It was in 1870, March 8; the rail connection from Mumbai to Kolkata via Jabalpur was made amidst a huge gathering.  The inauguration was attended by the who’s who of those days. The Duke of Edinburgh, the British Viceroy Lord Mayo, Governor of Bombay, and the Maharajahs were present at the ceremony.

A special silver key was cast and kept ready to be hammered into the rail, signalling the line was finally ready. The viceroy struck the silver key with the silver-plated hammer connecting the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) with the East Indian Railway (EIR). The Duke gave it an extra royal tap. With this Bombay had finally been connected to Calcutta.