stations on central railway(Harbour line)

Mankhurd

2009-03-30T04:11:00.000-07:00

Mankhurd is a suburb of Mumbai and last station on the central Railway(Harbour Line).
Unlike many of the railway stations in Mumbai, which have 'east' and 'west' sides, this station has a 'north' and 'south' side. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre(BARC) 's employee township Anushakti Nagar, Trombay,Naval Employee's and MandalaTownship are some nearby accessible places from the south side of the station. BEST(external link) buses are the main mode of tranport at the station. Metered and non-metered auto rickshaws are common sight outside the station.
The area is dirty due to the presence of a large number of slums. The surrounding region near the creek is covered by acres of mangrove swamps.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Govandi

2009-03-30T03:59:00.000-07:00

Govandi is the suburb of Mumbai . It is also a railway station on Central Railway's Harbour Line route.
Govandi has excellent infrastructure, with connectivity to Sion-Trombay Highway on the Eastern side. Deonar Village is adjacent to the Sion-Trombay Highway. The Telecom Factory road towards Deonar Village has modern housing complexes. The Indian Institute of Population Sciences is also located in the same vicinity. The lush green belt is also home to a few corporate houses such as Spanco BPO, Lakme, USV Ltd. etc.
Govandi (West), however, is in stark contrast to Govandi (East). Govandi (West) hosts India's (supposedly) largest abattoir. It is very dirty. Govandi (West), which also houses Deonar, has most government staff colonies. One of them is Teachers colony (for Municipal school teachers). Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has about 90% of staff quarters here. Govandi (West) also houses a few cottages and small scale industries. It also housed 600 Tenaments, with the New Deonar Municipal Colony having the biggest compound in Mumbai.
The notable landmark for Govandi (West) are the Deonar Municipal Colony, Deonar Slaughter house, Shivaji Nagar, Baigan Wadi, Tata Nagar and Hindustan Bialogicals.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Chembur

2009-03-29T04:13:00.000-07:00

Chembur is a suburban neighbourhood in the eastern Mumbai. The name Chembur is derived from the word “Chimboree” which means "Large Crab" in Marathi.
Chembur is serviced by the Harbour Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railways. Since the Sion-Panvel Highway passes through Chembur, it is an important transit point for people wanting to travel to Pune using the Mumbai-Pune Highway or the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. It is 22 km down Mumbai and 20 kms from Airport in Mumbai.

