Years before the formation of the FMSR, an agreement was met in which new lines built by state governments are to be laid out in the same metre gauge under the expectation that the separate lines will eventually be connected to each other.
The predominant number of crossings along the FMSR were almost entirely composed of single-track beam bridges (for shorter crossings) or truss bridges (for longer crossings) composed of cast iron and steel spans laid on brick piers and abutments.