Punjab flotilla
| Industry | Freight and passenger transportation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1858 |
| Defunct | 1870 |
| Headquarters | Kotri, Sindh |
|
Area served
|
Indus River and Chenab River |
The Indus Steam Flotilla was a freight and passenger steamship company operating during the British Raj initially between Karachi and Multan and later on between Kotri and Multan after the completion of the Karachi-Kotri Railway Line, between 1858 to 1870.
The headquarters of the Indus Steam Flotilla was in Kotri. The Flotilla was the main mode of transport between Karachi, upper Sindh and Punjab, prior to the completion of the Scinde Railway. The journey between Karachi-Multan used to take up to 40 days via Jhirk and Mithankot along the Indus River and Chenab River. Its promoters negotiated the same guaranteed rate of return as the original guaranteed railways. It later merged with the Scinde Railway and Punjab Railway to form the Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railway company. The Scinde Railway had been formed in 1855 and in 1861 succeeded in connecting Karachi to Kotri, a distance of 108 miles. Once this railway was in place, the steamers of the Indus Flotilla could take cargo from Kotri instead of Karachi, saving themselves about 150 miles of circuitous wending through the Indus River delta. The railway, however, bypassed Jhirk completely, reducing its importance. In 1856, the charter of the Scinde Railway was expanded to include the construction of Punjab Railway to connect Multan to Lahore.
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