It was once upon a time known as “Gas Chamber of Mumbai” because of its close proximity to the garbage incinerators & big industries. The use of scientific methods has ensured the decline of pollution in the town to a large extent.
Chembur ranges from Thane Creek in East to Tansa Pipe Line No. 2 in West, from Somaiyya Nalla in North to Mahul Creek in South.
History
Prior to 1950, Chembur was an idle village. During those days, it used to be a favourite and proximate weekend picnic spot for the people from city.
Many parts of Chembur towards the north and east (present day Tilak Nagar, Chedda Nagar and Pestom Sagar) were submerged by backwaters during high tide. The Beggars Home was set up by the government on the Ghatkopar-Mahul road near Chembur Naka and the Home for Destitute Women on the Sion Trombay Road.
Chembur was not a part of the city until 1948-49 and later merged with the Bombay Municipal Corporation around 1949-50 and were from then it was called as the suburbs. Most of the social activity was around the Chembur Naka, Station Avenue, Central Avenue, Chembur Camp.
The first BEST(external link) bus service was introduced around mid- fifties. The two refineries, the Atomic Energy Establishment (BARC as it was called then), the Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers factory, Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the International Institute of Population Studies came up during 1954-60.
The construction by the Bombay Housing Board in Station Colony (Subash Nagar), the Shell Colony, and the Township Colony (Tilak Nagar) in 1955-58 transformed the area completely.
Geography
Chembur is split by the local railway line running from Kurla towards Vashi into Chembur (East) and Chembur (West).
Neighbouring suburbs: Kurla, Deonar, Mahul, Govandi
Arterial Roads: Eastern Express Highway
Bombay Presidency Golf Club at Dr Choitram Gidwani Road in Chembur(East) is one of the most prominent golf clubs in Mumbai, which also provides the biggest green cover for this eastern neighbourhood.
Demographics
The northern half of Chembur is residential and the southern half is industrial.
Old bungalows and villas in the northern half are making way for high-rise apartments. Like most of the suburbs in Mumbai, Chembur has a cosmopolitan population which is dominated by Maharashtrians, Sindhis and south Indian people.
Chembur has big colonies like Shell colony, Subhash nagar, RCF colony, Chembur colony and green spaces like Golfclub ground (big green spot ),Gandhi Maidan, Subhash nagar maidan, Annabhau Sathe garden, Diamond garden, Ambedkar udyan, Sandu garden.
Anushakti Nagar(staff quarters of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre(BARC) ), lies just near the eastern boundary of Chembur. The Chembur Catholic Colony is one of the oldest establishments in the area located next to the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School and Church.
Shopping and Entertainment
There are various factory outlets of renowned brands such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Fila, Woodland, Flying Machine, The LOOT etc. located on the Sion-Panvel highway near Atur park. The shops near Chembur station also provide good variety of clothes to the residents. Chembur has one of the best clubs - Acre's which has various recreational activities & sports and Chembur Gymkhana. Shoppers Stop near Tilaknagar, is one of the best multi-product stores in Chembur. Akbarally’s has one of their oldest stores near Chembur Naka.
Eateries
Jhama in Chembur Camp is very famous for its sweets. Also Sri Krishna, Satu's, Saroj, Ghasitaram, are also famous for its selected sweets. There are also outlets of food chains such Domino's, Smokin' Joes in Sion-Trombay Road.
Geeta Bhavan, Sadguru are the two well known old restaurants which are still patronized by all classes of people. High-end restaurants like Grand Central, Orchids, Ornaments, Celebrations, Blend and Brew etc have their presence in Chembur.
Cafe Coffee Day, Barista, Tastings, Naturals, Baskin-Robbins are the well-known outlets for young people to hang out with friends.
Colleges
Chembur Comprehensive College of Education
Mahatma College
Mahatma Education Society Night College of Commerce
Mahavir Education Trust's Shah & Ancher Kutchi Engineering College
N G Acharya & D K Marathe College of Arts, Science & Commerce
Sree Narayan Mandira Samiti's Commerce College
Swami Vivekanand College
Schools
General Education Academy
St. Sebastian's High School
Omkarananda Educational Foundation
Chembur Karnatak High School.
O.L.P.S. High School
Sri Narayan Guru High School
Swami Vivekananda High School
St. Anthony's Girls High School.
St. Gregorios High School
Saraswati Vidyalaya
Lokmanya Tilak High School
Modern English High School

Hospitals :-Maa Hospital

Centenary Hospital

Dispenseries :-

Subhash Nagar Dispensary

Mahul Dispensary

Lal Dongar Dispensary

Shanta Jog Dispensary

Labour Camp Dispensary

Ayodhya Nagar Dispensary

Cheeta Camp Dispensary

Deonar Colony Dispensary

Gavanpada Dispensary

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Lokmanya Tilak Terminus

2009-03-29T03:58:00.000-07:00

LokmayaTilakTerminus was earlier known as Kurla Terminus, as it is situated in Kurla. The Kurla and Tilak Nagar suburban railway stations are located nearby. In 1996, the Muncipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai approved a proposal to rename the station after Lokmanya Tilak and forwarded it to the Union Government through the State Government of Maharashtra. The Union Home Minister, Mr. Lal Krishna Advani, approved the proposal in 1999 at the request of Mr. Ram Naik, the Minister of State, Ministry of Railways. After the decision was announced, Mr. Gurudas Kamat, the Lok Sabha member from Mumbai North-East, met Mr. L K Advani and submitted a memorandum asking that the terminus be renamed after Babasaheb Ambedkar.
In 2003, the Central Railway decided to expand LTT to take on more rail traffic, as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus had reached its saturation point, and was unable to handle any more express trains. In 2006, the Mumbai division of Central Railway cleared the designs for construction of a swanky station complex to replace the dilapidated terminus complex. The new station complex design was prepared by the architect Mr. P K Das. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) also agreed to construct a ramp from LTT to the flyover to be built nearby, as part of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Tilak Nagar

