Thane railway station was the terminus for the first ever passenger train in India. On 16 April 1853, the first passenger train service was inaugurated from (now renamed
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus),
Mumbai to
Thane. Covering a distance of , it was hauled by three locomotives: Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan, and carried around 400 passengers.
The First Trial Train Journey About five months before this inaugural journey, a trial run was conducted from near Bori Bunder to the Parsick (Parsik) Point in Tannah (now Thane). This journey started on the noon of 18 November 1852, soon after 12 p.m., with the Directors, Engineers of the
GIP Railway (the company that built the line), along with their friends.The train was pulled by Bombay's first steam locomotive,
Lord Falkland, with temporarily arranged 'trucks' as rail carriages, since the three Locomotives and the coaches for the company had not yet been made ready (since they arrived just two months earlier, in September 1852). The party planned to reach their destination at Parsik Point at about 1 p.m., have a meal inside the 100 yard tunnel, and return to Bombay by sunset
. The Official Journey The first official journey was in April 1853. The 14 coach train, carrying 400 passengers, began its journey at the
Bori Bunder Station. There was a large celebration with a decorated platform and a band. At Thane, revelers crowded along the tracks for over a mile. On arrival, the passengers were welcomed by large erected tents. Among the speakers at the event was the Chief Engineer of the GIP Railway, James J. Berkeley. In his speech, he mentioned the work of the native laborers, saying they exceeded expectations, and also lauded the commanding officers of the native troops. == Gallery ==