Question

The first railway line was laid in Karnataka between _____________ and _____________.
A. Bengaluru, Madras
B. Bengaluru, Tumakuru
C. Bengaluru, Mysore
D. Bengaluru, Ballari

Answer 1

Hint: In 1809, Bengaluru emerged as a crucial military hub with the establishment of the British cantonment. In 1864 as per the recommendation of the British the first railway line was laid out in Karnataka.

Complete answer: During the 1840s, a proposition for these railroad lines was discussed in the British Parliament, a move upheld by shipping companies and merchants. In Bengaluru, it was Sir Mark Cubbon who pushed for the advancement of the railroad connection during his tenure as the Commissioner of Mysore and Kodagu. He proposed a railroad venture associating Mysore and Madras through Bengaluru and Calicut but the plan was postponed.
The Madras Railway Company during that time was asked by the British government to begin laying the railroad line. At last, a 149-km expansive measure railroad line between Bengaluru Cantonment and Jolarpettai in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu extending to Madras was opened for traffic in August 1864. So, the first railway line was laid in Karnataka between Bengaluru and Madras.

Thus, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: According to researchers and historians this line was initially established for military purposes such as transporting ammunition, grain and soldiers. Later on this line was open to the public and was named as the ‘Bangalore Mail’.