Before Bombay: The Forgotten Railways of the Madras Presidency
Before Bombay: The Forgotten Railways of the Madras Presidency
Before Bombay
Revisiting the Forgotten Railways of the Madras Presidency (1832–1941)
The accepted origin of Indian Railways is usually placed in 1853. Yet, this narrative, while convenient, is incomplete.
Long before the first passenger train ran in Bombay, the Madras Presidency had already witnessed the earliest proposals, experiments, and working railway systems in India. These were not grand, celebrated undertakings — but practical responses to commerce, geography, and crisis.
The earliest railways in India were not built for travel — but for transport, survival, and necessity.
🧭 A Broader Timeline
1832 – Railway proposals emerge in Madras Presidency
1836–37 – Red Hills Railway operates
1856 – First major South Indian passenger line (Royapuram–Arcot)
1905–1906 – Famine relief railways in Salem region
1902–1908 – Kundala Valley monorail → railway
1915 – Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway
1940s – Narrow gauge dismantled
The Red Hills Railway: India’s First Working Line
General Sir Arthur T. Cotton, K.C.S.I.
The engineer behind India’s earliest working railway experiment.
The Red Hills Railway, operating around 1836–37, represents one of the earliest functioning railway systems in India. Constructed under the supervision of Sir Arthur Cotton, it was intended to transport granite from quarry regions to the city of Madras.
Unlike later railways, this was a utilitarian system — modest in scale, experimental in nature, and primarily industrial in purpose. It reportedly used a combination of animal traction and early mechanical assistance.
🔍 The Alignment Debate
While several modern accounts suggest that the line ran between Adyar and Chintadripet, this interpretation raises geographical inconsistencies.
The name “Red Hills” is strongly associated with the lateritic formations of the present-day Red Hills (Chengundram) region, located to the north-west of Chennai. This area is geologically distinct from the Adyar–Saidapet belt, where such formations are minimal.
It is therefore more plausible that the railway connected the actual Red Hills quarry region to the city, rather than originating near Adyar.
The exact alignment may be lost — but the intent and existence of the line are beyond doubt.
The Red Hills Railway was not an isolated line, but part of a broader transport system.
The rail alignment connected the quarry region to a canal interface, from where materials were further transported by boat into the city.
This integration of rail and water transport reflects an early form of multimodal logistics — decades before such systems became standard practice.
This model did not end in Madras. When Arthur Cotton later undertook irrigation works on the Godavari River in the 1840s,
he employed a similar approach — using temporary railways to move stone from quarries to riverbanks for the construction of the anicut.
In this sense, the Red Hills Railway can be seen not merely as an experiment, but as a prototype for a wider engineering method.
Red Hills Quarry
(Laterite / Granite Source)
⬇
Narrow Gauge Railway
~3–3.5 miles
⬇
Captain Cotton’s Canal
Artificial link
⬇
Cochrane’s Canal
(Later Buckingham Canal)
⬇
Madras (Chintadripet / City Works)
Road construction usage
Schematic representation of the Red Hills Railway system (c.1836–37), illustrating the integration of rail and canal transport.
Railways in Times of Distress: The Famine Lines
By the early 20th century, parts of the Madras Presidency faced recurring drought and famine conditions. Railways became instruments of relief — not merely transport systems, but mechanisms of survival.
Morappur – Dharmapuri Railway (1906)
This 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge line was constructed as part of famine relief efforts. It provided employment to local populations while enabling movement of essential goods.
- Opened: 1906
- Gauge: 2 ft 6 in
- Function: Relief + connectivity
- Extension: Towards Hosur
- Closure: Circa 1941
Like many such lines, it was dismantled during World War II, with materials repurposed elsewhere.
Tirupattur – Krishnagiri Railway (1905)
Operating within the same regional framework, this line extended connectivity across interior terrain, often inaccessible by conventional means.
“இங்க ரயில் போயிருக்கும்… இப்போ நிலம் மட்டும் தான் உள்ளது”
These railways were not designed for permanence — yet their impact was immediate and profound.
Industrial and Plantation Railways
Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway
This privately operated 2 ft gauge railway was built to serve sugar production and export. It linked inland agricultural zones to coastal shipping points, illustrating the economic motivations behind railway expansion.
