Which one of the following cities on the banks of the Ganges declined in importance when the railway link to Bombay started operating?

During the mid-nineteenth century, Mirzapur was a flourishing entrepôt and a vital river port on the Ganges, serving as a primary collection point for cotton and grain from Central India and the Deccan . Before the advent of railways, trade relied heavily on river traffic . However, the expansion of the railway network, particularly the link connecting Bombay to the interior and eventually to the North-Western Provinces, fundamentally altered trade routes [1]. The Great Indian Peninsula Railway allowed goods like cotton to be transported directly to Bombay's port by rail, bypassing the traditional river-based transit through Mirzapur . As the railway system expanded by 1910 to become one of the world's largest, it diverted traffic away from the Ganges, leading to the rapid decline of Mirzapur's commercial importance as a regional trade hub [1].

Sources

1. [1] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 17: Contemporary Issues > 4. Transport Development > p. 68