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Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday marked the anniversary of the first passenger train in India by sharing an image of the historic Thane railway bridge and an early train.

The first passenger train in the country travelled between Bori Bunder (Mumbai) and Thane on April 16, 1853.

Vaishnaw shared on X a collage image of the old train on the Thane bridge and an Amrit Bharat Express train with the caption “Journey continues…”

An official release issued by the Central Railway said, “An authentic archival image of the Thane railway bridge and an early train has been shared to mark 173 years of Indian Railways, ensuring that the historical narrative is aligned with verified records.”

Journey continues… pic.twitter.com/aLI5HyCqn5

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) April 16, 2026

Historians note that archival accuracy has long been a challenge with several misattributed or stylised images frequently doing the rounds in public discourse.

Author and historian Rajendra Aklekar said the earlier picture in circulation of a train on the bridge was not the actual bridge as per the records.

“The earlier picture in circulation of a train on the bridge was not the actual bridge as per the records. The minister`s use of the authenticated image has corrected years of wrong narrative and finally set the record straight. This will go a long way in documenting the 173-year-old history of Indian Railways,” he said.

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