 | |
 5-South Eastern Railway | |
 South Eastern Railway headquarters | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Garden Reach,Kolkata,West Bengal,India |
| Locale | West Bengal,Jharkhand andOdisha |
| Dates of operation | 1 August 1955; 70 years ago (1 August 1955)–present |
| Other | |
| Website | ser.indianrailways.gov.in |
TheSouth Eastern Railway (abbreviatedSER) is one of the 19railway zones in India. It is headquartered atGarden Reach,Kolkata,West Bengal,India.[1] It comprisesAdra railway division,Chakradharpur railway division,Kharagpur railway division andRanchi railway division.[2]
TheBengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) Company was incorporated in 1887[3] to take over from theNagpur Chhattisgarh Railway and to convert the line to broad gauge. The work was completed in 1888. The extension of the main line fromNagpur toAsansol was completed by 1891. A 161-mile branch line (258 km) that connectedBilaspur toUmaria coal mine was built and linked to the existing line from Umaria toKatni (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 theTalcher coalfields were connected by a railway line starting from Nergundi. In 1931, theRaipur–Vizianagaram line was set up, which connected the east coast with theCentral 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 Indian government on 1 October 1944.[3] and continued to be called by that name until 14 April 1952, when it was amalgamated with theEast Indian Railway to form one of six newly carved zones of theIndian Railways: theEastern Railway.
On August 1, 1955, the erstwhile Bengal Nagpur Railway portion was separated and a new zone, the South Eastern Railway, came into existence.[3] In July 1967, the South Eastern Railway took over the Bankura Damodar River line. 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 April 1, 2003, theEast Coast Railway (ECoR) comprising South Eastern Railway'sKhurda Road,Sambalpur andVisakhapatnam divisions was dedicated to the nation; on April 5, 2003, theSouth East Central Railway (SECR) comprising South Eastern Railway'sNagpur andBilaspur divisions and a newRaipur division was dedicated to the nation. On April 13, 2003, the SER reorganizedAdra andChakradharpur divisions to form the newRanchi division.[4] The South Eastern Railway has electric multiple unit sheds in Tikiapara (near Howrah), Kharagpur and Panskura. Electric locomotive sheds are in Santragachi (near Howrah), Tatanagar,Bokaro Steel City, Kharagpur and Bondamunda (near Rourkela). Diesel locomotive sheds are located in Kharagpur,Bokaro Steel City, and Bondamunda. The coach maintenance yards of this zone are located in Santragachi (near Howrah), Hatia (near Ranchi) and Tatanagar. The South Eastern Railway has a major workshop located in Kharagpur,[5] and one Engineering Workshop is located in Sini under the Chakradharpur division, and also a Diesel loco shed in Bondamunda (near Rourkela).
The administrative head of South Eastern Railway is Shri Anil Kumar Mishra, who is the present General Manager of SER. The South Eastern Railway caters to the states ofWest Bengal,Jharkhand andOdisha. SER also runs regularelectric multiple units (EMU and MEMU) services to areas adjacent toKolkata, fromHowrah toKharagpur,Amta,Medinipur,Adra,Tatanagar,Balasore,Rourkela andSantragachi toShalimar. It also handles major freight traffic toKolkata andHaldia.
The headquarters of SER is located inGarden Reach in southKolkata. The main office is housed in a spectacular building constructed in 1909. It has a brick red finish and follows theIndo-Saracenic architecture, complete with slender pillars, turrets and a huge central dome. The complex is spread across a large area complete with beautiful gardens. It houses a hospital and the BNR sports club. The residence of the General Manager (GM) of the SER is also located inside the complex. It is a colonial building dating back to 1846 and is inspired by the Temple of Winds inAthens,Greece. The milk white two-storied building with pillars and pediments once served as a residence of the last Nawab ofOudh,Wajid Ali Shah. During his short stay the Nawab the house came to be known asPari Khana, literally meaning the house of the fairies. It The nawab was entertained by musicians, poets and dancers. The complex also houses several other buildings of historical importance and include Bungalow 12, which once served as the residence of the famousIndologistWilliam Jones. Apart from buildings the complex also houses a vintage steam engine, a restored ball signal and a plaque of 978 Balloon Squadron, RAF.[1][6]
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Media related toSouth Eastern Railway zone at Wikimedia Commons