2009-03-29T03:49:00.000-07:00

Tilak Nagar is a residential colony in suburban Mumbai. It is a calm and quiet locality with ample open spaces. The colony is surrounded by Shell Colony to the south, Vidyavihar to the north, Pestom Nagar to its east and Kurla to its west. It was formerly known as "Township colony".
It was planned and built in the sixties for the lower middle class people mainly comprising of chawls. The colony is now getting a facelift as the chawls are being replaced with residential high-rises under redevelopment scheme. There is also commercial development increased in the colony over the last decade.
The colony is serviced by the Harbour line of the Central Railway via the Tilak Nagar station. The stations of Vidyavihar and Chembur are also in close proximity. The access to Lokmanya Tilak terminus (Kurla Terminus) is also via Tilak Nagar station. It has a lavish gardens and playgrounds.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Chunabhatti

2009-03-29T03:42:00.000-07:00

Chunabhatti is a suburb of Mumbai. It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai Suburban Railways on the Harbour line.
Chunabhatti (Chuna means lime and bhatti means kiln) had on its east side the first cotton mill in Mumbai (Bombay), which was registered in 1886 as 'Swadeshi Mills'. It is now permanently closed down.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar(Koliwada)

2009-03-29T03:21:00.000-07:00

Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar(earstwhile Koliwada) is a suburb of Mumbai named after Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, the ninth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism.
This region is dominated by the Punjabi and Sikh migrants' population and has many Sikh Gurudwaras. Dasmesh Darbar is the largest Gurudwara in this area. Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar is also known as mini-Punjab.
The place also has many Kolis residing there. Hence it is also known as Koliwada.
Location
Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar (also known as Sion Koliwada or simply Koliwada) is in North Mumbai. Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar is also a station on harbour local line of mumbai rail. It is situated near the King's Circle and Mahim Junction local railway stations.
Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar Mumbai has a college started by the Sikh community of this area called Guru Nanak Khalsa College, King's Circle (Matunga), affiliated to University of Mumbai.
Sikh festivals are celebrated with pride and glory. Procession is taken out on the occasion of Guru Nanak's birthday. People from allover Mumbai gather here to celebrate the main festivals.
Special prayer service is held from June 04 - June 06 at Gurdwara Dashmesh darbar to pay homage to the people who lost their lives during the operation bluestar and the Delhi riots in the year 1984.
Langar (free community meal) is served in all Gurdwara's 24x7.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

King's Circle

2009-03-29T02:56:00.000-07:00

King's Circle is a railway station on Mumbai's Harbour Line. It is also the name of a circular park in Matunga, Mumbai which has since been renamed Maheshwari Udyan. Like most other renamed places, locals still prefer calling it by its old name. Actually King's Circle and Matunga stations are next to each other albeit the former on the Harbour and the latter on the Central line. Thus these two places are one and the same.The trains passing through King's Circle station are only the ones going to Bandra and Andheri from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and vice versa.
Located very close to King's Circle station is South Indian Education Society High School which is one of Mumbai's oldest and premier schools. King's Circle is also central to various other places like Koliwada, Wadala, Sion, Dadar and C.G.S. Colony (Antop Hill). Asia's biggest auditorium "Shanmukhanand Hall" is in the closest vicinity of the station. King's Circle is a prime location for real estate and business due to which real estate costs are rather high. Most newcomers find it difficult to afford owning a house in King's Circle and those that are already owned belong to people living here since at least a couple of generations.
Traffic congestion and water logging during monsoon are major problems facing the circle. The circle used to be a tram terminus, until trams were decommissioned.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Wadala Road

2009-03-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

Wadala Road (also spelled Vadala, formerly spelt Wuddala) is a station on the Harbour Line of Mumbai Suburban Ra ilways network.

