ಮೈಸೂರು - ವಾರಣಾಸಿ ಎಕ್ಸ್‌ಪ್ರೆಸ್: ಕಾವೇರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಗಂಗಾ ನದಿಗಳ ಸಂಪರ್ಕ ಸೇತುವೆ - Vishwanath Joshi

IMPACTS OF RAILWAYS IN RAJASTHAN
It would be difficult to estimate the benefits and impacts which the railway had conferred on the inhabitants of Rajputana. But this is true that without rail, thousands of persons and cattle would have died in 1899-1900 during the periods of famine. Rail had the effect of levelling and steadying prices, and preventing local distress from disorganizing rural economy, and had brought about the general advancement of material prosperity by stimulating the cultivation of marketable produce. As for the influence which railways had exercised on the habits of the people, it may be said that they had a tendency to relax slightly the observance of caste restrictions, and to introduce a good deal of local and...
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a sprinkling of English words into everyday use. The advantages which fell to the lot of the people were only incidental which cannot provide a cover to the imperial motives of the British administration.
The railway construction affected the trade routes and the developments of new towns. Bikaner's transit trade was adversely affected. Formerly Bhiwani and Jodhpur were con¬nected through Bikaner, now the traders of Bhiwani adopted Ajmer-Sambbar-Marwar rail route. Similar was the case for the opium traffic from Malwa to other parts of North-Western India. The improvement in the railways led to an accelerated pace of trade. Easy approach and comparative safety of the routes led to a fast growth in the volume of trade.
IMPACT UPON TRANSIT DUTIES
The question of customs duty along these routes acquired a importance which was not earlier. The railways helped the launching of a major official offensive against transit duties because goods now passed easily from one state to another without the payment of transit duties if the bulk was not broken up. The jurisdiction over the railways had been surrendered to the British and the state governments could not have prevented the movement and import of English goods. The entry points were, after the railway system, so many that realisation of customs duty at entry points would have become almost impossible. The states were thus under considerable pressure for the abolition of transit and customs duties. They did so in stages. Jaipur abolished transit and customs duties on food grains in the wake of famine of 1868; a few months later Kota abolished these duties; Mewar abolished them for one year. But the drive was for abolition of duties on all articles of commerce. In 1885, Jaipur abolished transit duties on feeder roads to the Rajputana Malwa railway except on opium. Bharatpur followed it in July 1884. Jaipur enhan¬ced the duties on articles consumed within the state to recoup the loss of revenue. In course of time, this became the common pattern; all articles of consumption in the states of Rajasthan became costlier. In 1887, Mahrana Fateh Singh while cele¬brating the golden jubilee of victoria's accession, abolished all transit duties. Jodhpur, under British advice, replaced the different duties in every district by a Central duty which had to be paid on entry in the state. This new duty consicerable inconvenience and made things costlier for the people of the State.
WESTERN RAILWAY
At the time of independance, the western portion of Jodhpur and Bikaner Railway was ceded to the government of Pakistan. The rest portion was taken over by Rajasthan state in 1949. The Western Railway was created on 5th November 1951 by the merger of several state-owned railways, including the B.B.&C.I. Railway and the Saurashtra Railway, Rajputana Railway and Jaipur State Railway. The Narrow gauge lines of Cutch State Railway was also merged into it. The divisions of w railway in Rajasthan were Jaipur division, Ajmer division and kota division.
NORTHERN RAILWAY
The Northern Railway came in to existence in 1952. It was one of the Indian Railways largest zones. Bikaner division and Jodhpur division were attached with it.
NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY
The Jaipur and Ajmer divisions of the Western Railway, and Jodhpur and Bikaner divisions of Northern railway became part of newly created North Western Railway in 2002. The total length of this railway in Rajasthan is 5,459 kms.
WEST-CENTRAL RAILWAY
Kota division of the Western Railway became part of the newly created West Central Railway in April 2003.
PRESENT SCENERIO
Today, there is 5780.06 kms. of railway track available in Rajasthan, out of which 4465.12 kms. of broad gauge, 1228.24 kms. of metre gauge and 86.70 kms. of narrow gauge. Rail is playing an important role in gross state domestic product and providing employment to lacs of people in Rajasthan. Life can not be imagined without rail.