Many know about that first rail route that was established between Bombay and Tannah in 1853. That date is etched in history: 16th April 1853. Stretching 21 miles (34 km), it was a new connector, that would facilitate the quick conveyance of goods and public across distances. By connecting that first stretch from Tannah, it paved way for the eventual extension to Nasik, and Poona, the latter via the Campoolie (Khopoli) branch line, which diverged from Callian (Kalyan). It was via this line, that the railway at Bombay extended south ward.
However a much less known fact is that when the railways opened back in 1853, just before reaching Sion on the way to Tannah, a single track veered left from the double line to Tannah. This track went on till the sea in the west, and was GIP Railway's first branch line: The Mahim branch line.
The Branch was opened to regular traffic on 18th April 1853 simultaneously with the entire Tannah line. It was around 3 km long, and diverged from the main line near Sion. Orders for its construction were issued by the court of directors shortly after October 1851. By October 1852, as the Bombay Times reported, the Branch line was in the course of completion. Construction of the Mahim station, among others was to be done simultaneously. This station was the OG Mahim station of the GIPR, and was situated near the Customs House at Mahim, close to the Mahim Fort (check the above map, at the left corner, reading Mahim). This station would continue in service until June 1869.
On 8th April 1853, the front page of Bombay Times (later renamed as The Times of India) carried a long advertisement titled in bold:
THE GREAT INDIAN PENINSULA RAILWAY
OPENING FOR PASSENGER TRAFFIC.
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It listed the the departure and arrival times of trains running on the new route. The last two tables informed the reader about the services to and from Mahim. From there we come to know that there were two daily services. The first train departed from Bombay Bori Bunder at 8 am, stopped at Byculla by 8:18, and finally reached Mahim at 8:40. It then began its return trip by 9:20, reaching the Bori bunder terminus by 10 am. The last train started from Bombay at 5 pm, reached Mahim in 40 mins, started it return trip by 6, finally reaching back at 6:40. The first class fare to Mahim was Rs.1, while the third class fare was 2 Anna (16 Anna=1 Rs). I'll link to the original advertisement at the bottom.
The railway undertook its first inspection special on 18th November 1852, between the Sepoy Line (Near today's Masjid Bunder) and Parseek Point (under Parsik Hill). It was joined by railway officials, engineers, and their friends. It was described vividly by the Bombay Times, where the article described the whole route, along with the journey. The Mahim branch received a brief mention. The newspaper commented that while It was back then "an unimportant fishing village, but [it was] likely to be transformed by the railway into a port of importance." The paper reported the branch line as just having been completed.
The Branch opened along with the main line on Monday, 18th April 1853, when regular passenger service commenced on the newly inaugurated line. Where the tracks diverged toward Mahim, there was junction
Let's travel 11 yrs forward. The date was 6th April 1864, around 9:30 in the morning . A passenger train from Mahim was on its ways towards Bori Bunder, and minutes away from Dadar station. The train, composed of third class coaches, composite rakes, among others, and a guard car at the back. The frontal third class coaches were empty, left for accommodation by passengers from Dadar. The train was in the process of crossing the up track on its way to the down track to Bombay, when tragedy struck.
Around this time, several reclamation projects were in progress to make land where earlier was the sea. Several ballast trains would be run, and by several companies, on the same railway lines. In fact there used to run about seventeen or eighteen such ballast trains.
The Mahim Dadar junction was a dangerous one. For instance, the semaphore signals were situated quite close to the junction itself, rather than farther way. Secondly, there would be the regular happenstance of a ballast train of Messrs. Nicol & co. running within just some time of the Mahim passenger train. The latter train would depart Mahim at 9:30, and about every day would come across this ballast train, and the line clearance between them would just be a harrowing 20-60 yards (18-65 m). The down tracks (toward Tannah) were situation west, and the up tracks (to Bori Bunder) were at its east. A train entering the up main line from the Mahim branch would therefore have to cross the down tracks first, before entering the up line.
