Thread by @PriyankaPanjw14

1/14 Hello, I am Priyanka Panjwani from India. I have studied Architecture at Sir J.J. College in Mumbai and Conservation of Historic Buildings at University of Bath, UK. Railway travel has been a way of life for me and I miss it immensely during the pandemic. #NTiHoR

2/14 Bombay (Mumbai since 1995) was the first city in India (Urbs Prima in Indis) that the railways were first introduced in 1853. The network of these railroads with the rest of the country led to exponential growth in the city’s trade activities and economy. #NTiHoR

3/14 The Railway Heritage of Mumbai (India) is examined by analysing the resilient built environment and evolving context of ten key railway nodes in the city. The cultural narrative is realised through shifts in historic geography, local community and urban economy. #NTiHoR

4/14 To begin in the south, the grand Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is a landmark that orients the city and its people. Site of the first train in India, it is a symbol of industrial revolution and it embraces cultures through its architecture and inclusive values.#NTiHoR

5/14 Moving north, the Byculla station was once a ‘fair’ for people to watch the first trial run of the steam locomotive. The low lying station has retained its old world charm while being used by several such as mill workers, zoo goers and museum enthusiasts. #NTiHoR

6/14India’s first electric train ran from Kurla about seven decades after the first railway made its way through its hillocks and salt pans. It is ironical that the Kurla basalt stone was quarried for both the railway headquarters but Kurla itself is urbanized in patches.#NTiHoR

7/14 Taking a detour due east, a new railway line fuelled a new city to augment the working spirit of Mumbai. The modern harbour line stations on the Thane-Belapur industrial belt are utilitarian, even brutalist. Cultural practices make way for their mass appeal & use. #NTiHoR

8/14 From the ‘flats’ to new townships, the train moves to the Thane station which cut across native fishing lands. Besides being the terminal station for the first train in the country, it gave Indian railways more firsts: a railway bridge and a mile long tunnel. #NTiHoR

9/14 Moving westwards across the city’s national park, the Goregaon station and its environment is unrecognizable from its erstwhile village setting. The area which was vacated due to mosquitoes, is now host to a large migrant population working within the Film City. #NTiHoR

10/14 As a port under the Portuguese rule, and a railway station of the British, Bandra is now connected by the Western and the Harbour line. The station of ‘meat trains’ evokes nostalgia through its quaint structure and promotes social cohesion through its spaces. #NTiHoR

11/14 Dadar Station with its maze of platforms & bridges, remains an important interchange point between the GIPR and BB&CI . Situated amidst an altering silhouette of redeveloping mills and chawls, Dadar is one of the busiest stations with bustling traditional markets. #NTiHoR

12/14 Proceeding southwards, the Mumbai Central station is an imposing yet elegant link between the social and economic disparity within its east and west realms.Opened to public in 1930, the station’s splendor is elevated by its spacious architecture and historic relics.#NTiHoR

13/14 The climax of this journey is at the Western Railway Headquarters, which once framed the skyline at the western harbour of the city. The Churchgate station remains resilient and reinvents its form within a business centre and a World Heritage ensemble. #NTiHoR

14/14 The iron roads that were laid to bring linearity to organic indigenous habitations around stations, have culturally stretched widely. The changing geography and creative expressions revealed by these transit entities are driven by the people’s persistent spirit. #NTiHoR

Bandra station during lockdown

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