British Indian Railway - On Tracks of Empire - Unite and Divide Part 1

[@mularamiit]

Greatest legacy the British left to India? What had they left? There was 45,000 kms rail network in 1947 out of which 55% was meter gauge & narrow gauge, 0% electrified & now India has 115,000 km rail network, 95% broad gauge, 40% network electrified & major railway lines electrified which runs 20,000 trains on daily basis....

[@jromh8813]

And who introduced the railway to India? Exactly.

[@3333rue]

I just came back from India and I already miss it a lot.

[@shashankprasad92]

I like you bro.You are the most honest brit I have ever come across.Thanks for being genuinely apologetic even though you didn't have to.This is all we ask for from the brits.

[@shashankprasad92]

You are right when you say the British did some good.However the complete turmoil they left us in after centuries of pillaging our wealth far outweighs the good deeds they have ever done. The British did not unite us,their main strategy was divide and rule,the Indians united against the British is a correct way of putting it

[@sangeethnarayanan4252]

It's 100% true that if British had not laid the foundation of railways in India, today India might have been just at the stage of introducing railways. The inability to introduce bullet trains until 2020 proves it, on the other hand Japan had its first high speed train in the 1970s. True that they did not build the railways for the benefit of Indians, but after Independence it really became beneficial for India.

[@hindurashtra63]

I know most Indians won't like this comment but the British did help India in many ways :D Railways, Postal System, Western Education, An Efficient Political System and Introduction of English as a Language to Unite all Indians are many things that helped India, Which I appreciate as an Indian !

[@diamondsinduvenkat]

While there is no denying that the credit for putting Indian on the Railway map goes to the British, there can be no better truth that for movement of their goods, merchandise and their mercenaries only, they built it and not with the magnanimous attitude of helping India and Indians. Given a chance, they could have taken the railways back by removing everything, if possible. A simple example is that when they left India, they wantonly left India in turmoil by allowing each and every region to take their own decision to join Indian Union or remain an independent state. Would they have done the same thing, if they continued in power? lol.

[@vivekrailfan]

My friend, when it comes to railways, all the development has been done after 1947. The British era steam locos were phased out of service 20 years ago. The tracks have either been upgraded or changed completely. All the major Meter Gauge routes left behind by British has been conversed to Broad Gauge.

[@grantpage3703]

Have you ever asked yourself or as a matter of fact anyone else as to why there were different gauges ?

[@IIIlllIIllllIIlll]

Indians were repressed by the British and not trained or allowed to upper-level jobs in the railway industry. The British built this complicated system that only they fully understood because they didn't want the Indians to be too powerful. An Indian engineer may have had a small division of laborers under him but they were never TRAINED or ALLOWED to be administrators because of prejudice.

[@hksdking]

live in india..good for u...believe me ..u r afriad of the bad..if u have guts .then why dont u change everything.....now dont say that u alone cant do anything.....we wear nice cloths..get nice food..nice badrooms....bt yet to have wise thinking

[@Sangrenegra9]

As a 'Brit' (the correct term is Briton) I have absolutely nothing to apologise for. As far as I am aware, none of my father's ancestors ever benefitted directly from the Empire, as they were not aristocrats nor did they own textile mills. As for my mother's ancestors...well they're a mixture of indigenous Andean folk and the Spanish landowners who raped them. Perhaps I should ask all Spaniards to apologise for what they did in Colombia, even if they had nothing to do with anything...

[@simpson4simpson]

there is india and who meak that reilway was indians and indian mony

[@hemanhercules]

It is true that the british came to india and they changed our mindset. However they also gave us a lot of goodies. Long live the british for giving us railways, electricity, democracy, Western education and Administration. Ppl abusing british must remember one thing british were known for 3 things all over the world discipline, administration and attaining targets on time. pre independence UP was the number one state in administration, today it is not even though it produces most IAS in india.

[@jds832002]

Tend to agree with you (as someone who is both Indian and a British subject)! Spent many years in Asia and Africa whilst in the British Army and private sector....and it always seemd that the majority of local people I met believed the empire did (or at least, aspired-to-do) more positive than negative...just my bit anyway!

[@onfiremusicman]

@hazlitt1 If I had it within my power as a citizen to do any of the ideas you suggested, then believe me, I would do them - I would certainly make an effort to apologize to the Indian people. According to a recent Times article, however, 'Mainstream Indian historians now widely acknowledge that the British Empire was not just destructive and bad … [but a] blessing in disguise, for it exposed India to the idea of parliamentary democracy, the rule of law and a modern socioeconomic system.'

[@janedrill]

Good man! The sepoys have mutined!

[@onfiremusicman]

@hazlitt1 This does not, in any means, excuse our nation of any of the cruelties we have shown to your people. The Raj was totally unacceptable and as a Briton, I feel that we should be making much more of an effort to make amends in some shape or form.

[@spacebarsux]

You didn't let their size or their very different histories get in your way did you. Here's a fact for you: "British economist Angus Maddison has argued that India's share of the world income went from 27% in 1700 (compared to Europe's share of 23%) to 3% in 1950, the period of British colonialism. It is simply false to deny the nexus between subcontinental poverty and past colonialism, nor the aftermath it has played via neocolonialism. But It's possible you won't understand this.

[@SuperAbebaby]

very correct..Imagine Sathi ..even now plight of village is bad ..At least British united and eliminated war Lords . .kings and conquerors.Tremendous development .

[@Ashitaka255]

@hazlitt1 It's all well and good being indignant about barbarism but it would help your case if you had your facts straight, the Chinese got their asses kicked by the British more than once. The British never really wanted India or China... just money. They got their money in India though tax and in China by forcing the Chinese to buy British goods, including Opium grown in India. Only after they got India did the British develop a taste for empire proper.

[@shashankprasad92]

Nobody is blaming anyone here.All im stating facts which obviously you choose to ignore.

[@onfiremusicman]

@hazlitt1 Hi Hazlitt, I'm sorry that you feel this way. I agree in many respects, but I am, myself, British, and regret what my ancestors did to India. To suggest that we are all bulls******s is a large generalisation and is rather offensive. I do feel, however, that perhaps the railway has proved to be a success in modern India - that is not to say that this was not abused by our ancestors when ruling India. Sergeant should have focused more on the abuses, perhaps.

[@rajarams5988]

Greatest legacy left by the British is a crap Hindi film song ? How low you have brought down one of the greatest and complex railway systems in the world..How does anyone even relate this rubbish to the railways ? It shows the British legacy..of condescension and feeling of ( totally laughable ) superiority.

[@hksdking]

ohh ashamed?wow......what exactly do u do for country?......arent u an indian?.....thats ur king of people who sit on their asses and spit out crap......if u can not do anything then dont blame others...raise your own shoulder first for country..