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| Industry | Railways |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1924 |
| Defunct | 1952 |
| Headquarters | Bikaner , |
Area served | Bikaner State |
| Services | Rail transport |
TheBikaner State Railway (BkSR) was formed in 1924 and took over responsibility for working theBikaner section of theJodhpur–Bikaner Railway.
Earlier named theJodhpur Railway the first section opened as ametre gauge line in 1882, later becoming theJodhpur–Bikaner Railway (JBR) in 1889. In 1908 the JBR operated 828 miles (1,333 km) in the territories of Sind (under British control) and in territories of the States of Jodhpur and Bikaner. By 1918 the ‘JBR System’ had expanded to 1,355 miles (2,181 km), which comprised 1,106 miles (1,780 km) plus a further 249 miles (401 km) which JBR was working and operating under agreements with other railways.[1] A further 210 miles (340 km) were sanctioned or under construction by JBR in 1918.[1]
In 1924, the JBR was divided into its two constituent parts, with two new systems, theJodhpur State Railway (JSR) andBikaner State Railway (BkSR) formed to take over responsibility for working the railway.[2] The exact mileage of BkSR comprising the "Bikaner Section" of JBR is not known but in 1918 it was 630 miles (1,010 km). In 1936-37 the route mileage for the BkSR had expanded to 796 miles (1,281 km) of metre gauge lines.[3] By 1943 the BkSR was operating a network of 883 miles (1,421 km)
In 1947, the British section of the Jodhpur-Hyderabad Railway and the western portions ofJodhpur State Railway and Bikaner State Railway was ceded to the government of Pakistan becoming part ofPakistan Railways.[4] The remaining portions of theJodhpur State Railway and Bikaner State Railway became part of the Northern Division of Indian Railways in 1952.
In 1936, the company owned 54 locomotives, 187 coaches and 325 goods wagons.[5]
It was labeled as a Class II railway according toIndian Railway Classification System of 1926.[6][7] Later, it was classified as Class I.[8]
The network was converted to1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)broad gauge progressively in the 2000s and 2010s.[9]