On its 150th birth day, Eastern Railway has presented and published a book named as "Symphony of Progress - The Saga Of Eastern Railway - 1854-2003" which was officially introduced by the Hon'ble Minister for Railways Shri Nitish Kumar in a modest function on the 16th August 2003 just before the historic "Heritage Run".

The book consists primarily of 3 parts - GENESIS, EVOLUTION & RECOLLECTION - written with the objective to make the symphony an enjoyable experience particularly to the non-railway persons of all ages.

The GENESIS portion illustrates the geographical reaches of Eastern Railway (erstwhile East Indian Railway) - how it has undergone a phased expansion starting from a 40 km. line from Howrah to Hooghly extending up to Ghaziabad, North Bengal and Bangladesh at the time of our independence. As one turns the pages of "Symphony of Progress", one traverses the various eras of railway history in the eastern part of the country with rare photographs.

The development of Eastern Railway over the years and its evolution from its mother, the East Indian Railway has been supported intrinsically by simultaneous technological creations and inputs in the fields of tracks, rolling stock, passenger services and signaling systems. It is but imperative for Eastern Railway to remember the various stages through which it has grown, matured and flowered into an organization to reckon with. The EVOLUTION part of the book depicts all these supported by rich collection of photographs.

The RECOLLECTION portion is a philatelic retrospection of historical, geographical, technological and social evolution of Eastern Railway over its glorious 150 years. It is a magnificent piece of collection which is unique in nature and everyone should and must preserve it.

Thus, the "Symphony of Progress" photogenically highlights the various facets of historical evolution, landmarks achieved and philatelic infusions which have created an organization which every Indian is proud of and is an pleasant journey when read.