The Great Indian Peninsula Railway, the first passenger train in India and Asia, ran for the first time on April 16, 1853, between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) and Thane with 400 passengers. The following year, in 1854, the railway line was extended to Kalyan Railway Station. In 1855, Kalyan was extended to Washind in the north and Palasdari Railway Station in the south. Due to this expansion, Kalyan became the first junction on the railway line.
1878 is also an important year in the history of railways as the foundation stone of the Victoria Terminus (present Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) was laid, thus marking its construction. It was completed in 1887. The Victoria Terminus Station was the first railway terminus building in the sub-continent and the first in Asia too. In 1888, three stations – Curry Road, Kurla and Mahalakshmi Railway Stations came into existence, thus completing the Victoria Terminus Line.
On February 3, 1925, the first electric local train with six coaches ran on the Harbour Line from Victoria Terminus to Kurla. The long-distance Mail Express started in 1929. The Vashi Khadi Bridge came into existence in 1990 and the Mumbai local train reached Panvel directly from the Harbour Line. Today, the railway has become the lifeline of Mumbai.
Under the State Restructuring Act of 1956, the Bombay State Police was divided into Gujarat Police, Mysore Police (now Karnataka Police) and Maharashtra Police. The State of Maharashtra was established on May 1, 1960. The heritage of the railways is the origin of Mumbai. In a short time, Mumbai came to be known as an industrial city as various industries flourished in it.
Over time, Mumbai also expanded in size. The huge increase in the population of Mumbai and the daily increase in the number of passengers in the railway sector became a social nuisance. The safety of railway passengers and their property was threatened. Crime rate increased. Smuggling, alcohol/drug trafficking increased, law and order issues began to crop up. There was an urgent need for the creation of the Railway Police (GRP – Government Railway Police – operational in the railway area) under the Maharashtra Police. CSMT (then Bori Bunder) is in the jurisdiction of the present Mumbai Railway. Bori Bunder, Dadar, Kurla, Mumbai Central, Bandra and Palghar were the six police stations functioning under the jurisdiction of the Pune Railway Police District before 1981. The former name of Pune Railway Police District was Central South Western Railway. It was established in 1938.
Central South Western Railway District was divided on May 1, 1981, thus uncoupling the Pune and Mumbai Railway Police Districts. Mr Vishwas Kale was the first Superintendent of Police of the Independent Mumbai Railway Police District. Borivali Railway Police Station was established in 1985, and Vasai Road in 1990. On October 2, 1999, Mumbai Railway Police District was converted into Mumbai Railway Police Commissionerate.
Thane, Dombivali, Kalyan and Karjat Railway Police Stations, under the jurisdiction of Pune Railway Police District, were shifted to the Mumbai Railway Police Commissionerate. The first Commissioner of Police of Mumbai Railway Police Commissionerate was Shri. SM Mushrif (IPS).
In 2000, Wadala, Vashi and Panvel Police Stations were established on the Harbour Line, and the Churchgate and Andheri Police Stations were established on the Western Railway Line.
In 2007, the rank of Commissioner of Police was upgraded to Special Inspector General of Police.
The Mumbai Railway Police jurisdiction on Central Railway is CSMT, with stations from Kasara to Khopoli, CSMT Haier Marg to Panvel. The Churchgate to Bordi Road Railway Stations are part of the Western Railway Line. Mumbai City Suburbs, Thane City/Rural, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Palghar falls under the Mumbai Railway Police jurisdiction. The Mumbai Railway Police Commissionerate has two Central and Western Circles of Deputy Commissioners of Police, five Divisional Commissioners or Assistant Commissioners of Police (CSMT, Kalyan, Harbour, Bandra, Vasai Division) and 17 Railway Police Stations.
The Mumbai Railway Police is always on the lookout for passenger safety as they travel along Mumbai’s lifeline.
