Kurla (formerly Coorla, station code: C) is a railway station on the Central and Harbour lines of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. It is among the oldest railway stations in India, it being part of the original 21 mile (33.8 km) Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) section between Bombay (Mumbai) and Tannah (Thane) that opened in 1853.
History
The original Bori Bunder-Tannah railway line had five station on its main line, of which Sion station was the second stop (after Byculla). The original Sion station was renamed as Kurla in 1855. In 1895, the station was shifted to its present site, and it still retains its named as Kurla. (on the other hand, there was no Sion station again, until 1873.)
The Old Kurla Station was situated opposite to the Sarveshwar Temple in Kurla. Construction of a new station began between 1893-1894, and the new station (at its present site) was opened in 1895. The Old station was subsequently closed.
Local trains terminating at Kurla began operating by 1879, a suburban terminus was built in 1913 and the line was quadrupled in 1915. The station was remodeled between March 1912 and March 1917. A single line between Kurla and Chembur that had been laid for garbage clearance in 1906 was opened for suburban traffic on 4th February 1924. The service was operated by steam locomotives until the line was electrified in 1950.
The Harbour line was officially opened on 12 December 1910, between Kurla and Reay Road. It was named so because it catered to the eastern neighbourhoods along the city's natural harbour. In 1925, the line was connected to the then Victoria Terminus via an elevated rail corridor between Dockyard Road and Sandhurst Road. The country's first EMU rakes, manufactured by English Electric Company, were introduced between Bombay VT & Kurla on the Harbour line in 1925.
Platforms
Kurla is having eight operational platforms for the suburban local railway. Platform 1, 1A and 4 serve 'Slow' local trains. Platform 1A formerly served the Salsette–Trombay Railway. Platforms 2 and 3 are dedicated to trains originating and terminating at Kurla. Platforms 5 and 6 are used by 'Fast' local trains, while platforms 7 and 8 serve the Harbour line local trains. Platforms 9 and 10, which were originally used to terminate trains coming Up from Vashi were abandoned in the early 2000s. Prior to the opening of the railway line to Navi Mumbai, these two platforms were used by shuttle trains till Mankhurd.
Gallery
- Kurla station in 1925
- View of Eight Coach Electric Train approaching Kurla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
- Kurla Harbour Line platform board
- Kurla Station booking office
References
- "About Indian Railways-Evolution". Ministry of Railways website.
- ^ Timeline of Mumbai Suburban Stations Opening - IRFCA https://www.irfca.org/docs/mumbai-cr-suburban-timeline.html
- ^ "Historical milestone". Central Railway. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- Mehta, Manthan K (8 September 2012). "Harbour line to take elevated route at Kurla". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ Aklekar, Rajendra B (2014). Halt station India : the dramatic tale of the nation's first rail lines. Rupa & Co. p. 114. ISBN 9788129134974. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- Mehta, Manthan K (28 November 2012). "Kurla-Pune rail link plan gathers steam". Times of India. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
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Railway stations | |||||
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Stations on the Central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway | |
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Main line (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus–Kalyan Junction) | |
Main line branch (Kalyan Junction–Kasara) | |
Main line branch (Kalyan Junction–Khopoli) |
Stations on the Harbour Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway | |
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Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus–Goregaon Route | |
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus–Panvel Route |