- Year
- 1925
- Period
- Beginning of Railway Electrification
- Importance
- The service marked India's transition from complete dependence on steam traction toward electric railway technology, laying the foundation for today's highly electrified network.
A major technological transformation began on 3 February 1925 when India's first electric train operated between Bombay Victoria Terminus, now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and Kurla.
The introduction of electric traction offered several advantages compared with steam locomotives, particularly for busy suburban services. Electric trains could accelerate more quickly and were well suited to frequent services in densely populated urban areas.
Electrification initially expanded gradually, but electric traction eventually became one of the most important pillars of Indian Railways.
A century later, electric locomotives and electric multiple-unit trainsets operate across almost the entire broad-gauge railway network.
The 1925 journey therefore represents the beginning of one of the most significant technological transitions in Indian railway history.