Indian Railways, often described as the "transport lifeline of the nation", is the fourth largest railway network in the world. From suburbs to urban transit, the Indian rail network covers the length and breadth of the country. Notably, Indian Railways started the first passenger train on April 16, 1853, from Bori Bunder to Thane covering a distance of 34 km. It was operated by three locomotives, named Sahib, Sultan and Sindh, and had thirteen carriages. Since then, the day has been marked as the Indian Rail Transport Day.
According to Indian Railways, the formal inauguration ceremony was performed on April 16, 1853, when 14 railway carriages carrying about 400 guests left Bori Bunder at 3.30 pm "amidst the loud applause of a vast multitude and to the salute of 21 guns."
The Central Railway took to X to celebrate the occasion with an old photo and wrote, ''In 1853, exactly 171 years ago today, India marked a significant milestone in transportation history with the inaugural journey of the first train from Bori Bunder to Thane. This pivotal moment heralded a new era of connectivity that shaped the nation's future.''
The pic captures a scene from the early days of railways in India, featuring a train pulled by a single locomotive.
See the tweet here:
Since then, the largest public transporter, which is also one of the largest employers in the world has been serving the nation by carrying more than 2.3 crore railway passengers across all trains per day.
