Mumbai: The lesser known Bellasis Road, currently outside the Mumbai Central terminus, became administrative headquarters of the Bombay Baroda and Central Railway (BBCR)—today’s Western Railway, after the British regime felt the importance of extending the administrative enclave from Churchgate.
Another reason of having a full-fledged terminal was because the Backbay Scheme had sought evacuation of Colaba and finding an alternative site for outstation train terminal.
For putting in place the new administrative headquarters, two new architectural additions were planned in the 1920s and renowned architectural firm Gregson-Batley and King prepared plans for an extension. The plan was put on paper in 1925 for a second architectural addition in the form of a new terminal at Bellasis Road (now Jehangir Bomani Behram Marg) that was later named ‘Bombay Central’.
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The task of preparing designs for the new mainline terminus was assigned to Claude Batley. Batley had been practicing for ten years in England after which he came to Bombay in 1913 and founded Gregson-Batley and King. In 1924 he became Professor of architecture at the Sir JJ School of Arts and had a distinguished career.
“Batley was interested in architectural education, town planning and designed several prominent buildings in the city. In his unusual but successful design for the three-storied station, Batley made a departure from the usual practice of integrating a station with the city,” said a lady officer of the Heritage Department of the Western Railway.
In his plan, Batley placed the building in a garden set back from the main roads with the entrance to the station situated at the end of a vista with a garden on both sides. The quadrangle formed by the flanking wings also struck a new note in railway architecture not previously attempted in India. The portico was designed using details from traditional architecture whereas the sitting of the building was based on the Mughal style of architecture.
Batley planned to get the terminal building erected north of Bellasis Bridge with the approach to the main entrance from Lamington Road. The blueprint of the terminal proposed a main entrance to a spacious concourse on one side of which the platforms were built later. The other side was reserved for large waiting rooms, Hindu and Muslim refreshment rooms and a buffet for light refreshments which would be accommodated for first and second-class passengers.
“The refreshment rooms were planned on the first floor with European styled catering and additional waiting rooms. The second floor was reserved for retiring rooms for passengers who used to come to spend a short time in then, Bombay. For the comfort of third class passengers, Batley designed a large waiting hall equipped with refreshment stalls,” added the lady officer.
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The administrative extension and the building of a massive terminal also paved the way for a suburban station for the people. Batley then put up the plan to have Bombay Central (local railway station) along the Bellasis Road with a direct connection between the local and terminal by foot over bridges.
Finally, on March 11, 1928 Sir Ernest Jackson of BBCI laid the foundation stone of this majestic station. He placed a brass cylinder in a grove beneath the foundation stone containing the names of officers connected with the work together with new coins of denominations of one rupee, eight, four, two annas, one anna, half an anna and a quarter of an anna.
Another important reason quoted by Jackson for having the massive terminal at Bellasis Road was the Government of Bombay’s Back Bay Scheme authorities demanding evacuation of Colaba. “The Back Bay Scheme asked the BBCR to evacuate Colaba and find another site for long distance train terminal,” stated the officer.
Hence, on April 25, 1928, foundation work was commenced on the new terminus that later earned name of one of the finest architecture and heavy footfall terminal of Bombay Central. It came up at an estimated cost of Rs 15.6 million including land, sidings, accommodation and necessary buildings.
