Thane roadwork unearths British-era railway track that was used to ferry salt
THANE: Ongoing road construction in Kopri has unearthed a British-era railway track that was used to ferry salt produced near Chendani Koliwada. The line, which came up sometime between the 1870s and 1880s as part of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, connected Thane to Mithbandar.
R Jawalkar, a deputy engineer with the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), said the track was found while digging on Wednesday. “As the track belongs to Indian Railways, we have halted our work and written to Central Railway (CR),” he said.
The track, which is more than 130 years old, was constructed with iron sleepers beneath it, later replaced with wood and then concrete.
Locals said the track was operational up until the 1970s and two decades later, got buried underneath roads laid for a developing area and rising population.
Suresh Shinde, 53, who lives in Kopri, said he remembered trains carrying salt from Mithbandar to Thane during his childhood. “After the salt pans were closed, trains were also halted. But the tracks were visible up until the 90s,” he said. Prashant Sinnkar, 42, another local from Kopri, said these tracks may have been built just after the first railway line in the country was laid from Bori Bunder to Thane in 1853. “Salt was transported from Mithbandar, which was a big jetty, to Mumbai by rail,” he said. “I remember seeing two platforms and another track too.”
Manish Thanekar, 40, from Chendani Koliwada, said, “We used to play on these tracks as children near Mangala School in Kopri.”
AK Jain, senior public relations officer for CR, acknowledged receiving TMC’S letter. “Railway officials will inspect these tracks and come to a decision,” he said.