The Great Indian Peninsula Railway A Journey Through Time

by Dr. Rita P. Bhambi

Birth of railways constituted an important landmark in the history of India. They were launched and promoted by the British. It was undertaken by an associated enterprise with the capital coming from the share holders of a private com-pany and the Government acting as a supervisor and guarantor against the financial loss of the former. One such private company the Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company (henceforth referred as GIPR) was first to run a train for public on the Indian sub continent on 16th April 1853 and later became the nucleus of the current Central Railway. The aim of the book is to give a detailed and historical narrative regarding the construction and growth of the railways by the GIPR in India, an appreciation of the background against which the first tracks were laid and the expansion of the system since then. The large number of histories of the Railways and few on the GIPR have been published in times past is an indicator of its importance. However, there is one aspect of the GIPR which has not yet explored in detail that is the Contract System adopted by the Company for the construction of the railways. For the construction of the railway lines, Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company had followed the system of contracts and the lines were divided into different sections which were let to different contractors and each contract was given numbers. Total 19 Contracts were signed with contractors which are discussed in detailed in the book.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2016