PREVIOUSLY ASKED IN:
PSC Miscellaneous Prelims 2018
Answer
Bombay VT and Kurla
Explanation
The first electric passenger train in India ran on February 3, 1925. It operated on the Harbour Line between Bombay Victoria Terminus (VT, now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus - CSMT) and Kurla. This historic service was inaugurated under the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR). The traction system used was 1500 Volts Direct Current (DC).
Key Points
- > The first electric train ran on February 3, 1925.
- > Route: Bombay VT (Victoria Terminus) to Kurla.
- > The first-ever passenger train in India ran in 1853 (Bombay to Thane).
- > The first Metro rail in India started in Kolkata in 1984.
- > The Indian Railways was nationalized in the year 1951.
- > The longest train route in India currently is the Vivek Express (Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari).
Additional Information
Historical Milestones of Indian Railways
| First Event | Context/Era | Route/Location | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Passenger Train | Lord Dalhousie | Bombay to Thane (34 km) | 1853 |
| First Electric Train | British Era | Bombay VT to Kurla | 1925 |
| First Metro Rail | Indira Gandhi Era | Esplanade to Bhowanipore (Kolkata) | 1984 |
| First Vande Bharat Express | Modi Era | Delhi to Varanasi | 2019 |
Memory Tips
- Bombay rules the tracks: Both the very first passenger train (1853) and the first electric train (1925) originated in Bombay.