Kundala Valley Railway
An engineering experiment in itself, this system began as a monorail in 1902 and was later converted into a narrow gauge railway. It served the tea plantations of the Western Ghats and represents a unique phase in railway adaptation.
Reading What Remains
Though the tracks are gone, the land retains memory in subtle ways.
- Linear embankments across agricultural fields
- Stone culverts partially buried
- Isolated bridge structures
- Unnatural straight alignments in terrain
In some regions, these traces align closely with documented railway routes, offering a silent but persistent confirmation of their existence.
A Glimpse from the Road
In 2013, while travelling from Bengaluru to Chennai, I noticed a solitary steel girder standing within a coconut grove beyond Bargur.
There were no visible tracks, no surrounding infrastructure — only that structure, disconnected yet suggestive.
It stood not as a structure in use, but as a remnant of purpose.
Given the proximity to the Tirupattur–Krishnagiri alignment, it is plausible that this was a surviving fragment of that early 20th-century railway.
The Disappearance
By the 1940s, many narrow gauge railways in the region were dismantled. Wartime demand for steel accelerated this process.
What remained gradually merged into the landscape — their identity fading, their traces fragmenting.
“பாதைகள் மறைந்தாலும், அவை நிலத்தில் பதிந்திருக்கும்”
Rethinking Railway Origins
The history of Indian Railways cannot be reduced to a single inaugural journey. It is a layered story of experimentation, adaptation, and regional initiative.
The Madras Presidency played a foundational role in this evolution — one that deserves recognition.
Sources & Notes
- Madras Musings – “The Red Hills Railway”
- The Hindu – “Madras Miscellany: India’s First Railway Line”
- Times of India – “On the Forgotten Track”
- IRFCA – Early Railway History in India
- Dakshin Railway – 150 Varsh Ki Yashasvi Gatha (1856–2006)
Appendix: Lost and Lesser-Known Railways of the Madras Presidency
The following is a consolidated list of early, experimental, industrial, and now-defunct railway systems associated with the Madras Presidency.
Many of these no longer exist in physical form, but survive through archival records, local memory, and scattered remnants.
1. Early Experimental Railways
- Red Hills Railway (c.1836–1837)
Industrial line transporting granite to Madras; among the earliest working railways in India.
- Cauvery Valley Railway Proposal (c.1831–32)
Unrealised plan for a railway along the Cauvery river system; one of the earliest recorded railway concepts in India.
2. Famine Relief Railways (Early 20th Century)
Famine Railways of the Salem–Dharmapuri Region
In the early 20th century, a network of narrow gauge railways emerged across the Salem and Dharmapuri regions, not as commercial ventures,
but as instruments of survival. The Tirupattur–Krishnagiri line (1905) and the Morappur–Dharmapuri line (1906) were constructed as famine protection railways,
designed to transport food and essential supplies into drought-prone interior districts.
These lines were not isolated. By 1913, the network was extended further towards Hosur, forming a continuous corridor that connected interior regions
with broader railway systems. Contemporary records make clear that such railways were not expected to generate profit,
but were built as part of a wider administrative response to recurring famine conditions in the Madras Presidency.
Despite their importance, these lines did not survive beyond the mid-20th century.
During the World War II period, many narrow gauge and light railways across India were dismantled,
their materials repurposed for wartime needs. The famine railways of this region disappeared in this phase,
leaving behind only faint traces in the landscape.
Yet the geography they once served has not been forgotten.
More than a century later, the same corridor has re-emerged in contemporary railway planning.
A new broad gauge line between Morappur and Dharmapuri, for which the foundation was laid in 2019, seeks to reconnect the region.
Similarly, proposals for a Tirupattur–Hosur line via Krishnagiri indicate renewed economic interest in this route.
However, the modern revival is not without tension.
Recent discussions around alignment have raised concerns among local communities, particularly regarding agricultural land and displacement.
In this, the story of the line continues — no longer shaped by famine, but by the balance between development and livelihood.
Gauge Interfaces and Transfer Points
The narrow gauge famine railways did not physically merge with the metre gauge trunk routes.
Instead, they connected through what was known as a break-of-gauge system.
At stations such as Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, goods transported on narrow gauge lines were transferred onto metre gauge trains for onward movement.
