The journey of railways in India started with a run from Bombay (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai) to Tannah (now Thane), a distance of 33 kms on 16th April 1853 by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. The day was declared a public holiday. Bori Bunder, the point of departure was thronged by a multitude, and bands played and guns were fired from the Fort’s ramparts, when at the signalled moment, there steamed out from a tiny wooden station, the little train hauled by three engines that heralded the dawn of the Railway Era in India.
As the years passed, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway expanded. With merger of the Indian Midland Railway Company with the G.I.P. Railway Company in 1900, its frontiers were extended from Delhi in the North, Kanpur and Allahabad in the North-east and Nagpur in the East to Raichur in the South-east. Thus, through connection from Bombay was obtained to almost all parts of India. The route mileage of the G.I.P. Railway was 1,600. (2575 km)
On 5th November 1951, Central Railway was formed by integrating Nizam State, Scindia State and Dholpur State Railways, with GIP Railway. In October 1966, one more railway viz. South Central Railway was formed by merging Solapur Division from CR and Secunderabad, Hubli, Vijayawada Divisions from SR. On 2nd October 1977, Solapur Division was merged with CR and Guntakal Division from SR was included in South Central Railway.
Later in 2003, seven more zones were created wherein, Jabalpur and Bhopal Divisions of Central Railway were included in West Central Railway and Jhansi Division was included in North Central Railway.
Central Railway has come a long way since then and now it has a vast network of 4,189 route kms traversing through the states of Maharashtra, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. It has 5 Divisions viz. Mumbai, Bhusaval, Nagpur, Solapur and Pune with a network of 466 stations runs average 600 mail/express/passenger trains daily.
Updated 23.7.2022
Central_Railway 