Rail museum in Lonavala mooted

Did you know that the first train, which ran on April 16, 1853, between Bori Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) to Tannah (now Thane), had 14 bogies with 400 passengers and had to  be pulled by three engines named Sindh, Sultan and Sahil?

For historians, or those interested in heritage artifacts, this could be a known fact. But for the GenNext, railways is planning to bring interesting facts, figures, data, state-of-the-art engines, etc under one roof. Sprawling over 17 acres, running parallel to railway tracks at Lonavala, Central Railway (CR) has proposed a regional rail museum which will be  catering to the entire western region.

“This is an ideal position, just atop Borghat, which is one of the difficult ghats to climb. After the location was identified, we floated tenders for international consultants who will be suggesting things we can collect for the museum,” said Rajesh Agrawal, executive director (heritage), Railway Board.

Unfortunately, the proposed museum has been stuck in various bureaucratic hurdles since the last decade. CR is also keen on public participation wherein people can contribute photographs and other information which can also be displayed in the museum. Also, contributions from those who have heard stories from their grandparents about the way the railways functioned earlier, are also invited.

“The museum, which will have direct connectivity from Lonavala station, will also have a joy train ride within the premise. Estimated at around Rs1,160 crore, this museum is likely to be commissioned within the next two years,” Agrawal told DNA.
 k_shwetaa@dnaindia.net