The Khar Railway Station on Mumbai’s suburban rail network, turned 99 today. It became operational on July 1, 1924, as part of Western Railways’ plan, to alleviate city traffic and function as an extension of the Bandra suburb. Originally the home of the Koli fisherfolk, Khar was contrived to meet the requisites of the mushrooming suburban population.
Khar Railway Stn opened on July 1, 1924. Completes 99 yrs today. #indianrailways #MumbaiLocal #railwayheritage pic.twitter.com/iiafgfnLXY
— Mumbai Heritage (@mumbaiheritage) July 1, 2023
As the stories say, Khar Station’s name comes from ‘Khar-Danda’ – the name of a Koli village near the Arabian Sea. It is also believed that the name ‘Khar’ has been deduced from the Marathi word “khara”, which means ‘salty’.
Although this railway station sits in a shadow zone, as suburban fast trains do not stop here, Khar is one of the busiest mid-junction stations in Mumbai. In addition to bordering Bandra to the south and Santacruz to the north, present-day Khar is home to numerous points of interest and personalities.
