Reay Road – Heritage Railway Station on Mumbai Harbour Line

MUMBAI MEMORIES

REAY ROAD

The Cutest Heritage Railway Station in Mumbai
by
VIKRAM KARVE  

 

Long back – maybe 15 years ago – on my way to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Nautical College (LBS CAMSAR) at Hay Bunder in Mumbai – I decided to go by train – so – I caught a harbour branch local train at CST Mumbai. 

 

After stopping at the Masjid, Sandhurst Road and Dockyard Road Railway Stations – the local train stopped at Reay Road – where I got down (or – "alighted from the train onto the platform" – as they say in Railway parlance).

Walking towards the exit of Reay Road Railway Station – I was spellbound by the exquisite beauty of the ancient station building, which stood like a sentinel above the railway lines which passed through beneath it. 

The most eye catching feature which adorned the building was the elegant clock in the centre which looked down like a beautiful vigilant eye – as if keeping an eagle eye from its towering position on the trains coming and going, rushing below, and the goings on and hustle bustle on the platforms . 

 

Many Mariners – in their younger days – would probably have passed through these magnificent portals of Reay Road Station without even giving it a second look. 

 

Reay Road is the cutest and most petite railway station I have ever seen.

Let me tell you a bit more about its heritage.

 

Did you know that Reay Road Railway Station – a prime landmark of Mumbai – is a 19th Century Heritage Grade I structure...? 

 

Surely you know CST (VT/Bori Bunder) and Churchgate are famous and celebrated Heritage Buildings. 

But – Dear Reader – did you even imagine in your wildest thoughts that Reay Road was an equally prestigious Heritage Structure embodying excellence in architectural style, design, building technology and material usage...?

Reay Road Railway Station, on the harbour branch railway line of the Central Railway, rises to the top of a road bridge whose span bestrides and overlaps the railway track underneath. The railway tracks tunnel through an arch on the southern side. 

 

The station superstructure, constructed of stone, atop the arch, has in its center a majestic clock overlooking the platforms and tracks as if keeping a benevolent and watchful eye on the goings on below. 

 

It is an elegant and unique example in compressed space utilization, a masterpiece – a true work of art. 

 

I have not seen a railway station like Reay Road anywhere else.

I think Reay Road is the only Heritage Railway Station on Mumbai's Harbour Line. 

 

The other heritage railway stations on Mumbai's suburban railway include Byculla on the Central Railway and Bandra on the Western Railway.

 

The next time you are in Mumbai – please catch a harbour branch local train and get down at Reay Road. 

Stand aside and let the commuters rush away – and then – look towards the southern side – and marvel at the adorable and captivating heritage masterpiece. 

 

Is Reay Road Railway Station still the same way as I described it...? 

Or – has it changed...? 

VIKRAM KARVE

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Disclaimer:

1. This story is a fictional spoof, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.

2. This story is a work of fiction. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Link to my source post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2011/02/heritage-mumbai-reay-road-railway.html

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