View source for Bengal Provincial Railway

{{Short description|Railroad in West Bengal, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
[[File:Indian Railway Heritage Logo-10 – Bengal Provincial Railway (ER).jpg|thumb|Logo of Bengal Provincial Railway]]

'''Bengal Provincial Railway ''' was a {{RailGauge|2ft6in|lk=on}} [[narrow-gauge]] railway from [[Tarakeswar]]  to [[Mogra|Magra]], in Indian state of [[West Bengal]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bengal Provincial Railway Co. vs Gopi Mohan Singh on 9 July, 1913 |url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1772525/ |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=indiankanoon.org}}</ref>

==History==
The Bengal Provincial Railway opened by [[Bengalis|Bengali]] engineer Annadaprasad Roy in 1895<ref>{{Cite web |title=অন্নদাপ্রসাদের ১৮৯৪ সালের প্রাইভেট রেল আজ বিস্মৃতপ্রায় |url=https://bartamanpatrika.com/home?cid=12&id=518189 |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=bartamanpatrika.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chatterjee |first=Arup K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LGiDDwAAQBAJ&dq=Annada+Prasad+Bengal+Provincial+railway&pg=PT53 |title=The Great Indian Railways: A Cultural Biography |date=2019-01-25 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-93-88414-23-4 |language=en}}</ref> from [[Tarakeswar]] on the [[East Indian Railway]] to [[Mogra|Magra]], which was on the East Indian Railway broad gauge. Built by local interests, the line was {{convert|32|mi|km}} long, until extended a further {{convert|2|mi|km}} to [[Tribeni, Hooghly|Tribeni]] in 1904.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ভারতে প্রথম রেলযাত্রা সূচনার গৌরব বঙ্গদেশেরই হতে পারত |url=https://eisamay.com/west-bengal-news/asansol-news/-/articleshow/58892380.cms |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Eisamay |language=bn}}</ref> The railway mostly used small {{whyte|2-4-0|T}} locomotives.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Chronology of Railway development in Eastern India |url=https://www.irfca.org/members/sites/mrinal/chronology.html |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=www.irfca.org}}</ref> There also was a branch line from Dashghora to Jamalpur.

{{Bengal Provincial Railway}}

==Rolling stock==
[[File:Bengal Provincial Railway 2-4-0T No 5 1905.jpg|left|thumb|{{whyte|2-4-0|T}} locomotive No 5 of Bengal Provincial Railway, 1905]]

In 1936, the company owned three locomotives, 31 coaches and 69 goods wagons.<ref>{{cite book |title=World Survey of Foreign Railways |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxHLQGfxDa0C&pg=RA16-PA19 |year=1936 |publisher=Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C.|language=English |page=224}}</ref>

==Classification==
It was labeled as a Class III railway according to [[Indian Railway Classification]] System of 1926.<ref>{{cite web| title=Indian Railway Classification | url=https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Indian_Railway_Classification | access-date=10 November 2022| language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=World Survey of Foreign Railways |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxHLQGfxDa0C&pg=RA16-PA18 |year=1936 |publisher=Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C.|language=English |page=223–226d}}</ref>

==Closure==
Increasing losses post [[World War II|World War 2]] led to its closure in 1956.<ref name=Hughes>Hughes, Hugh 1994 ''Indian Locomotives Pt. 3, Narrow Gauge 1863–1940''. Continental Railway Circle.</ref>
 
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Class III railways according to Indian Railway Classification System}}
{{Railways in Eastern India}}

[[Category:2 ft 6 in gauge railways in India]]
[[Category:Defunct railway companies of India]]


{{India-rail-transport-stub}}