In 1842, _______, a leading railway engineer and professor of civil engineering at University College, London, presented a detailed proposal for a system of railways in India.  

Charles Blacker Vignoles (1793-1878), Professor of Civil Engineering, University College London, submits a report to the East India Company on the possibility of constructing a railway network in India (Hurd and Kerr 1). This is very much a colonial project, with an eye to managing the country and facilitating trade. On "the eve of a period of 'railway mania' a vast country like India, with her resources and wealth," naturally attracts "the notice of many enterprising Englishmen".