The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-09 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

BOMBAY, BARODA, AND CENTRAL INDIA.
The report of the directors states that in the half year
ending the 30th of June last there had been a decided in-
crease in the traffic receipts, though no additional length of
railway had been opened during that period. The total
receipts on 185 miles amounted to Li 9,247, against £63,353
for the corresponding half of 1863, showing an increase of
£15,894, or 25 per cent. The gross receipts per train mile
amounted to lls. ld., against 12s 2d, in the corresponding
half of last year. The number of passengers conveyed in
tho half-year was 505,732, against 409,349 for the same half
of 1863, showing an increase of 96,686, or 231 per cent., of
which 93,309 were third class, 2,386 second ()lass, and 691
first class. In the goods traffic the increase of tonnage con-
veyed for the public to the extent of about 40 per cent ap-
peared satisfactory, while the open line extended no further
towards Bombay than Bulsar. Owing to the detailed reve-
nue account not having yet been received from Bombay,
the directors were unable to give the expenses or the not
revenue for the half-year ending 30th June last. With re-
gard to the net revenue paid to Government in reduction of
the guaranteed interest, it amounted up to Dec. 31, 1863, to
124,954, or 18'57 per cent. of the whole amount advanced
by Government for guaranteed interest to the same date ;
though the line had only been partially opened since Feb.,
IS6O, and a considerable portion of the capital expenditure
was still unproductive. The rolling stock was in a fair
working state, considering the great demands that had been
made on it. Some of the ordinary waggons had been con-
verted into covered ones, and other desirable alterations had
been made. Eleven powerful engines had recently been
ordered to meet the large anticipated requirements of the
traffic on the opening to Bombay. The unusually high and
rapid floods during the late monsoon, sweeping down the
river crossed by this company's line, and bringing with
them large trunks of trees and other floating masses, had
tested most severely the strength of the bridge work adopted
on this railway. The principal damage that resulted was
to the Nerbudda and Mhye viaducts. In the former which
was composed of 69 spans, six in the centre of the river were
carried away, and several strut piles and feeders were
broken; in the latter viaduct some of the strut piles fell
and two of the vertical ones were slightly fractured. Every
effort was being made to repair the damage, and to replace
the bridgework with all practicable despatch, and the chief
resident engineer expected that this might be done by the
end of the year, but it was a difficult and delicate operation.
Meanwhile, the traffic had to be carried across the Ner-
budda river in boats, which had been a great drawback in
the working of the line during the last three or four months.
Those accidents were unattended by any loss of life or
damage to property conveyed on the railway, and the
experience gathered from them would prove of service in
suggesting precautionary measures for strengthening the
bridge structures in the central parts of the deep and rapid
rivers where they were exposed to the greatest strain. Some
of those measures were now being carried out in India.
One suggestion of the Government as to wider spans and
more massive piers in those places was still under consi-
deration. The necessity of erecting the second superstruc-
ture of the principal bridges with the double object of
steadying the piles, and providing a second line, which
could easily be used in cases of emergency, having also been
proved, the directors had, with approval of the Secretary of
State, entered into contracts for the speedy construction o
the necessary bridgework. There ,was every prospect of
the southern portion of the railway from Bulsar to Grant
road, Bombay, a distance of about 121 miles, being opened
for passenger traffic about the middle of November. It was
hoped that this additional length would be ready for goods
traffic by January or February next. Although the full
benefit of the opening toßombay could not be expected until
the railway was completed to the harbour at Colaba, a very
large additional revenue must be derived immediately upon
the trains running to within 3i miles of that spot. Bombay
contained nearly 1,000,000 inhabitants, and according to the
last official report its external commerce amounted in the
year 1863-4 to £77,608,330, being an increase of £18,450,119
over that of the previous year, and of £35,578,000 over the
average yearly value of the preceding five years, so that the
importance of the completion of the line to the harbour
would at once be seen. The total amount of audited ex-
penditure on capital account on 30th June last (including
stores and materials) was £1,402,038, of which £193,412
was paid during the half year. A further amount of £622,811
had been spent on the works in India to the same date,
which was awaiting the final audit of the Bombay Gra vern-
ment before being brought to account. The total capital
in shares and debentures now sanctioned was £5,500,000,