In which of the following years was the first Railway line between Bombay and Thane laid ?

The first passenger railway line in India was laid between Bombay (now Mumbai) and Thane in 1853. The inaugural journey took place on April 16, 1853, when a train operated by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) departed from Bori Bunder for Thane [2][t2]. The train consisted of 14 carriages hauled by three steam locomotives named Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan, carrying approximately 400 passengers over a distance of 21 miles (34 km) [t5][t9][t10]. This event marked the beginning of the Railway Age in India and Asia, significantly impacting the colonial economy by facilitating the movement of goods like cotton to ports for shipment to England [c2][c4]. Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General at the time, was a key proponent of this expansion to consolidate British administrative and commercial control over the subcontinent [t8].

Sources

1. [1] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 5: Period of Radicalism in Anti-imperialist Struggles > 5.6 Industrial Development in India > p. 68
2. [2] INDIA PEOPLE AND ECONOMY, TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 7: Transport and Communication > Rail Transport > p. 79