Google Doodle marks 160 years of India's first passenger train

The Google Doodle today celebrates 160 years of India's first passenger train which moved out of Bori Bunder, in Bombay (now Mumbai), en route its destination 34 kilometres away, Thane. The first passenger train line began working on 16 April, 1853.Google Doodle shows shows a steam locomotive pulling a passenger train on a railway track with palm trees around it.While the train between Bombay and Thane was the first official passenger train, the first rail line in India was set up near Chintadripet Bridge in Chennai.[caption id="attachment_702178" align="alignleft" width="380"] Screengrab.[/caption]As far as the 1853 journey is concerned, three steam locomotives, Sultan, Sindh and Sahib, took 400 invited passengers in 14 carriages on a 57 minute journey that had one stop. This was soon followed by the opening of the first passenger railway line in North India between Allahabad and Kanpur on 3 March, 1859.Lord Dalhousie was the governor-General who deserves credit for ensuring that railway lines began in India. He also encouraged private enterprise to develop railways in India.