Editing Rail transport in India (section)

=== 1853–1924: Passenger railways and expansion ===
[[File:Tanna Railway Viaduct.jpg|thumb|The railway viaduct near Thane in 1855]]
[[File:IndianRailways1871b.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Railway map of India in 1871]]

In 1853, the first passenger train on {{RailGauge|1676mm|lk=on}} broad gauge ran for {{convert|34|km}} between [[Bori Bunder railway station|Bombay]] and [[Thane]] which had 14-carriages carrying 400 people, hauled by three steam locomotives: the Sahib, Sindh and Sultan.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/indias-1st-train-when-sahib-sindh-sultan-blew-steam/articleshow/19717248.cms?from=mdr|title=When India's first train blew steam|date=25 April 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/164-years-ago-on-this-day-india-s-first-train-ran-from-mumbai-to-thane-275748.html|title=164 Years Ago On This Day, India's First Train Ran From Mumbai To Thane|work=India Times|date=16 April 2017|access-date=24 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729114445/http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/164-years-ago-on-this-day-india-s-first-train-ran-from-mumbai-to-thane-275748.html|archive-date=29 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The Great Southern of India Railway Company was established with its headquarters in [[England]] in 1853.<ref name="GSR">{{cite journal|journal=Herepath's Railway and Commercial Journal|page=3|title=Indian Tramway Limited|date=1 January 1870|volume=32|issue=1595}}</ref> The Thane viaducts, the first [[railway bridge]]s, were built over the [[Thane creek]] when the Mumbai-Thane line was extended to [[Kalyan]] in May 1854. Eastern India's first passenger train ran {{convert|24|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} from [[Howrah]], near [[Kolkata]], to [[Hugli-Chinsura|Hoogly]] on 15 August 1854.<ref name="Hist"/> The construction of {{convert|60|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} line in the South between [[Royapuram]] in Madras and [[Walajapet|Arcot]] started in 1853, which became operational on 1 July 1856.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/on-the-forgotten-track/articleshow/99129882.cms?from=mdr|title=On Forgotten Road|date=31 March 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=9 August 2023}}</ref> The first workshops were established by GIPR at Byculla in 1854 and Madras Railway at [[Perambur]] in 1856. The [[Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway|Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway (BB&CI)]] was incorporated in 1855 and the [[Eastern Bengal Railway]] in 1858.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wr.indianrailways.gov.in/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1,291,477|title=Western Railway, history|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=24 July 2017|archive-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402033247/https://wr.indianrailways.gov.in/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1,291,477|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/7859c7ff-af20-40df-9e88-8f4ab92a70d7|title=Records of the India Office relating to the Eastern Bengal Railway Company|publisher=Government of UK|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> The Carnatic Railway was founded in 1869.<ref name="GSR"/> On 24 February 1873, a [[Horsecar|horse-drawn]] {{convert|3.8|km||abbr=on}} [[tram]] opened in [[Calcutta]] between [[Sealdah]] and Armenian Ghat street.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-culture/150th-anniversary-calcutta-trams-8469537/|title=150th anniversary of Calcutta trams: A brief history of trams in India|date=28 February 2023|newspaper=[[Indian Express]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> On 9 May 1874, a horse-drawn tramway began operation in Bombay between [[Colaba]] and [[Parel]].<ref>{{cite report|url=http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/courses/2015/HUM54/exhibits/show/mumbai_development/trams|title=The Evolution of Trams in Mumbai|publisher=[[Harvard University]]|access-date=18 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011232644/http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/courses/2015/HUM54/exhibits/show/mumbai_development/trams|archive-date=11 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The Great Southern of India Railway and the Carnatic Railway merged in 1874 to form the [[South Indian Railway Company|South Indian Railway]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Report on the Administration of the Madras Presidency During the Year 1875-76|page=260|publisher=Government Press|year=1877}}</ref> In 1879, the [[Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway]] was established which built railway lines across the then [[Hyderabad State]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jaganath|first1=Santosh|title=The History of Nizam's Railways System|publisher=Lulu|isbn=978-1-312-49647-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lH0ACAAAQBAJ&q=Jankampet-Bodhan%20Railway&pg=PA98|page=98}}</ref> In 1877, an [[Ajmer]] built [[Finnish Steam Locomotive Class F1|F-1/734 Steam Locomotive]] became the first indigenously built locomotive in India.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/oldest-locomotive-built-in-ajmer-pride-of-delhi/articleshow/59888386.cms|title=Oldest locomotive: Built in Ajmer, pride of Delhi|date=3 August 2017|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> [[East Coast State Railway]] was established in 1890.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eastcoastrail.indianrailways.gov.in/view_section.jsp?fontColor=black&backgroundColor=LIGHTSTEELBLUE&lang=0&id=0,1,261|title=History of East Coast Railway|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> In 1897, lighting in passenger coaches was introduced with the Jodhpur Railway, the first to introduce electric lighting as standard fixtures.<ref name="Hist"/> In 1908, Madras Railway merged with [[Southern Mahratta Railway]] to form the [[Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d-4sgbfdutMC&q=Madras+Railway+merger&pg=PA755|title=The Cambridge Economic History of India|volume=2|page=755|year =2005|publisher=Orient Longmans Private Limited|isbn=978-8-1250-2731-7}}</ref> [[Pamban Bridge|Pamban bridge]], the first sea bridge was opened on 24 February 1914.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Datta|first1=Rangan|title=Rameswaram: A holy island town along India's southern borderland|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/places/travel-to-the-edge-of-india-on-a-trip-to-pamban-islands-rameswaram/cid/1913631|access-date=9 February 2023|work=The Telegraph|date=1 February 2023}}</ref> 
In 1920, [[Railway signal|electric lighting of signals]] was introduced between [[Dadar railway station|Dadar]] and [[Currey Road railway station|Currey Road]] in Bombay.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/5107/dot_5107_DS1.pdf|title=Railway signals, signs and markers|publisher=US transportation library|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>