On April 16, 1853 - exactly 170 years ago - India's first passenger train ran from Boree Bunder to Tannah.
Three locomotives named Sultan, Sindh and Sahib pulled the 14 carriages carrying 400 passengers on board. This was also the first train service in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the whole of Asia.
Boree Bunder (or Boribunder) - later came to be known as Victoria Terminus, then Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus or CSMT - while Tannah is the present-day Thana or Thane. The train service was run by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIP) as a predecessor of the Central Railway (CR).
The train took fifty-seven minutes to reach Tannah - and it covered a distance of 21 miles (33.8 km).
Tomorrow, the Indian Railways will reach its 170th year. To commemorate the event, the CR is presenting a light-and-sound show and performance at the CSMT, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The commemoration of the 170 years of Railways coincides with Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and World Heritage Day, which falls on April 16.
“CSMT is a pride of Indian Railways and the entire railway fraternity,” says CR general manager Anil Kumar Lahoti.
In 1900, the Indian Midland Railway Company was merged with the Great Indian Peninsula Railway the predecessor of Central Railway and its frontiers were extended from Delhi in the North, Kanpur and Allahabad in the North-east and Nagpur in the East to Raichur in the South-east. Thus, through connection from Bombay was obtained to almost all parts of India. The route mileage of the G.I.P. Railway was 1,600. (2575 km). In November 1951, Central Railway was formed by integrating Nizam State, Scindia State and Dholpur State Railways.
At present, there are 5 divisions on Central Railway - Mumbai, Bhusaval, Nagpur, Solapur and Pune. Central Railway's network is spread over 4,183 route km in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
“The unique light and sound cum performance show is scheduled over the weekend. The show would be depicting its history through the various emotions of the nine Rasas of ‘Natyashastra’. The programme would be presented through dance, drama, music, poetry and vocal renditions bringing out the different emotions based on various historical episodes of the history of CSMT building, Railways and the country,” said Lahoti.
Now a new sparkle of the theme lighting system at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus heritage building can be enjoyed. There has been a sea change in the technology used to light the iconic structure in the recent past. Upgraded versions of LED (RGB & W) lights are being used which would express the diversity of culture and tradition of the city. The technology of LED fittings which has more than a million combinations of lights has been used to illuminate the station building.
The 134-year-old Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) lit up with around 1100 lights. Out of these 1100, the brightness of over 450 lights has decreased due to ageing. All these 450 lights have been replaced with new technology LED lights.
“Navarasangam – ek gatha CSMT ki”, showcases the Indian cultural canvas by 70 artists who are Railway employees. The original audio track has also been created by a team of Railway artists. The production has been prepared after rigorous rehearsals and professional inputs from the fields of lights, music creation and studio recording. The artists would be performing under the aegis of the Central Railway Cultural Academy having inclusive participation from Headquarters, Divisions and Workshops.
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