Don Bosco church, Wadala(west)

Wadala (West) remains one of the best residential areas in the whole city, with some of the best infrastructure, serene localities and large parks frolicked by youngsters as well as senior citizens. The roads are shaded by huge trees over 150 years old. The extremely large concentration of educational institutes in the area makes it a hub for young students during the day, while leaving it calm during the night.
Wadala is also known to house people of different religions such as Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Parsis, all living together harmoniously. In terms of languages too, the area consists of people who speak Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam with each language commanding a significant number of speakers.
Wadala has several schools and some of the finest colleges such as the prestigious Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (V.J.T.I), The University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT - The name has now been changed to University Institute of Chemical Technology, UICT) and Khalsa College, located near one another. SNDT Women's University, Dr. Ambedkar Commerce & Law College also has a campus in Wadala West.
Overview
One can find connections to the Central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railways network from Wadala which is located on the Harbour Line. It is home to one of the oldest treatment centers for Leprosy established during British rule, known as Ackworth Leprosy Hospital. Part of the sprawling complex is now given over to an AIDS Organization. This area happens to house a variety of flora and fauna.
The Five Gardens is also a major green lung to the city. Wadala also has the "Rocket Garden" another park which has now undergone a transformation from its weedy days. Apart from these, it also houses many minor gardens. Asia's largest Government Colony, the Central Govt Housing Quarters, is in Wadala West.
Shrines & Worship
Wadala is also known for Churches, Temples, Dargas.

Vitthal Temple

Five minutes from the station is the 400 year old Lord Vitthal(Hindu deity) Temple built by Sant Tukaram(Hindu saint) who brought the idol from Pandharpur—the original birthplace of Lord Vithal. The temple is known as ‘Prati Pandharpur’ (Pandharpur temple’s replica). One of the biggest one day festival in Mumbai is held around this temple to devote Lord Vitthal on Ashadhi Ekadashi (According to Hindu Calendar) in June/July. Near this temple is the 15th-century Lord Ram(Hindu deity) temple and the Hanuman(Hindu deity) temple on the opposite side of the road. People from all over Mumbai come to these temples to offer their prayers. The Ram Temple also houses a marriage hall. On David S. Baretto road ( Station Road) is located a Krishna Temple which also houses an orphanage. They hold daily "Keertans" there which is quite exhillarating. This temple is lavishly decorated and visited by hundreds during the Hindu festival of Gokulashtami. Apart from these, there is also a Shiv Temple, a Devi Mandir and a small Gurudwara near the station.

St.Joseph Church Wadala(west)

The famous St. Joseph Church (Our lady of Dolours Church) is situated on the D.S Barretto Road, between Five Gardens and Wadala station. This also houses the St. Joseph's High School. Opposite this, across the bridge is the Don Bosco Shelter which is a centre for the rehabilitation and education of street urchins. Many Christians live in Wadala, most of whom are east indian catholics. Manglorean Christians, South-Indian Christians and Protestants are also found in the inviting environs of Wadala.
Few know that Wadala (East) houses two cemeteries - the Bahai Cemetery and the Chinese Cemetery. These cemeteries were laid out in Wadala a long time ago, for the same reason that the Ackworth Leprosy Home was built at Wadala - in those days it was a "distant suburb of the happening city".
There is a dargah on a hill at wadala east where the bridge connecting Wadala East to Wadala West ends. This is another Wadala's landmarks.

The Barkat Ali Dargah is a highly visited holy place on hill top at Wadala.

