Charni Road railway station

Charni Road (formerly Churney Road, station code: CYR)[1] is a railway station on the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. 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.

Charni Road eastern entrance


Charni Road
Mumbai Suburban Railway station
Coordinates18.951565°N 72.818633°E / 18.951565; 72.818633
Owned byMinistry of Railways, Indian Railways
Line(s)Western Line
Platforms4
Tracks4
Construction
Structure typeStandard on-ground station
Other information
Station codeCYR
Fare zoneWestern Railways
History
Opened1867
Services
Preceding station  
MSR		   Following station
toward Churchgate
Western Line
toward Dahanu Road
Location
Charni Road
Location within Mumbai

The station derives its name from the fact that grazing lands for cattle and horses were located nearby in earlier days (Charne in Marathi means to graze).[2] In 1838, the British rulers introduced a 'grazing fee' which several cattle-owners could not afford. Therefore, Sir Jamshedji 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. 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. The BB&CI line from Back Bay to Virar opened in 1867.[3]

There have also been some controversies during its renovation.[4]

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.

References
  1. 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.
  2. "As recent demands in Mumbai show, battles over station names never seem to end". The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  3. Eastern Economist. 64. R.P. Agarwala. 1975. p. 170.
  4. "Tile construction". Mid Day.


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