Churchgate Terminus Western Railway Station Editorial Photo

Churchgate Terminus (now the Western Railway Headquarters), Bombay (Mumbai). Designed by Frederick William Stevens (1847-1900). The company was granted the plot in the old Fort area of Bombay in 1889, and work began on the building of this suburban terminus of the Bombay Central and City line a few years later. Similar in plan to the competing Victoria or Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, this was built more quickly. It was opened in 1899. It is faced with rough-hewn ... blue basalt inlaid with bands of brilliant white counterpointed with red Bassein sandstone creating a Byzantine quality (Davies 177-78). Although overshadowed by its great sandstone rival, this suburban terminus for the Western Railway is also a very substantial and even majestic building. It is known as WR HQ now because it is used only for the railway offices. The suburban network is served by a modern station using the old name.