On this eventful day of April 1864, it wasn't to be that regular pass with the ballast train waiting just before the junction to give the passenger train clearance. The passenger train, with its eighteen coaches carrying around 1000 passengers, was in the process of leaving the branch, and crossing that down track, when the ballast train, this time tender first, collided into the third class carriages just before the locomotive of the passenger train, and reduced the first few coaches to a wreck.
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| Article from The Bombay Gazette, 7 April 1864 |
Although the trains were travelling at low speeds, the damage was profound. Immediately after hitting the first coaches, the ballast train engine derailed, and damaged. The tracks near the site were torn up. Other damage included 5-6 ballast wagons, and the brake van, 3-4 third and second class carriages, as well as a composite coach: most of which were smashed or destroyed. Four Indians 'natives' were seriously hurt. Two were carried on a stretcher. The injured would be admitted at the Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy Hospital. Over the days, two would be reported serious, and one would unfortunately prove to be a fatality in this accident.
Immediately after the news arrived, the principal officers of the Traffic and Locomotive departments rushed to the site, accompanied by the best medical assistance available. The Down train to Ponna, was stopped and Dadar, and returned reverse to Byculla, now carrying the passengers and the injured.
The newspapers over the next days would extensively cover the incident in long articles coverages of the official enquiries, and even correspondences from the general public. While some would write accounts, other would give suggestions (such as using a chain linked system between the engine and guard wagon at the end to enable driver-guard communication), and one would end up into a duel between an 'Englishman' and 'A Voice from a Corner': as to whether it was prudent to have native staff on the line itself!
The blame initially fell on the Engine Driver of the Ballast train, Thomas Duffin. Many argued that he was responsible for stopping the train before the signal at the junction, and that this instance he had been negligent in doing so. His train would be stopped before the junction everyday, and so he could have been habituated. His testimony was heard on the 21st April. He claimed to have seen the unlowered signal, and immediately applied his brakes. He signalled his guard to apply the brakes on his side, but judged that the guard hadn't done so (in contradiction to the previous testimony of the guard). He then argued his obligations in the situation, pointing to the regulations, and that he had done what he could in the situation, driving a heavy ballast train. He also claimed that the train had just stopped before the collision, and it was infact the Mahim train that crashed into his, rather than the other way around.
Eventually the charges on the driver were dropped, and it was reported on 25th April that the railway had given up their intention to charge the driver. Out of this enqiury, the railway was advised to improve the marks of communication between the driver and the guard, and also to place another semaphore signal on the Bombay side, at a sufficient distance.
In November of the same year, the Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway (BB&CIR) entered Bombay, and established a somewhat direct rail connection between Bombay and Ahmedabad. Interestingly, the route of this railway (which coincides with today's Western line) might have passed over the route of the GIP Railway, perhaps creating the need of another junction of some sort.
Service on the line continued till the end of the decade. Now, it was time for Mahim branch line to close for good. The railway announced the closure, in the Bombay Gazette of 27th May 1869. The section was to close forever from the 1st of June, and several trains on the main line too were rescheduled.
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| The notices: Bombay Gazette, 27th May 1869 |
Services on the line were concluded on the 1st June 1869. Native and European passengers, who used the line for so long, presented a short address to honour the station master of the erstwhile Mahim station, Vishnu Narayan, who worked with extreme civility and zeal, for the previous 12 years. Eventually, the Mahim service was replaced by a Bandora (Bandra) service run by the BB&CIR upto the Bori Bunder station of the GIPR. In fact, on 6th June, the Portuguese Community at Bandra held a mass on account of this very act of the BB&CIR.
Well, today there lie two Mahim stations, one each on the Central and Western lines. While these remain busy stations, the original Mahim station has been quite forgotten. But I'm sure you'll agree, that despite it having been presumably lost to the annals of history, it gives to us a rather amusing and interesting tale; of that old Branch line to Mahim.
Thanks for the scroll!
Credit for all Newspaper articles: The Asiatic Society of Mumbai
P.S This article contains some of my recently found research from 2023!
Further Reading:
- A journey along the Mahim Branch Line in 1853: An imagining
