CST to be home to rly’s heritage museum

Asia’s first passenger train was flagged off from Mumbai in 1853. India’s first electric railway line was laid here in 1925 and ran up to Kurla, Rajendra Aklekar reports

Asia’s first passenger train was flagged off from Mumbai in 1853. India’s first electric railway line was laid here in 1925 and ran up to Kurla.

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From creating history, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) is going to document the history of the Indian Railways starting August 15.

The World Heritage site will house a rail museum, which will be open to the public from this Independence Day.

“CST has a very important place in the history of Indian Railways and it is high time that we have a museum glorifying how it evolved, at the place where it all began,” said a senior official working on the project, requesting anonymity as she is not authorised to speak to the media.

“It will be a befitting tribute to the magnificent CST building.”

The museum will not be just about old things and memorabilia, but also have on display a model of the new-age violet trains that have recently joined the fleet of suburban trains. “It will be sort of a kal, aaj and kal theme,” the official said. “We are trying to make it educational.”

The Central Railway is also planning a 12-acre garden museum at Lonavla. “There are plans to preserve real, working locomotives and station relics at Lonavla. The plans have been finalised,” another official said.