AlfonzoEsh at 19:04, 8 February 2025

2025-02-08T19:04:14Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox company
|name = Bikaner State Railway
|logo =
|type =
|foundation = 1924
|location_city = Bikaner
|location_country = [[British Raj|British India]]
|location =
|locations = 
|key_people =
|area_served = [[Bikaner State]]
|industry = [[Railways]]
|products =
|services = [[Rail transport]]
|revenue =
|operating_income =
|net_income =
|num_employees =
|parent =
|divisions =
|subsid =
|caption =
|homepage =
|dissolved = 1952
|footnotes =
|intl =
}}

The '''Bikaner State Railway (BkSR)''' was formed in 1924 and took over responsibility for working the [[Bikaner]] section of the [[Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway]].

== History ==
Earlier named the '''Jodhpur Railway''' the first section opened as a [[metre gauge]] line in 1882, later becoming the [[Jodhpur–Bikaner Railway]] (JBR) in 1889. In 1908 the JBR operated {{convert|828|mi|km}} in the territories of Sind (under British control) and in territories of the States of Jodhpur and Bikaner. By 1918 the ‘JBR System’ had expanded to {{convert|1355|mi|km}}, which comprised {{convert|1106|mi|km}} plus a further {{convert|249|mi|km}} which JBR was working and operating under agreements with other railways.<ref name=Admin1918>[https://archive.org/stream/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System#page/n194/mode/1up "Administration Report on Railways 1918" page185, pdf page 194]; Retrieved 18 Nov 2016</ref> A further {{convert|210|mi|km}} were sanctioned or under construction by JBR in 1918.<ref name=Admin1918/>

In 1924, the JBR was divided into its two constituent parts, with two new systems, the [[Jodhpur State Railway]] (JSR) and '''Bikaner State Railway (BkSR) ''' formed to take over responsibility for working the railway.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System#page/n195/mode/1up "Administration Report on Railways 1918" page 187 (pdf195)]; Retrieved 18 Nov 2016</ref> The exact mileage of BkSR comprising the "Bikaner Section" of JBR is not known but in 1918 it was {{convert|630|mi|km}}. In 1936-37 the route mileage for the BkSR had expanded to {{convert|796|mi|km}} of metre gauge lines.<ref>"Report by the Railway Board on Indian Railways for 1836-37" page 119 (pdf 151)</ref> By 1943 the BkSR was operating a network of {{convert|883|mi|km}}

In 1947, the British section of the Jodhpur-Hyderabad Railway and the western portions of [[Jodhpur State Railway]] and Bikaner State Railway was ceded to the government of Pakistan becoming part of [[Pakistan Railways]].<ref>[http://rajasthanhistory.com/gpage5.html "History of Rail in Rajasthan" by Dr Mohanlal Gupta, Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Rajasthan, Jodhpur]; Retrieved 18 Nov 2016</ref> The remaining portions of the [[Jodhpur State Railway]] and Bikaner State Railway became part of the Northern Division of Indian Railways in 1952.

==Rolling stock==
In 1936, the company owned 54 locomotives, 187 coaches and 325 goods wagons.<ref>{{cite book |title=World Survey of Foreign Railways |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxHLQGfxDa0C&pg=RA16-PA15 |year=1936 |publisher=Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C.|language=English |page=220}}</ref>

==Classification==
It was labeled as a Class II 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-PA15 |year=1936 |publisher=Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C.|language=English |pages=220–223}}</ref> Later, it was classified as Class I.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Directory of Railway Officials & Yearbook |year=1947|publisher=Tothill Press |language=english |pages=495}}</ref>

==Conversion to broad gauge==
The network was converted to {{RailGauge|1676mm|lk=on}} [[broad gauge]] progressively in the 2000s and 2010s.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.nwr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1455176596371-An%20Overview%20of%20BKN%20division%20update%20%20Jan%202016.pdf |title = OVERVIEW OF BIKANER DIVISION |first=|last=| accessdate = 2018-04-30 }}</ref>

== References ==
<references />

{{Class I railways according to Indian Railway Classification System}}

[[Category:Transport in Bikaner]]
[[Category:Defunct railway companies of India]]
[[Category:Metre-gauge railways in India]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Rajasthan]]
[[Category:History of Rajasthan]]

Bikaner State Railway - Revision history

AlfonzoEsh at 19:04, 8 February 2025