Indian Railways In India

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After the rapid development and success of railways in England during the 1830’s and 1840’s, pressure soon mounted for their speedy construction in India. The British manufacturers hoped to open the vast and hitherto untapped market in the country and to facilitate the export of raw materials to feed their hungry machines and operatives. The British bankers and investors saw railway development in India as an opportunity to invest their surplus capital. This enabled the government of India to administer the country more effectively and efficiently and to protect their regime from internal rebellion or external aggression by enabling more rapid mobilization and movement of troops. The earliest suggestion to build a railway in India was made…show more content…
He was the man behind the introduction of railways, posts and telegraphs which he described as ‘three engines of social improvement’. The British railway policy was primarily aimed at serving the interests of the industrial, commercial and moneyed classes of Britain and to exploit Indian resources. The sources of raw materials in the interior were linked with the ports to facilitate easy transportation. British capital is seen as the most predominant player in the construction of railways in…show more content…
It is a classic example of colonial hangover as this system still exists in Indian Railways. The privileges enjoyed by these trains include getting priority on the track, better seats and accommodation, better speed and lesser number of stops. These are all the legacies of those prestigious trains started by the British. However those days “prestige” depended on the class of the people traveling on them and not on the class of the train. Prestige status was conferred on the trains that regularly carried the elite and high officials of the British Raj. The Frontier Mail running between Bombay – Baroda – Delhi – Lahore – Peshawar was one such train and the most important one too. It was regarded as the elitist of trains with only First and Second Class compartments and offered the best of comforts. It was always on time and the entire Bombay station used to be lit up to announce its arrival. This train was seen as the perfect example of British snobbery and it was for this reason the government of India decided to do away with the name after independence. The present day Golden Temple Mail that runs between Mumbai Central – New Delhi – Amritsar is considered as the successor of the Frontier Mail. It is still one of the fastest and the most prestigious train on that route. Some other “prestigious” trains during that time were

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