Locals now up to Dahanu, line extended after 77 yrs

MUMBAI: Thousands of people turned up at all eight stations between Dahanu and Virar on Tuesday morning, cheering, dancing and beating drums, as Mumbai’s suburban rail network on the western line was extended to Dahanu on the 160th foundation day of the Indian Railways.

On April 16, 1853, India’s first passenger train had made its journey between Bori Bunder and Thane, a milestone featured on the Google doodle on Tuesday.

Union railway minister Pawankumar Bansal flagged off the first local from Dahanu to Churchgate, packed with excited commuters, at 10.47am. The 124-km distance was covered in three hours. This is the first time that the western line has been extended since 1936, when it was extended to Virar.

The expansion of the suburban network means faster commute for people travelling between Virar and Dahanu to Mumbai, who have had to depend on shuttle services or outstation trains. “Now we don’t have to wait and change trains,” said Gagan Yadav, an engineer from Dahanu.

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VIDYA SUBRAMANIAN/ HT The Churchgate-Dahanu service was inaugurated on Tuesday, the 160th anniversary of the Indian Railways.