Trip Advisor

Timing

24 Hrs

Closing Day

Always Open

Website

NA

Direction

Map

Toilet

NO

Wheelchair Accessible

NO

Do's/Dont's

NA

Audio Guide

NO

Entrance Fees (Per Person)

India

Adult

0

Child

0

Foreign Nationals

Adult

0

Child

0

Bimstec and Saarc Nationals

Adult

0

Child

0

History

The work on building the Victoria Terminus, as CST was called then, had started in 1878 and construction was completed by 1887, almost 10 years from the year the work had started. The station was built to serve as the headquarters of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, which is present day Central Railway.The land on which the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is built used to be a warehouse for goods meant for import and export to be stored as Bombay, (as the city was known then) was a major and most important port in India. Before the CST was built, it was already home to India’s first railway station namely Bori Bandar. It was in 1853 that India’s first ever passenger train operated from Bori Bunder Station to Thane.The architectural marvel that the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is, stands out particularly for its advanced technical and structural solutions where industrial technology has been put together with gothic revival architecture. The final design of the terminus was designed by British architect and engineer, Frederick William Stevens whereas its watercolour sketch was done by draughtsman, Axel Haig.The principle architectural style in which the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus was built is Victorian-Gothic Revival style of architecture. It had additions of Indian classical as well as Italian elements to it. The influences of the Indian classical elements can be seen in the arches, skyline, ground plan and turrets. The work on the tiles, wood carvings, metal iron & brass linings, stairway railings, grills of ticket houses were done by the students of Sir J. J. School of Arts.The central dome, built without any centering, has got dovetail ribs with office structure connected to 330 feet long platform that leads to a 1200 feet long train shed. The way in which the entire dome was designed and planned is considered to be a unique feat of 19th century engineering and architecture. Being the focal point of the entire structure, the high central dome is an octagonal ribbed structure with a statue of a female holding a torch in her right hand pointing upwards and her left hand holding a spoked wheel. Apparently, the statue symbolizes progress.The entrance gate columns have lions on either side that represent Great Britain and that of a tiger that represents India. The exterior structure is made of Sandstone, Marble and Limestone. Apart from the exteriors, the interiors are also decorated in great style, which include the floors, the high ceilings, the stone arches, and the walls of the interiors that were lined with glazed tiles manufactured by Maw & Co of Britain.When it comes to mentioning the platforms, there are a total of 18 platforms in CST. 7 out of 18 are used for suburban trains and the rest of the 11 are for long distance trains. The terminus also houses AC dormitories or waiting rooms that have 20 beds for females and 58 beds for males.

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