Central Railway (CR), the successor to the Great Indian Peninsula (GIP) Railway, celebrated 73 years of its formation and begins its 74th year on Tuesday. The first train in Asia, which ran between Mumbai and Thane on April 16, 1853, marked the beginning of railway history in India. Over the years, the GIP Railway expanded significantly, merging with the Indian Midland Railway Company in 1900, extending its reach from Delhi in the north to Kanpur and Allahabad in central India, Nagpur in the east, and Raichur in the southeast, connecting Bombay to nearly all parts of India. At its peak, the GIP Railway covered a route mileage of 1,600 miles (2,575 km).

On November 5, 1951, CR was established by integrating the Nizam State, Scindia State, and Dholpur State Railways with the GIP Railway. In 2003, CR reorganised its eight divisions into five, creating seven additional zones. As a result, Jabalpur and Bhopal Divisions were incorporated into West Central Railway, and Jhansi Division joined North Central Railway. Today, CR consists of five divisions: Mumbai, Bhusaval, Nagpur, Solapur, and Pune, with a network spanning 4,219 route km across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka, serving a total of 492 stations.