Given the temporary and low-cost nature of famine railways, there is no evidence to suggest the use of mixed-gauge track in this region.
Rather, these lines functioned as feeders to the mainline, relying on manual or mechanical transfer at interchange points.
The metre gauge trunk line itself, running between Bangalore and Salem via Hosur, Krishnagiri, and Dharmapuri,
was later converted into broad gauge as part of India’s post-independence railway modernisation.
The tracks may have vanished, but the corridor endures — adapting to the needs of each era.
Famine Railway Corridor (Schematic Alignment)
Tirupattur
(Tirupattur Dt) |
| │ |
Morappur
(Dharmapuri Dt) |
| │ |
| Dharmapuri |
| │ |
Krishnagiri
(Krishnagiri Dt) |
| │ |
| Hosur |
| │ |
| Bangalore |
At these stations, the railway did not continue — it changed.
Break-of-Gauge Transfer (Schematic)
| Narrow Gauge Line |
|
Metre Gauge Line |
| Tirupattur |
|
Salem |
| │ |
|
│ |
| Morappur |
|
Dharmapuri |
| │ |
⇄ Transfer |
│ |
| Dharmapuri |
|
Krishnagiri |
| │ |
|
│ |
| Krishnagiri |
|
Hosur |
|
|
│ |
|
|
Bangalore |
Illustration of break-of-gauge transfer, where goods from narrow gauge lines were shifted to metre gauge trains at key interchange stations.
Schematic representation of the historical famine railway corridor across north-west Tamil Nadu into Karnataka.
3. Industrial and Private Light Railways
Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway
The Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway (KLR) was a privately operated narrow gauge system established in 1914,
primarily to serve the sugar industry of the Tirunelveli region.
The line connected Tisaiyanvilai to the KPM Sugar Factory and extended to the port at Kulasekarapatnam,
forming an integrated industrial and export corridor.
Built to a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge, the railway initially carried jaggery and other sugar products for Parry & Company.
Over time, it developed into a more extensive network, with connections extending towards Tiruchendur,
reaching a total operational length of approximately 40 kilometres.
Unlike many temporary industrial lines, the KLR appeared in railway timetables such as the 1933 Bradshaw,
indicating its functional role beyond a closed industrial system.
The line remained in operation until around 1940, after which it was dismantled.
Today, it survives only in fragments of memory and scattered references in archival records.
Kundala Valley Railway
The Kundala Valley Railway, established in 1902 in the hill ranges of Munnar, represents one of the most unusual railway experiments in the Madras Presidency.
It began not as a conventional railway, but as a monorail system based on the Ewing design, where a single rail was complemented by a balancing wheel running on the road.
The system was initially operated using bullock traction, reflecting the constraints of terrain and technology in the early plantation economy.
By 1908, the monorail was replaced with a 2 ft narrow gauge railway, and light steam locomotives were introduced.
The line ran between Munnar and Top Station, serving the transport needs of the Kannan Devan tea plantations.
However, the railway formed only one segment of a larger transport chain — from Top Station, tea was transferred via ropeway down to the plains,
and then carried onward for export through ports such as Tuticorin.
This integration of rail and ropeway systems reflects a sophisticated logistical approach adapted to mountainous terrain,
similar in principle to the rail–canal system seen earlier in the Red Hills Railway.
In 1924, the region was struck by the catastrophic Great Flood of '99, which caused widespread destruction across Kerala.
The Kundala Valley Railway was severely damaged by floods and landslides, with large portions of the line washed away.
Given the scale of destruction and the challenging terrain, the railway was never rebuilt.
Today, the railway survives only in fragments — a station building repurposed, scattered structural remnants, and traces embedded within the landscape.
Though short-lived, it remains a remarkable example of early engineering adaptation in the plantation economies of South India.
In the hills of Munnar, the railway did not simply disappear — it was taken by the landscape itself.
5. Early Construction and Temporary Railways
- Anicut Construction Lines (Godavari & Krishna regions)
Temporary rail systems used during major irrigation works in the 19th century.
- Early Vizagapatam Experimental Tracks
Short-lived construction-related rail alignments associated with early infrastructure projects.
