The epic story of the British construction of the railways in India, as told by Britain's bestselling transport historian. 'Christian Wolmar is Britain's foremost railway historian.' The Times 'Our leading writer on the railways' Guardian 'Christian Wolmar is in love with railways... He is their wisest, most detailed historian' Observer India joined the railway age late: the first line was not completed until 1853 but, by 1929, 41,000 miles of track served the country. However, the creation of this vast network was not intended to modernize India for the sake of its people but rather was a means for the colonial power to govern the huge country under its control, serving its British economic and military interests. Despite the dubious intentions behind the construction of the network, the Indian people quickly took to the railways, as the trains allowed them to travel easily for the first time. The Indian Railways network remains one of the largest in the world, serving over 25 million passengers each day. In this expertly told history, Christian Wolmar reveals the full story of India's railways, from its very beginnings to the present day, and examines the chequered role they have played in Indian history and the creation of today's modern state.

In the Indian context.

Brings together early photographs of the rolling stock, scenery, people, architecture, triumps, comedy and disasters of Indian railways before the First World War.

Lines of the Nation radically recasts the history of the Indian railways, which have long been regarded as vectors of modernity and economic prosperity. From the design of carriages to the architecture of stations, employment hierarchies, and the construction of employee housing, Laura Bear explores the new public spaces and social relationships created by the railway bureaucracy. She then traces their influence on the formation of contemporary Indian nationalism, personal sentiments, and popular memory. Her probing study challenges entrenched beliefs concerning the institutions of modernity and capitalism by showing that these rework older idioms of social distinction and are legitimized by forms of intimate, affective politics. Drawing on historical and ethnographic research in the company town at Kharagpur and at the Eastern Railway headquarters in Kolkata (Calcutta), Bear focuses on how political and domestic practices among workers became entangled with the moralities and archival technologies of the railway bureaucracy and illuminates the impact of this history today. The bureaucracy has played a pivotal role in the creation of idioms of family history, kinship, and ethics, and its special categorization of Anglo-Indian workers still resonates. Anglo-Indians were formed as a separate railway caste by Raj-era racial employment and housing policies, and other railway workers continue to see them as remnants of the colonial past and as a polluting influence. The experiences of Anglo-Indians, who are at the core of the ethnography, reveal the consequences of attempts to make political communities legitimate in family lines and sentiments. Their situation also compels us to rethink the importance of documentary practices and nationalism to all family histories and senses of relatedness. This interdisciplinary anthropological history throws new light not only on the imperial and national past of South Asia but also on the moral life of present technologies and economic institutions.

During the second half of the nineteenth century, the plans for British Empire expansion knew no bounds and landscapes around the world were forever changed by colonial infrastructure. In 1842 not a single mile of railway line existed in India: by 1929 41,000 miles of track served the country. Yet this was not intended to modernise India for the sake of its people but was a means for those in power to govern the huge country under their control. Despite the dubious intentions for the construction of the network, the Indian people quickly took to the railways, expanding their horizons and making migration to the cities of India easier than ever before. The Indian Railways network remains one of the largest in the world, serving over 25 million passengers each day. By building the railways in India, Britain radically changed the nation but also unwittingly created the preconditions of independence. While the railways greatly benefitted India and were the nation's first modern development, their construction ultimately contributed to a stirring of nationalist opinion. In this expertly told history, Christian Wolmar traces the evolution of India's rail network, revealing how it was largely subverted for British economic and military purposes. He also examines the chequered role of the railways in Indian history and the part they played in the creation of today's modern state.

A 56 page softback showcasing the best Indian photographs from the popular Historical Railway Images archive. The images are accompanied by extensive captions and informative background text.India's railways are a microcosm of the culture of this vast and populous nation, with busy express trains on the main line heaving with passengers, and characterful narrow gauge railways climbing the mountains to resort towns such as Shimla. This book has high quality archive images covering the full range of India's railways, rather than focussing on any single aspect.

The fascinating story of the network that made modern India The railways brought modernity to India. Its vast network connected the far corners of the subcontinent, making travel, communication and commerce simpler than ever before. Even more importantly, the railways played a large part in the making of the nation: by connecting historically and geographically disparate regions and people, it forever changed the way Indians lived and thought, and eventually made a national identity possible. This engagingly written, anecdotally told history captures the immense power of a business behemoth as well as the romance of train travel; tracing the growth of the railways from the 1830s (when the first plans were made) to Independence, Bibek Debroy and his co-authors recount how the railway network was built in India and how it grew to become a lifeline that still weaves the nation together. This latest volume in The Story of Indian Business series will delight anyone interested in finding out more about the Indian Railways.