The salt pans in the east are Wadala's landmarks.
Life Style

IMax Wadala(east)

Wadala is home to Asia's first and largest IMAX Dome Theatre, the ownership of which is now with Big Cinemas.
A number of housing colonies exist in Wadala. Some of them are Bhakti Park, Dosti Acres and Lloyd's Estate. Wadala East also has the BPT (now MbPT housing colony), a large sprawling colony for the port workers, complete with hospital and a field that is used to play cricket. Wadala west has a small sized C.G.S. Colony.
In Wadala East near Antop Hill, Govt. of India built Intellectual Property Office responsible for Controlling General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks in India. It also has a very popular Balaji Temple, that celebrates the "Jatra" festival each year with great gusto in the month of January. It reminds one very much of a rural "mela" but was and is still very popular.
Around 15 minutes away from Wadala Station East, past deserted trucker land, is Flamingo Bay. For the past 12 years, flamingoes have been wintering here. From December to March, thousands of them descend on the mudflats a mile from the shore, to feed on the nutrient-rich marshes. Thankfully, this ethereal view isn't commercialized, so the only people you'll see on any weekend are a bunch of nature enthusiasts, keenly gazing out onto the mudflats through their binoculars. The proposed Nhava Sheva bridge that will connect the island to the mainland will destroy their habitat, and lead to the final flight of these beautiful birds.
Wadala enjoys proximity to Dadar, a prominent locality within Bombay. Dadar East lies west of Wadala, Sion(Koliwada) to the immediate north, the sea to the east and Sewri to the south. Of late, Wadala has become an upper middle class residential locality with a large number of residential buildings springing up. Amongst the more prominent residential complexes that have sprung up here are Bhakti park Dosti Acres, Lloyds' Estate and Dosti Estates.
Over the years, slum development had started in Wadala adjacent to the railway tracks and a large colony started to settle. In 2007, the state government finally took action and cleared the area completely of slums.
Also the latest development is Bhakti Park a residential project by Ajmera Builders this is next to Imax Theatre the ownership of which now is with Adlabs. This residential complex enjoys a quiet atmosphere with a mountain view to its east side.it also has probably the biggest garden in the town measuring around 25 acres (100,000 m2).
Educational Institutions
Wadala has an unusually high number of educational institutes clustered in an area less than 5 square kilometers.
SIWS (South Indian Welfare Society) (School & College)
Vidyalankar Campus (Engineering (UG & PG), Science and Management Colleges)
The Don Bosco High School
Auxilium Convent High School
St. Joseph's High School
NKES (National Kannada Education Society's) High School
AES (Andhra Education Society)
Bansidhar Agarwal School
Sitaram Prakash High School
Amulakh Amichand School
The Dadar Parsee Youths Assembly High School
JB Vachha High School
Nadkarni Park Municipal School
Mumbai College Of Arts Commerce And Science (Knowledge Center)
C.G.E.E.S High School
Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (V.J.T.I)
The University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT)
Dr. Ambedkar college of Commerce & Economics (D.A. College)
Khalsa College
Dnyaneshwar Vidyalaya

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Sewri

2009-03-29T01:39:00.000-07:00

Sewri is a suburb of Mumbai. It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai Suburban Railways.

Sewri (pronounced as Shivdi) was a small hamlet on the eastern shore of the Parel island, one of the original seven islands that formed Mumbai.

View-Sewri Fort

The Sewri Fort is a fort built by the British in Sewri in Mumbai(Bombay) in 1680 as a checkpost. Its ruins stand on a quarried hill on the east within 10 minutes walkable distance from the railway station. The fort was used to house prisoners. In 1769, Yadi Sakat of Janjira had conquered the Sewri and Mazagon Forts. It had a garrison of 50 sepoys under a subedar, and was probably equipped with 8-10 cannons. Its famous cannons had repelled Portuguese attack in 1772. The fort is currently owned by Maharashtra state's Department of Archaeology and Museums.
The large parts of Sewri belong to the Mumbai Port Trust and were incorporated into the harbour facilities. In 1996, the mangrove swamps of Sewri were declared a protected ecology. This mangroves and its surrounding areas attract lot of Flamingos from other parts of India for breeding purpose.