6. Mainline Systems (Later Transformed)
-
Erode - Karur – Tiruchirappalli – Nagapattinam Network
Originally constructed as a broad gauge line under early railway development,
it was subsequently converted to metre gauge during system standardisation,
and later reconverted to broad gauge as part of post-independence gauge unification.
While some of these systems were short-lived and lightly constructed, others evolved through multiple phases of transformation.
Together, they represent a formative and often overlooked chapter in the development of rail transport in South India.
While some of these systems were short-lived and lightly constructed, they collectively represent a formative phase in the evolution of rail transport in South India.
Not all railways were meant to last.
Some were meant simply to serve their moment — and disappear.
Echoes and Unfinished Returns
While many of the railways described here have vanished, the idea of expanding rail connectivity in Tamil Nadu has not disappeared.
Recent discussions and policy movements indicate renewed attention towards stalled and proposed railway lines across the state.
However, not all historical lines are candidates for revival.
Railways such as the Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway belonged to a specific industrial and economic context that no longer exists.
Their significance today lies not in restoration, but in understanding the role they once played in shaping regional movement and industry.
In this sense, these forgotten railways do not return as tracks —
but as traces that continue to inform the present.
Timeline of Early Railways in the Madras Presidency
1832
Early railway proposals emerge in the Madras Presidency.
1836–1837
Red Hills Railway constructed for granite transport — one of India’s earliest working rail systems.
1840s
Railway-based transport methods reused in irrigation works such as the Godavari anicut.
1905
Tirupattur–Krishnagiri railway opened as a famine relief measure.
1906
Morappur–Dharmapuri railway constructed, continuing famine relief infrastructure.
1914–1915
Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway established — industrial line linking sugar production to port.
1933
Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway appears in Bradshaw, indicating operational significance.
c.1940
Closure and dismantling of Kulasekarapatnam Light Railway.
World War II Era
Many light and narrow gauge lines dismantled; materials repurposed.
A condensed timeline illustrating key phases in the evolution of early railways in the Madras Presidency.
Notes & References
-
“The Red Hills Railway.” Madras Musings.
Accessed 2026.
-
“India’s First Railway Line.” The Hindu: Madras Miscellany.
Accessed 2026.
-
“On the Forgotten Track.” The Times of India (Chennai Edition).
Accessed 2026.
-
Geological context of Red Hills (Chengundram) laterite formations, Tamil Nadu.
-
Indian Railways Fan Club Association (IRFCA).
“Early Railway History in India.”
https://www.irfca.org/
-
Regional railway histories and archival summaries relating to wartime dismantling and material reuse during the Second World War.
-
Early railway proposal records of the Madras Presidency (c. 1832), as compiled in railway historical overviews and IRFCA archives.
-
Dakshin Railway: 150 Varsh Ki Yashasvi Gatha (1856–2006).
Government of India publication, 2006.
-
Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd. (DFCCIL).
History of Indian Railways (English).
Compiled study material.
Accessed via Scribd:
https://www.scribd.com/document/854991252/History-of-Indian-Railways-English-freematerialdfccil
Press Information Bureau (Government of India).
Railway infrastructure status and historical references to private narrow gauge lines in Tamil Nadu.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2239871
About the Author
I have been a railfan for as long as I can remember — my fascination with trains began in my toddler years and has stayed with me for nearly five decades.
What started as simple curiosity gradually grew into a deeper interest in railway history, especially the lesser-known and forgotten lines of South India.
Over time, this interest has taken me beyond books — into landscapes, journeys, and chance encounters with remnants that quietly survive.
This work is an attempt to bring together research and personal observation,
to document stories of railways that no longer exist on maps, but still linger in memory and terrain.
“சில பாதைகள் வரைபடங்களில் இல்லை — ஆனால் அவை நிலத்தில் இன்னும் உயிருடன் இருக்கின்றன.”
History does not always survive in records.
Sometimes, it survives in fragments — and in memory.
Somewhere beneath fields and groves, the old alignments still lie.
© 2026 Dhinakar Rajaram
Research, interpretation, and narrative presented herein are original.
Reproduction is permitted only with acknowledgement and citation.
#BeforeBombay #MadrasPresidency #RedHillsRailway #ForgottenRailways #IndianRailwayHistory #ChennaiHistory
#SouthIndianHeritage #ArthurCotton #HistoricalNarratives #DhinakarRajaram
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