- Year
- 1854
- Period
- Early Railway Expansion
- Importance
- The Howrah–Hooghly service extended passenger railway transportation to eastern India and established Howrah as one of the country's most important railway gateways.
On 15 August 1854, the East Indian Railway began its first passenger service between Howrah and Hooghly.
The journey covered approximately 24 miles, or around 38 kilometres, and regular services were introduced on the route from the same day. Trains stopped at important locations including Bally, Serampore and Chandannagore.
The railway became an important foundation for the expansion of the network across Bengal and toward northern India.
Howrah later developed into one of India's most important railway terminals and a major gateway connecting Kolkata with destinations across eastern, northern and central India.
The event demonstrated how rapidly railway transportation was beginning to spread after the inaugural Bombay–Thane journey of 1853.