The first train in Asia (and India) which ran between Mumbai and Thane on April 16, 1853 was flagged off from Boribunder (the place where CSMT presently stands). Photos/Central Railway
On November 5, 1951, Central Railway was formed by integrating Nizam State, Scindia State and Dholpur State Railways. Presently Central Railway with its 5 divisions i.e. Mumbai, Bhusaval, Nagpur, Solapur and Pune has a network over 4,219 route km in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. CR serves these states through 471 stations
On February 10, 2023, the Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister, from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the same place from where the first train in Asia departed. It is a perfect confluence of heritage and development. From the first train in April 1853 to the most modern train of India, Railways have successfully expanded its network to the huge area in last 170 years. It has definitely come a long way with some of the oldest trains like Punjab Mail are still popular among its passengers even after 100 years
Central Railway is also at the forefront with achievement of many firsts. Some notable achievements among them are: first Shatabdi Express, first Jan Shatabdi Express, first Tejas Express to name a few. Running the first electric train service in India between Bombay VT and Kurla Harbour on Feb 3, 1925 laid the foundation of Electrification of Railways and Mumbai's suburban services which today have become the lifeline of Mumbai city
Today, Central Railway has achieved 100% electrification and the suburban network has also steadily increased. Presently Central Railway has five suburban corridors. The suburban services which started from 3 coaches have gradually increased to 9 coaches, 12 coaches and some services with 15 coaches. AC suburban services have also been introduced to make travel more convenient and comfortable
The Neral-Matheran Light Railway has also completed its glorious 116 years. The Neral-Matheran railway construction started in 1904 and the two feet gauge line finally opened to traffic in 1907. From 1853 to the present, Central Railway has always been and will always strive to be the pioneer in providing the best services and is committed to providing a safe, comfortable and convenient journey to its esteemed passengers.
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