Charni Road railway station
 Charni Road | |||||||||||
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| Mumbai Suburban Railway station | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 18°57′06″N 72°49′07″E / 18.951565°N 72.818633°E | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Ministry of Railways, Indian Railways | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Western Line | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 4 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | Standard on-ground station | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Active | ||||||||||
| Station code | CYR | ||||||||||
| Fare zone | Western Railways | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 3 September 1868[1] | ||||||||||
| Electrified | Yes | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Churney Road, (station code: CYR)[2] is a railway station on the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. It serves the suburb of Charni Road. The next station south is Marine Lines Station; the next station north is Grant Road Station. Southbound fast locals stop at Charni Road but skip the station during the evening peak hours (17:00 to 20:00). The main significance of Charni Road station is that it is near the Girgaum Chowpatty beach and Marine Drive promenade, a major destination for tourists in Mumbai. It is also important because of the diamond trading industry located here, mainly in the Panchratna and Prasad chambers building near the railway station.
History
[edit]The word 'Charni' is derived from the Marathi word 'Charne' (to graze), as the area was once used as a grazing ground for cattle and horses.[3] In 1838, the British rulers introduced a 'grazing fee' which several cattle-owners could not afford. Therefore, Sir Jamshetji Jeejeebhoy spent ₹20,000 from his own purse for purchasing some grasslands near the seafront at Thakurdwar and saw that the starving cattle grazed without a fee in that area.[4] In time the area became known as "Charni" meaning grazing. When a railway station on the BB&CI railway was constructed there it was called Charni Road. Another theory is that it derives its name from an Oart named 'Charni'.
The BB&CI suburban line from Back Bay to Virar opened on 1867.[5] The station was itself opened on 3rd September 1868.[6] Passenger traffic on the station increased by 1890, and a local newspaper, The Gujarati reported that as there was just one booking office for both the Up and Down passengers, it would frequently happen that some passengers would not be able to get their tickets in time, and therefore unable to board their trains. It was suggested that an additional booking office be opened either on the town line, or somewhere in Bhuleshwar.[7]
Surroundings
[edit]Today Charni road is well known for its old charm Chawls, wholesale markets of diamonds (Opera House), garments, Irani cafés traditional Maharashtrian culture (Girgaon) and also tall skyscrapers. It is not only famous for skyscrapers and Chowpatty but also attracts crowds because of the religious places built in it (Mumbadevi temple) and also the famous celebration of Gudipadva and Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Girgaon. Also the famous Hinduja College of commerce and economics have been set up by Hinduja group in 1974.
For information about the area, see Charni Road.
Gallery
[edit]-
Charni Rd stationː Entrance to Platform 1 -
Charni Rd stationː Platform view, looking toward Churchgate -
Northward view of Charni Rd station from FoB -
Charni Rd station -
Charni Rd platform board -
Local Train entering Charni Rd Platform 1
References
[edit]- ^ Jhingron, A.K (2009). Heritage, Traditions, and Legends. Western Railways. p. 210.
- ^ D'Cunha, Jose Gerson (1900). "IV The Portuguese Period". The Origins of Bombay (3 ed.). Bombay: Asian Educational Services. p. 212. ISBN 81-206-0815-1. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
- ^ "As recent demands in Mumbai show, battles over station names never seem to end". The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- ^ Aklekar, Rajendra (2014). Halt Station India : The Dramatic Tale of the Nation's First Rail Lines. Rupa Publications. p. 160. ISBN 978-81-291-3497-4.
- ^ Eastern Economist. Vol. 64. R.P. Agarwala. 1975. p. 170.
- ^ Jhingron, A.K (2009). Heritage, Traditions, and Legends. Western Railways. p. 210.
- ^ Rahul Mehrotra, Sharada Dwivedi (2000). Anchoring A City Line. Eminence Designs Pvt. Ltd. p. 41. ISBN 81-900602-4-4.
