Discovery of Gujarat series
J. Castellino. B.A., B.Sc., Econ. (Lon). F.R.E.S., (Eng).
(This article was originally published in year 1940. Here’s its reproduction)

As is well known, the harnessing of steam-power to a locomotive on wheels effected the greatest revolution in transport that has ever taken place in history. Over a century ago, in England, a tremendous impetus was given to the development of rail transport by the so called ‘Industrial Revolution’ which fostered the localisation of industries, and the regimentation of labour in areas geographically suited to such a development.

In India, it was the advent of the railway which made possible a complete change in methods of trade and transport. The village economy was shattered; so was its isolation; trade barriers were broken down and distances annihilated. India began to feature in the comity of nations as a country with an infinite capacity for swallowing up the machine-manufactured goods of Europe, and for supplying the world with its multitudinous variety
of raw products.

No small measure of this development in international trade is due to the B. B. & C. I. Rly. which was first granted its charter for the construction of a line from Surat, the cradle of the British Empire in India, to Ahmedabad, the Manchester of the Bombay Presidency. Actually, the railway commenced to function in 1860, between Surat and Broach, and the next year Baroda was linked up. The important section to Ahmedabad was built in 1863, so that the B. B. & C. I. Rly. served Ahmedabad even before Bombay. The next year a through connection was established between Bombay, the Gateway of the East, and Ahmedabad the acknowledged capital of Gujarat.

It is of further interest to note that Ahmedabad secured a connection with Delhi, the Imperial City, in 1879, and so served as an important link in the shortest chain between Bombay and the North. Eastwards and westwards of Ahmedabad, Metre Gauge Railways were subsequently built, so that Ahmedabad is a junction of no small importance. Railways radiate from the city in all directions.

The B. B. & C. I. Rly. has the distinction of being the largest commercially operated railway in India. In its present form, it is, of course, a fusion of many original transport systems. There is not the slightest doubt that all the railways, now administered by the B. B. & C. I. Rly. have exercised a strong creative influence on the social and industrial development of India during the present century. Linked as it is with the greatest port in India, by the shortest and quickest route, to Delhi and the North, the B. B. & C. I. Railway helped to open up the markets in the Punjab and the North-West Frontier Provinces, and soon obtained a pre-eminent position for general efficiency in the handling of traffic.

Gujarat is a province favoured by nature. Its soil is fertile, its coast navigable, its climate equitable and its peoples hardworking. But it needed a Railway to open out avenues for its economic development, and the B. B. & C. I. Rly. which runs right through its entire length has endeavored to serve ably and fully, and if there is any city which owes anything of its remarkable and almost romantic growth to a Railway, it certainly is Ahmedabad. The B. B. & C. I. Railway has been the most potent force in its social, commercial and industrial development.

Delhi has always occupied a unique place for centuries. lt is one of the most ancient capital cities of India. Bombay was bound to eclipse every other port in virtue of its fine harbour and its proximity to Europe;- It is the natural Gateway of India. But what Ahmedabad owes to the Railways, and particularly to the B. B. & C. I. Railway, is almost incalculable. Without a navigable river and with imperfectly developed roads, the economic development of Ahmedabad is dependent solely on the railway systems that serve as vital arteries for her vast and rapidly improving trade.

The importance of Ahmedabad as a Railway centre can easily be gauged from the amount of traffic that is handled there by the B. B. & C. I. Rly., which naturally deals with about 3,75,000 tons inward and 1,50,000 tons outward at the Broad and Metre Gauge stations in Ahmedabad. On the passenger side, the prominence of Ahmedabad is exemplified in the intensive services that are provided for its inhabitants. Half a century ago, there were only 12 trains daily to and from Ahmedabad. Today no fewer than 53 trains run into and out of this great junction.

The Railway’s policy of always keeping abreast of the time, and of perpetually meeting traffic requirements is clearly proved by a reference tò the Time Table. In 1878, the mail train from Ahmedabad to Bombay took over 15 hours to complete the journey; today it makes the trip in 9 hours. On the Metre Gauge Section, 50 years ago, the mail train from Delhi spent 35 and half hours on its way to Ahmedabad; today, the journey is performed in 22 and half hour Pari Pasu with the increase in speed, there has been an improvement in rolling stock and other facilities. The B. B. & C. I. Railway has an enviable reputation for the comfort of its carriages, the courtesy of its staff and the modernity of its methods.

It is almost axiomatic that while the commercial importance of a city is reflected in the density and variety of its transport system, the character of its development is ultimately conditioned by the geographical factors and the means of communication. The greatness of Ahmedabad is, therefore, a tribute to the policy of the Railway which serves it. And there is not the slightest doubt that Ahmedahad is great; its civic achievements are at least equal to those of other large cities; its record of public munificence is honourable; its textile industry is probably superior to that of Bombay; and the variety of industries as numerous as that of Cawnpore or Delhi.

Tribute must then be paid to the vision and faith, the courageous patience and the dogged perseverance of those men who boldly threw bridges across rivers and carved tunnels out of hills, in order to link up vastly separated areas in this great sub-continent of India. Who would have believed, six or seven decades ago, that they stood on the threshold of a new age, however much a person, filled with admiration for the mechanical wonders of the age, strove with apt comparison and improving discourse to prove that steam had revolutionised everything? Would that it were possible to shelve our knowledge of how abundantly and completely the early expectations of railways have been fulfilled and to recapture the feelings of our ancestors when confronted with what still seemed, after success in the West, a dubious experiment in the ageless unchanging East.

Though railways have kept up step with every development in the progress of civilisation, the advent of the bus and the lorry has prejudiced the interests of railways. However, it is now gradually and univers11y recognised that the maintenance of an efficient railway system is a national necessity. The B. B. & C. I. Railway with its wonderful tradition and its great heritage is unceasing in its efforts to meet and fulfill the transport requirements of Ahmedabad.– DeshGujarat

Editor’s note: The story of railway in Ahmedabad has progressed from meter gauge to broad gauge and may be in future the bullet train tracks! Delhi-Ahmedabad rail journey was 35.5 hours long before 1900 as per this article, it came down to 22.5 in 1940 when this article was written. It’s 13h 50m now if you travel by Swarn Jayanti Rajdhani Express. Ahmedabad-Mumbai rail journey time was as per this article 15 hours in 1878 and 9 hours in 1940 when this article was written. It is now 6h 15m if you travel by Shatabdi Express. The article mentions imperfect roads(highways) in Gujarat, thankfully that is not the present story. Gujarat’s highways are admired nationwide. The article mentions that BB&CI journey started from Surat which was “the cradle of the British Empire in India” and commenced to function in 1860, between Surat and Broach, and the next year Baroda was linked up. The important section to Ahmedabad was built in 1863, so that the B. B. & C. I. Rly. served Ahmedabad even before Bombay. The next year a through connection was established between Bombay. This shows importance of Surat even at that time. It is also fascinating to know through this article that Delhi was connected to Ahmedabad as early as in 1879.