 |
 | |
| Company type | Government-owned corporation |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Natal Railway |
| Founded | 1877 |
| Defunct | 1910 |
| Successor | South African Railways |
The Natal Government Railways (NGR) was formed in January 1877 in the Colony of Natal.
In 1877, the Natal Government Railways acquired the Natal Railway Company for the sum of £40,000, gaining the line from the Point to Durban and from Durban to Umgeni. This move, inspired in part by the neighbouring Cape Prime Minister John Molteno's 1873 establishment of the Cape Government Railways, was intended to drive the extension of Natal's railways inland, towards the Drakensberg and eventually the Orange Free State.[1][2][3] The Natal Government Railways also adopted the Cape gauge. The core line went from Durban to Volksrust, but reached Charlestown (4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the border of the South African Republic) in 1891 and was linked to the Witwatersrand in 1895. Other important lines were the one linking with the Orange Free State reaching Harrismith in 1892, as well as the North Coast and South Coast lines. In 1910, the Union of South Africa was formed and in 1912 the NGR combined with the other colonies' railway companies (Cape Government Railways and Central South African Railways) to form the South African Railways and Harbours (SAR & H).[4]
- ^ Bond J.: They were South Africans. London: Oxford University Press. 1956. Chapter 19, The Makers of Railways.
- ^ Ingram, Joseph Forsyth (1895). The Colony of Natal: An Official Illustrated Handbook and Railway Guide. J. Causton. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- ^ "The Railway System of Natal". Engineering Magazine. XXIV. 1903.
- ^ http://www.spoornet.co.za/SpoornetWebContentSAP/html/about/history.htm