The South Eastern Railway (abbreviated SER) is one of the 19 railway zones in India and Part of Eastern Railways. It is headquartered at

Garden Reach Garden Reach is a neighbourhood of the city of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. It is situated in the south-western part of Kolkata near the bank of the Hooghly River.

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It comprises Adra railway division, Chakradharpur railway division, Kharagpur railway division and Ranchi railway division.

History

Predecessor

The Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) Company was incorporated in 1887 to take over from the

Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway was a line owned by the provincial government and operated by the state railways. The line ran from Nagpur via Tumsar - Gondia and Dongargarh to Rajnandgaon. The initial section from Nagpur to Tumsar was opened on 6 ...

and to convert the line to broad gauge. The work was completed in 1888. The extension of the main line from Nagpur to Asansol was completed by 1891. A 161-mile branch line (258 km) that connected Bilaspur to Umaria coal mine was built and linked to the existing line from Umaria to Katni (1891). By the turn of the twentieth century, work on the Calcutta–Bombay and Calcutta–Madras lines was completed. Through the first half of the twentieth century work on the BNR lines progressed steadily. In 1921 the

Talcher Talcher is one of the 4 sub-divisions of Angul district in the Indian state of Odisha. History During the British Raj Talcher was the capital of Talcher State, one of the princely states of the Eastern States Agency.Malleson, G. B.: ''An his ...

coalfields were connected by a railway line starting from Nergundi. In 1931, the Raipur– Vizianagaram line was set up, which connected the east coast with the Central Province. By the end of the 1930s the BNR owned the largest narrow-gauge network in the country. The BNR management was taken over by the British Indian government on 1 October 1944. and continued to be called by that name until 14 April 1952, when it was amalgamated with the

East Indian Railway The East Indian Railway Company, operating as the East Indian Railway (reporting mark EIR), introduced railways to East India and North India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, South Indian Railway, Bombay, Barod ...

to form one of six newly carved zones of the Indian Railways: the Eastern Railway.

Re-organisation

On 1 August 1955, the erstwhile Bengal Nagpur Railway portion was separated and a new zone, the South Eastern Railway, came into existence. In July 1967, the South Eastern Railway took over the Bankura Domodar River line. South Eastern Railway Detail 1955

Till April 2003, the South Eastern Railway comprised eight divisions: Kharagpur, Adra, Sambalpur, Khurda Road, Visakhapatnam, Chakradharpur, Bilaspur and Nagpur. In April 2003 two new zones were carved out from the SER. On 1 April 2003 the

East Coast Railway The East Coast Railway (abbreviated ECoR) is one of the 19 railway zones of Indian Railways. It came into existence on 1 April 2003. The headquarters of the zone are at Bhubaneswar, Odisha History Consequent upon the parliament's approval, Ea ...

(E.Co.R) comprising South Eastern Railway's

Khurda Road Jatni (or Khurda Road, Name of the Railway Station) is a town and a major sub-urban area of Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Odisha. It is also a municipality in Khordha district in the Indian state of Odisha. Jatni, also known as Khurda Road ...

Sambalpur Sambalpur () is the fifth largest city in the Indian State of Odisha. It is located on the banks of river Mahanadi, with a population of 335,761 (as per 2011 census). Prehistoric settlements have been recorded there. It is the home of the Sam ...

and Visakhapatnam divisions was dedicated to the nation; on 5 April 2003 the South East Central Railway (S.E.C.R) comprising South Eastern Railway's Nagpur and Bilaspur divisions and a new Raipur division was dedicated to the nation. On 13 April 2003 the SER reorganized

Adra The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA or ADRA International) is a humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the purpose of providing individual and community development and disaster relief. I ...

and Chakradharpur divisions to form the new Ranchi division. The South Eastern Railway has electric multiple unit sheds in Tikiapara, Kharagpur and Panskura. Electric locomotive sheds are in Santragachi, Tatanagar, Bokaro Steel City, Rourkela, Kharagpur and Bondamunda. Diesel locomotive sheds are located in Kharagpur, Bokaro Steel City, and Bondamunda. The coach maintenance yard is in Santragachi. The South Eastern Railway has a major workshop located in Kharagpur.

Administration

The South Eastern Railway caters to the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. S.E. also runs regular electric multiple units (EMU) services to areas adjacent to Kolkata, from Howrah to Kharagpur, Amta,

Medinipur Medinipur or Midnapore (Pron: med̪iːniːpur) is a city known for its history in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the West Medinipur district. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River (variously known as '' ...

, Tatanagar, Balasore, Rourkela and Santragachi to Shalimar. It also handles major freight traffic to Kolkata and Haldia and Howrah to Digha and Mecheda to Digha

Divisions

* Adra railway division * Kharagpur railway division * Chakradharpur railway division * Ranchi railway division

Gallery

File:Howrah Mumbai Mail.jpg, Howrah - Mumbai Mail File:Coromandel Express with WAP-4 Loco at Nalpur.jpg, Coromandel Express File:East Coast Express hauled by LGD shed WAP-4.JPG, East Coast Express File:Yesvantpur-Howrah Express with a WAP-4 loco at Marripalem 02.jpg, Yesvantpur-Howrah Express File:A View of Anakapalle Train station.jpg, Howrah – Chennai Mail File:12221 Pune Howrah Duronto Express - AC 3 tier coach.jpg, Howrah - Pune Duronto File:Titlgarh (TIG) bound 12871 (Howrah-Titlagarh) Ispat Express 01.jpg, Ispat Express File:Howrah bound Amaravati Express at Vizianagaram.jpg, Amaravati Express File:BNR House.jpg, BNR House, residence of the GM of SER

Loco sheds

* Electric Loco Shed, Tatanagar * Electric Loco Shed, Bokaro Steel City * Electric Loco Shed, Santragachi * Electric Loco Shed, Rourkela * Electric Loco Shed, Bondamunda * Electric Loco Shed, Kharagpur * Electric Loco Shed, Ispatnagar * Diesel Loco Shed, Bondamunda

References

External links

* * {{coord missing, West Bengal Zones of Indian Railways 1955 establishments in West Bengal