Thane, April 16 : People thronged in large numbers here on Saturday to cut a cake and chant “Happy Birthday” to mark the 169th year of operations of the Mumbai-Thane train which first ran in April 1853. This was also the first train to run on the Indian sub-continent. It plied from Bori Bunder in Mumbai to Thane. The annual birthday celebrations could not take place two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 14-carriage train carried 400 guests and covered a distance of 34 km. Several programmes were organized in and around the Thane railway station. Thane MLA Sanjay Kelkar and city BJP President Niranjan Davkhare cut a cake near the first engine has been installed near the Thane railway station. Those present sang Happy Birthday. XR NV MR