https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Bhavnagar_State_RailwayBhavnagar State Railway - Revision history2026-07-31T01:07:38ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Bhavnagar_State_Railway&diff=330090&oldid=prevUpdateBot at 00:23, 14 June 20222022-06-14T00:23:26Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Former meter gauge railway line in India}}{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}<br />
{{Infobox company<br />
| name = Bhavnagar State Railway<br />
| type = <br />
| founded = 1880<br />
| defunct = 1948<br />
| area_served = [[Bhavnagar State]]<br />
| industry = [[Railways]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Bhavnagar State Railway (BSR)''' was a [[metre gauge]] railway line in [[Bhavnagar State]], now part of [[Gujarat]] in [[India]].<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
In November 1878, on the instance of [[Takhtsinhji|Maharaja Takthasinhji]] of Bhavnagar State, the [[Governor of Bombay]] [[Sir Richard Temple, 1st Baronet|Sir Richard Temple]] sanctioned the extension of a meter gauge railway line from [[Wadhwan]] to [[Bhavnagar]], which was opened on 18 December 1880. Maharaja Takhtasinhji accorded sanction for construction of a railway from Bhavnagar to [[Wadhwan]] in the north and [[Dhoraji]] in the west with the line from [[Dhasa]] to Dhoraji funded by [[Gondal State]]. During 1863, Maharaja Jaswantsinhji received a proposal to start a [[Narrow Gauge]] line like in parts of Gaekwad Railway in Baroda. Maharaja was not inclined, as by that time another company called Ghogha Kathiawad Light Railway Company had been formed and it could be easily joined at Vartej, a mere 10&nbsp;km away. But nothing materialized.<br />
<br />
The Bhavnagar-Gondal Railway was a joint venture with funds from both states 1839. Bhavnagar contributed Rs. 86 lakhs and Rs.29 lakhs was Gondal's contribution. The Bhavnagar-Wadhwan line had a length of a 166&nbsp;km; the [[Dhola, Gujarat|Dhola]]-[[Dhasa]]-[[Dhoraji]] line had a length of 144&nbsp;km. The work was carried out between 1878 and 1880. In March 1879, Mr. Alexander Izat was appointed as the Engineer-in-Chief. He was earlier the Chief Engineer of Daund-Manmad line (which had opened in 1878). Mr. R. Proctor Sims who was Bhavnagar's state Engineer had carried out the survey from Bhavnagar to [[Botad]]. The survey from [[Dhasa]] to [[Dhoraji]] was carried out under Mr. Ford who held analogous post in [[Gondal, India|Gondal]]. An engineer from BB & CI, Mr. Hargreaves did the survey from Botad to [[Wadhwan]]. The earth-work was commenced as a famine work with all possible haste and finished within an astonishingly short time by May 1880. His Highness requested the Governor of Bombay Sir [[Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet|James Ferguson]] (who had succeeded Sir Richard Temple in March 1879) to inaugurate the line in December and declare it open for traffic.<br />
<br />
On 17 December 1880 the Governor and his entourage arrived at Bhavnagar by a special steamer from Bombay named May Frere. Many guests, both European and native, were invited. On approach of the May Frere at port of Bhavnagar, Colonel Barton (the [[Political officer (British Empire)|political Agent]]), Major Woodhouse (the Assistant Political Agent) and Diwan Sahib Samaldas went in a steam launch and brought the Governor and his party ashore. [[Takhtsinhji]] received the Governor at the landing steps and welcomed him. The Governor was then taken to the town and the evening spent in sight seeing and visiting the Gaurishankar Lake. Early next morning on 18 December 1880, the governor drove the last spike of the permanent way at the city station (now Bhavnagar Terminus) in the presence of a large gathering and declared the railway line from [[Bhavnagar]] to [[Wadhwan]] open, then went to a welcome at Limdi station.<br />
<br />
The Bhavnagar State Railway along with other state railways of Kathiawar and Saurashtra were merged in April 1948 into [[Saurashtra Railway]] by the [[Government of India]]. Saurashtra Railway was merged with [[Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway|BB&CI]] to form [[Western Railway zone|Western Railways]].<br />
<br />
== Conversion to broad gauge ==<br />
<br />
The BSR was converted to {{RailGauge|1676mm|lk=on}} broad gauge in 2003.<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110205000410/http://www.bhavnagar.com/history3.asp<br />
* http://www.antya.com/wikisearch.php?s=Bhavnagar{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}<br />
* http://www.pipavavrailway.com/update.htm<br />
<br />
{{Western Railway}}<br />
{{Railways in Western India}}<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhavnagar State Railway}}<br />
[[Category:Transport in Bhavnagar]]<br />
[[Category:Metre gauge railways in India]]<br />
[[Category:Defunct railway companies of India]]<br />
[[Category:History of rail transport in Gujarat]]</div>UpdateBot