'Mesopotamian Transport Commission. Report of the Commission Appointed by the Government of India with the Approval of the Right Hon'ble The Secretary of State for India, to Enquire into Questions Connected with the Organisation and Administration of the Railway and River Transport in Mesopotamia' [‎23v] (46/114)

36 »
to provide 240,000 tons of agricultural produce, mainly bhoosa and barley, during
the coming harvest. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of this scheme
from the "transportation point of view ; the help which will be rendered both
to railways and rivers in Mesopotamia is very material and when it is remember
ed that nearly a quarter of the ships discharging at Basra carry fodder and grain
for animals in the field, it will be secn'that the prospective relief to the vital question
of shipping is much in excess of that shewn by the mere statement of dead-weight
tonnages. Finally very substantial relief will be rendered to the economic situation
in India, more especially as affecting railways.
It is therefore urged that every assistance should be afforded to make this
scheme successful and if possible to extend its scope in subsequent years; for further
details see Appendix J.
212. The alteration of the terminus of this line from Museyib to Hilla has been
made because o-6tbs of the tonnage will be produced in the area round Hilla, and, as
most of the difficulties in connection with the schemes will be those of collection
and transport, it is important that the railway should be in as easy reach as possible
of the collecting centres.
213. As it is important that the scheme should be completed by harvest time,
it is proposed to construct the b anch on the standard gauge, and it has been decid
ed not to wait until a decision has been arrived at on the question of the through
route between Basra and Baghdad. The permanent-way material and rolling
stock for this line are already in the country or under' order, and we consider the
decision to be a sound one. It will probably be found necessary subsequently to
build small feeder lines to tap outlying areas, but the necessity and gauge of these
must necessarily depend largely on the question of the location of the through
railway.
214. The matter of the through railway connection between Basra and
Baghdad js now the subject of discussion between the War Office, the Government of
India, and the General Officer Commander-in-Chief, Mesopotamia Expeditionary
Force, and Major-General Freeland, and, as we understand the various factors
governing the situation have been explained at some length in these communica
tions, it would hardly appear necessajy for us to detail arguments which have
already been put forward and are known to the Government of India.
215. It would, however, be advisable to point out that whether the through
railway follows the Tigris or Euphrates route, some increase in staff and a large
increase in equipment and rolling stock will be required if an adequate service by
rail is to be assured.
If the policy of a through line is not persevered in for the time being and it is
decided instead to strengthen the existing railways up to a higher standard of
operation, this again will entail an increase in rolling stock and other equipment.
216. A third scheme, which is now in contemplation, and which we under
stand will probably be sanctioned as soon as material is available, is the con
version of the existing 2'6" line between Baqabah and Shahraban to metre gauge.
Owing to the lack of sufficient metre gauge permanent-way material and rolling
stock in the past, it has been necessary on more than one occasion to lay this
2'6' / track to feed outlying portions of the force, this track being eventually replaced
by metre gauge. This method, entailing as it does practically double construc
tion work, is very uneconomical in every respect, but the authorities have been
compelled to adopt it owing, as stated above, to want of metre gauge material.
In fact, owing to the number of times it has had to be lifted and re-laid the track is
rapidly deteriorating ; the rolling stock also is becoming worn out.
217. Further we are informed that reconnaissance parties are now at work for
an extension of the' Shahraban line to Qizil Rubat and possibly further with the
ultimate object of stopping the ingress as far as possible of hostile agents who may
try to invade Persia and Afghanistan and stir up disaffection in those parts. If by
the time the 2'6" track between Baqubah ?nd Shahraban has been replaced, no
metre gauge material is available, which is not already required for more urgent and
important lines, the military authorities may be compelled to use this 2'6' , track for
the extension,