board.[8]
The Colaba-Borivali section (37.8km) was electrified on 5 January 1928 on the 1.5 kV DC system. The two tracks between Colaba and Grant Road stations were electrified, while four tracks between Grant Road and Bandra railway stations were electrified. Only two suburban tracks between Bandra and Borivali were electrified in 1928, two main tracks were left for the steam locomotives. In 1933, Colaba railway station and two electrified tracks between Colaba and Churchgate railway stations were dismantled. In 1936, electrification was extended to the two main tracks between Bandra and Borivali railway stations, left earlier and the two main tracks between Borivali and Virar railway stations were also electrified, resulting in completion of the electrification of the Churchgate-Virar section.[9]
Locomotives and rolling stock
By the end of 1877 the company owned 77 steam locomotives, 295 coaches and 2,644 goods wagons.[10] At the end of 1910 there were 7272 goods wagons.[11] In 1936 the BB&CI owned 833 locomotives, 43 railcars, 1963 coaches and over 20.000 goods wagons.[12]
In 1947, the total numbers of broad-gauge locomotives in service were 363 steam, 10 diesel and 2 electric. There were 1,042 passenger coaches (including 40 electric motor and 120 electric trailer coaches) and 10,584 goods wagons.
The equivalent figures for the metre-gauge were 437 locomotives, 1,335 coaches, 3 Sentinel steam coaches, and 9,127 wagons.
On the 2ft6in (762mm) gauge there were 20 locomotives, 58 coaches and 259 wagons.[13]
The railway is featured in many travel scenes in the 1982 film Gandhi which tells the story of the leader of India's independence movement, Gandhi played by the actor Ben Kingsley.
The Mumbai Suburban Railway consists of exclusive inner suburban railway lines augmented by commuter rail on main lines serving outlying suburbs to serve the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Spread over 450 kilometres (280 mi), the suburban railway operates 2,342 train services and carries more than 7.5 million commuters daily.
Mumbai Central is a major railway station on the Western line, situated in Mumbai, Maharashtra in an area known by the same name. It serves as a major stop for both local and intercity trains with separate platforms between them. It is also a terminal for several long-distance trains including the Mumbai Rajdhani Express.
Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a deparmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. As of 2023, it manages the fourth largest national railway system by size with a track length of 132,310 km (82,210 mi), running track length of 106,493 km (66,172 mi) and route length of 68,584 km (42,616 mi). As of August 2024, 96.59% of the broad-gauge network is electrified. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is the world's ninth-largest employer and India's second largest employer.
The Western Railway is one of the 19 zones of Indian Railways and is among the busiest railway networks in India, headquartered at Mumbai, Maharashtra. The major railway routes of Indian Railways which come under Western Railways are: Mumbai Central–Ratlam, Mumbai Central–Ahmedabad and Palanpur–Ahmedabad. The railway system is divided into six operating divisions: Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Ratlam, and Mumbai WR. Vadodara railway station, being the junction point for the Ahmedabad–Mumbai route and the Mumbai–Ratlam route towards New Delhi, is the busiest junction station in Western Railways and one of the busiest junctions of Indian Railways too, while Ahmedabad Division earns highest revenue followed by Mumbai Division and Vadodara Division. Surat railway station is one of the busiest railway station in Western Railway in non-junction category where more than 180 trains pass per day.
The North Western Railway is one of 19 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Jaipur. It has a route length of more than 5,761 kilometres (3,580 mi) across the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana. NWR operates international rail service Thar Express from Jodhpur to Karachi. This zone is the key enabler of the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project by virtue of running railways 1,500 km long Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.
The Northern Railway (NR) is one of the 17 Railway zones of India and the northernmost zone of the Indian Railways. It is headquartered at Baroda House in New Delhi.
The National Rail Museum in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, displays exhibits on the history of rail transport in India. The museum was inaugurated on 1 February 1977. The museum spans over an area of over 4.4 hectares and the indoor gallery comprises an octagonal building which houses six display galleries and a large open area is laid out to simulate the atmosphere of a railway yard. It is open every day except Mondays and national holidays.
The Western Railway Elevated Corridor, also known as the Oval Maidan-Virar elevated corridor, was a proposed rapid transit corridor that would have run along the same alignment as the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, and link Oval Maidan with Virar.
Churchgate is the southern terminus on the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. It is located in Churchgate in South Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway is a public transit system serving Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Maharashtra. It consists of 37 stations from Dahanu Road to Churchgate railway station. It is operated by Western Railways (WR). The entire line is at grade.
Bandra is a railway station on the Western line and Harbour line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. It serves the Bandra suburban area and the commercial area of Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Bandra Terminus is near to Bandra railway station and serves interstate traffic on the Western Railway.
Kandivali is a railway station on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. It serves the Kandivli neighbourhood of Mumbai, India. All slow local trains temporarily halt between Kandivali and Borivali for a few seconds for signaling purposes, which commuters call an imaginary station named Thambevali.
Borivali is a railway station on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network and an outbound station. It serves the suburban of Borivali.
Virar is a railway station on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. Virar is a terminus station. It is around one and a half hours away by train from Churchgate. Virar is a very crowded area, among other adjacent stations like Vasai Road because it is a major tourist spot. It used to be the only railway station to have services to other stations in Palghar District(in which the city of Virar itself is located), Saphale, Palghar, Dahanu and distant southern cities of Gujarat like Vapi, Surat etc. Since 2013 however, the Western Railway zone Suburban network has been extended up to Dahanu.
Rewari Junction railway station is a major railway station of the Indian Railways serving the city of Rewari in the Indian state of Haryana. It is in the Jaipur Division of the North Western Railway zone and lies on the Delhi–Ajmer–Ahmedabad route. Six railway lines branch out from this railway station.
The Ahmedabad–Mumbai main line or the Mumbai–Ahmedabad main line is a railway route on the Western Railway section of Indian Railways. It is one of the busiest railway routes of the Indian Railways and is fully electrified. The Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway operates on the southern part of this route.
Chittaurgarh Junction railway station is one of the major railway junctions in Southern Rajasthan, India. The railway station of Chittorgarh is located on a broad-gauge line and falls under the administrative control of Western Railway Zone of Indian Railways and consists of seven main railway platforms.
The Mathura–Vadodara section is a railway line connecting Mathura and Vadodara. This section is part of Delhi–Mumbai line. This section includes Jaipur–Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer–Ratlam and Udaipur–Kota and Gangapur City-Dausa for branching and connectivity to this section.
Colaba Railway Station was a railway station on the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (BB&CI) located in Colaba in then South Bombay.
Bombay Backbay railway station was a railway station of the erstwhile BB&CI Railway, located in Bombay Backbay in Mumbai. It was the starting point of the first regular local train service of the BB&CI Railway. It started on 12 April 1867, between the Station and Viraur (Virar).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
