New Delhi: The colonial rule of the British Empire in India was a period of great hardship of the country. The British Raj drained India of its wealth, reducing the people of this country to immense poverty. However, the British also did some good things which improved the infrastructure of the nation, with the establishment of the railways being one of the foremost benefits of their rule. In this article, we will take a look at the journey of the trains from steam to electric as this February 3 marks the 100 years of the electrification of Indian Railways.
Indian Railways: From steam to electrification, a journey
The first railway tracks in India
In 1832, the proposal came up to construct the first railway line in India at Madras and three years later, a railway track was constructed between Red Hills and Chintadripet in Madras. In 1837, the track became operational and a rotary steam engine imported from England ran on it, ferrying granite.
The development of railway lines in India
In 1845, the Madras Railway was founded and the expansion of the railway tracks in India began at a rapid pace. The year 1853 was a landmark moment in the history of railways in India as it was then that the first passenger train operated between Mumbai and Thane, covering a distance of 34 kilometres and its 14 carriages carried 400 people. At the same time, the Indian Railways was also formed and it marked a new era in the annals of modern India.
The first railway bridges were Thane viaducts built over the Thane creek. The first passenger train in Eastern Indian ran in August 1854 between Howrah to Hoogly in West Bengal. There were trams in certain parts of India which were drawn by horse and the Guaranteed State Railway of the Nizam was established in 1879. In 1897, Jodhpur Railway got the first lighting inside passenger coaches. Back then, the trains in India used to run on coal and steam, and it was a great hazard to operate them. Also, the steam engines contributed to immense pollution.
The electrification of the Indian Railways
By the turn of the 20th century, railway tracks had covered almost all the major regions in India. With the development of technologies, electricity had become an important part of the everyday of human beings. In India, the first railway budget was presented in 1924.
It was on February 3, 1925, that the Indian Railways witnessed history in the truest sense. On that day, the first electric train ran between Mumbai and Kurla. The train was hauled by a SLM electric locomotive on DC traction. In the same year, Mumbai got its first Electric Multiple Units (EMU). In 1931, the suburban railway in Chennai began to operate from Chennai Beach to Tambaram. By 1950, after India had gained Independence, there were about 42 different railway companies operating about 55,000 km tracks in the country.
This article commemorates the centennial of Indian Railways’ electrification, tracing its evolution from steam-powered locomotives to modern electric trains. It highlights the initial railway lines in Madras, the expansion across India, and the pivotal moment of electrification. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
