‘Save this electric bit of rail history’

The power substation at Kurla. Pic/Rajendra Aklekar

Even as the railways gathers pace for electrification across the country, Indian Railway's oldest electric power substations at Kurla and Wadi Bunder that powered the first electric train and started it all, are rotting. In fact, the one at Kurla faces imminent demolition for a line expansion. In four years, Indian Railways will celebrate the centenary of electrification.

India's first electric train had run between Mumbai CSMT, (then called Bombay Victoria Terminus) and Kurla (then spelt Coorla) on the harbour line on February 3, 1925. The first Electric Multiple Unit local train service with 4-cars was flagged off by then Bombay Governor Sir Leslie Orme Wilson. The first motorman was Jahangir Framji Daruwala. Though the process of electrification of the railway was being considered since 1904, it was only in 1925 that the first electric railway train ran, delayed due to the First World War and subsequent developments.

The year of its construction on the wall of the substation at Kurla

Substation at Kurla could be demolished

Power for electrified services was supplied by Tata group of Hydro-Electric Co and the first substations, which still remain in place, were at Wadi Bunder and Kurla. The old Direct Current substation at Kurla station is close to the new line expansion and is under imminent threat of being demolished for the elevated harbour line corridor that is being built to make way for the 5th and 6th lines.

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"This was the first passenger railway to be electrified on Indian Railways. The power had been purchased from Tata-Hydroelectric group. It is part of our history. This line served as a model for the rest of the country. It paved the way for massive development. The power substations deserve to be honoured instead of neglected," Mumbai city chronicler Kunal Tripathi, who runs the popular social media account Mumbai Heritage, said.

A crowd awaits the first electric train at Kurla

‘It began in Mumbai'

"Electric traction in India began in Mumbai and CR was the first zone of Indian Railways to commence electric operations in Asia. These substations were the heart and soul that helped run the first Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains, Kurla traction substation being a very pivotal and critical one. They cannot be destroyed like this. The Central Railway should take the initiative and do something to restore them," another enthusiast, Vijay Aravamudhan, said.

"The DC traction substations at Kurla and Wadi Bunder have a story to tell residents of Mumbai city, as to how they contributed to the overall progress and development of the financial capital of India. Once housing a rare electrical machine converting Alternating Current (AC) to Direct Current (DC), and inversely also inverting DC to AC, the historic 1,500 V DC traction substations at Kurla and Wadi Bunder have witnessed various power converters before they were permanently switched off in April 2016. The structure of these historic substations is large. If one observes carefully, there are four large diameter fans located on each of the substation's roofs for cooling. On the entire Indian Railways (except Kolkata Metro), these structures are the surviving proof of indoor type substations," rail fan Kaushik Dharwadkar said.

Central Railway has assured them that they will see what could be done to save the substations. Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said, "We will explore the best possible that can be done."

The first electric train

The inaugural electric train at Victoria Terminus

The inaugural function was held on platform 2 of Victoria Terminus and Sir Leslie Orme Wilson and Lady Wilson were received by little Miss Idina Powell, the daughter of Mr Powell, head trial driver from Parel's mechanical department. The line was thrown open after Sir Wilson signalled the power substation at Wadi Bunder to throw the conductor wire into circuit to commence the public service.