On this day East Indian Railway first train ran from Howrah to Hooghly, which was a distance of 24 miles. Regular services were introduced from this day. There were stops at Bally, Serampore and Chandernagore, the Eastern Railway website informs.
In 1862, East Indian Railway extended up to the west bank of Yamuna approaching Delhi. In 1864, to connect Calcutta and Delhi, trains started running between the two cities, but without any bridge on Yamuna, the coaches would be ferried on boats across the river at Allahabad. In 1865, the Yamuna Bridge at Allahabad was constructed. In 1867, East Indian Railway branch line extended from Allahabad to Jubbalpore.
Eastern Railway was formed on April 14, 1952, by integrating East Indian Railway, consisting of Sealdah, Howrah, Asansol and Danapur divisions, and the entire Bengal–Nagpur Railway (BNR). The jurisdiction of Eastern Railway extended from Howrah to Mughalsarai in the north, to Visakhapatnam in the South and to Nagpur towards the west. The three upper divisions of East Indian Railway were added to Northern Railway.