InfrastructureEast India Company rule

Madras Railway Company formed

· Chennai

Madras Railway Company formed
James Mudd (1821 - 1906), Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

The Madras Railway was established to build the first main line railways of South India.

A railway line for Madras was first proposed in 1832, and a short experimental line operated from 1837. The Madras Railway company was established on 8 May 1845. It went on to build the first main line in South India, from Madras towards Arcot. Construction began in 1853 and the first section opened in 1856. The company later built lines across the Presidency before being merged in 1908.

Related events

  1. 1835

    1. 2 Feb 1835ChennaiHealth

      Madras Medical College founded

      A medical school was opened in Madras that grew into Madras Medical College, one of the oldest in Asia.

  2. 1840

    1. 16 Oct 1840ChennaiEducation

      Madras Preparatory School, forerunner of Presidency College

      A government preparatory school opened in Madras in 1840; it grew into the High School and eventually Presidency College.

  3. 1843

    1. 1 Jul 1843ChennaiEconomy

      Bank of Madras formed

      The Bank of Madras, one of the three Presidency banks, came into being through the merger of several banks in Madras.

  4. 1844

    1. 2 Oct 1844ChennaiPolitics

      The Crescent, first Indian-owned newspaper in Madras

      The Crescent, launched by Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty, was the Madras Presidency's first newspaper under Indian ownership.

  5. 1995

    1. 16 Nov 1995ChennaiInfrastructure

      Chennai MRTS opens, India's first elevated railway

      India's first elevated urban railway came into service when the opening section of Chennai's Mass Rapid Transit System, linking Beach and Chepauk, began running.

  6. 2015

    1. 29 Jun 2015ChennaiInfrastructure

      Chennai Metro begins service

      The first stretch of Chennai Metro, between Koyambedu and Alandur, opened to passengers.

Open in the timeline explorer