Flamingoes at the Sewri mud flats(sewri East)

These flamingoes arrive at the mudflats from the months of October to March every year. These mudflats are near sewri jetty which is around 20 mins walk from the station.
On coming out of the station towards the east end, there are a number of gusto industrial units especially of Petrochemical industries. On the west side, there are a number of well known housing societies like BDD Chawls, Dnyaneshwar Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, Gulmohar Society, Labour Camp and Bhatwadi. The market area is called "Sewri Naka". Since it is situated in central Mumbai, it is quite conveniently located and is at equal distance from both North Mumbai and South Mumbai.
In the recent years a lot of construction activity has been taking place in this area due to opening up of mill lands and the Mumbai Port Trust area. A trans-harbour link from Sewri to Nhava Sheva(Sewri-Nhava Sheva transharbour link) is due to come up at it.
The largest christian cemetery in Mumbai, Sewri Christian Cemetery is located here.
It is a quiet place and mostly populated by Hindus, Christians and Muslims.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Cotton Green

2009-03-29T01:29:00.000-07:00

Cotton Green is a suburb of Mumbai, and a noted residential and commercial area. It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai Suburban Railways, which lies along the Harbour line. It is a part of Central Railway which was in the bygone days called "The Great Indian Peninsular Railway".
Etymology
The station is probably named Cotton Green since barely a few metres from the railway station, facing east, is a huge beautiful Art Deco building of "Cotton Exchange". There is a series of warehouses belonging to Food Corporation of India (FCI) which used to store grains. So the name "Cotton Green" is derived from the words Cotton and Grains.
History
The Cotton Exchange was built in the year 1844 and used for trading in Cotton till early 20th century. The building has a minty green colour, and is being demolished. The building is a stunning example of engineering and has not needed any maintenance except replacement of glass windows which are shattered by cricket balls as kids play cricket on roads around the building.
Overview
The railway station caters to the area called Kalachowki, Ferbandar and Ghodapdeo. Kalachowki is a big residential area comprising of a colony called Abhyudaya Nagar which has 43 MHADA-built (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) housing, intended those who worked in the textile mills in the area.
The colony has now turned into prime residential and commercial property, and is no longer owned by MHADA. Because of its proximity to Mumbai's prime central areas such as Dadar (15-minute drive) and Parel, Lower Parel and Worli (20-25 minutes' drive)
Kalachowki also has another big colony called Labour Docks, which also belonged to MHADA.
This area saw a steep rise in realty prices in the 2-3 years up to mid-2008, and the development of numerous high-rise apartments (going up to 30 floors).

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Reay road

2009-03-29T01:23:00.000-07:00

Reay Road, named after Lord Reay, who was the Governor of Bombay between 1885 and 1890, is a railway station on the Central Railway (Harbour Line) of the Mumbai Suburban Railways. The train passes under a road connecting to both sides of station.
The bakery for the Britannia brand of bread is in this area. There is forging mill next to the station. The station gives access to the shops of wholesale iron merchants, called stockists. They stock the iron beams, rods, plates etc in the nearby warehouses and trade from there.

Ship breaking yard

This place is also a source for traders depending on ship breaking industry.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways

Dockyard Road

2009-03-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

Dockyard Road is a railway station on the Central Railway (Harbour Line) of the Mumbai Suburban Railways. It is the stop closest to the Mazagaon Dock Limited.
This station gives access to Mazagaon area. There is a sales tax office at a walking distance of 15 minutes from this station. The Ferry wharf is closer from this station. The launches for Revas for going to Alibaug and for Mora Bunder for going to Uran are available at Ferry Wharf.
Dockyard Road is a part of Mazgaon.

Back to-Mumbai Suburban Railways