This train had four coaches.
Mumbai: Earlier, coal-powered engine trains used to run here. Then came the era of diesel engines. Now, electric engines have started running. But do you know where and when the first electric train in the country ran? If you don’t know, let us tell you.
The first electric train in the country ran in then Bombay. It was exactly 100 years ago today, on February 3, 1925, the first electric train ran in India. It was not only the first electric train in India but also in Asia. This train was operated between Bombay Victoria Terminal (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal) and Kurla Harbour. This train was electrified at 1500 volts DC (direct current).
Sir Leslie Wilson, the then Governor of Bombay Presidency, flagged off the train with a green flag. This train running on the Harbour Line had a total of four coaches, including a motor coach and a trailer coach. It was an Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) train.
On February 3, 1925, at exactly 10 AM, the train was flagged off from platform number two of Victoria Terminus railway station. The driver or motorman of this inaugural journey of the EMU was Jehangir Framji Daruwala, who became the first motorman of Indian Railways.
A senior railway official explains that earlier, the era of steam engines existed in the country. These engines ran on coal. To generate steam, water had to be filled in the engine every 10-15 km. The coal would run out in about 100 km. Then the engine had to be detached from the train and another engine had to be attached. When the electric EMU came, all these hassles ended. This reduced delays, increased reliability, and also lowered the operational cost of the railways.
