Victoria Terminus ~

hellsbellsbaby

What can you tell me about this station that will come in handy when I visit in a few weeks .

Anything at all will be good , cafes , shops or maybe someone to look out for .

After watching the BBC programme last year on the station , I knew I had to visit , it just looked the most amzing place with an atmosphere to match .

Any tips will be most welcomed .

capt_mahajan

The building is - if one can ignore the multitude-magnificent. Now called CST- almost everything in Mumbai is renamed after Shivaji.

Centre of South Mumbai, almost. Good to walk from VT to Flora Fountain (now Hutatma Chowk) via DN Road (full of shops, small eateries, McDonalds, street kiosks...) and then on via the Museum to the Gateway of India.

Or VT/Fort/Churchgate/Marine Drive

or VT/Crawford Market/Zaveri Bazaar, if one likes teeming bazaars.



On a weekday, the entire area is very crowded. Sundays are quieter, but then a lot of the shops etc will be closed.

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Outside the machine

hellsbellsbaby

that's great but what about inside the station....can I get fed or is it just drinks ?

Are there shops inside also , like in europe or would that just be daft in a station that busy .

capt_mahajan

A few small shops selling very basic stuff a train traveller may require. You have a few stalls for soft drinks and such too. No fancy resteraunts or coffee shops like sometimes in Europe.

There are two concourses- one for local trains and one for long distance ones. The local train one is more interesting and, in peak hours, unbelievably crowded. (Buy a platform ticket unless travelling with a ticket)

Frankly, I would prefer to look at the exterior of the building rather than the interior. Partly because I don't like crowds, partly because it is more impressive.

steven_ber

It's a great place to 'people watch', just find a seat inside or outside the station and watch the world go by, never a dull moment.

The food options are limited, but if you exit the station and walk past all the taxis, then ahead another 100 metres, there's a little road with lots of cheap food places, a place for a shave, and loads of drink (non alcohol) options, also great for little nick nacks.

Foreign tourists get their tickets from the Foreign Tourist desk (56 I think) on the first floor of the reservation centre, located just outside the station next to all the taxis.

Train to Goa depart from the east side of the station, platforms 15 & 16 I think.

There's a wonderful newsagent kiosk located in a little ticket hall next to the taxis, I think it's called Wheelers or something similar, you can spend 20 minutes just looking at all the different things they sell, newspapers, magazines, books, timetables and a lot more.

'Vee Tee' seems busy almost 24 hours a day, but always feels safe, I even took my baby there at 2 in the morning when she couldn't sleep after a long flight.

Another good thing to do on any big station, walk around and look at all the different doors to see who works behing each one, you'll be amazed at what you find, jobs we stopped doing in the UK maybe 40-50 years ago.

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aadil

Right now there is a lot of restoration work going on at CST on the exteriors so many parts are covered up in green protective covers. Looks very shabby if you want to take a picture of the place now. Use zoom lenses to get pictures of the sculptures on the top of the building and the many detailed animals and birds all over the building which are real as well as mythical so they make an interesting thing to look out for all over the place. Also see the starry sky on the ceiling of the local train booking office before you enter the concourse. The cast iron structures inside the concourse are worth seeing too. There is a small cafe on the mezzanine floor just above the train timing announcer's office but they have the usual South Indian snacks and a light meal at the most. Like Steven said the Wheeler's Book Stall is where you will find it interesting to see many magazines in different languages from all over India besides time tables for trains all over India. There is a left luggage counter called the Cloak Room in Indian Railways parlance and it is the cheapest way to store your bag for a day at Rs10 per piece of luggage. If you are there in the rush hours then you will see ONLY people like you've never seen them anywhere before!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

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brishti

i hope you get there after the renovations hellsbellsbaby.
first time i alighted at VT/CST - i was besotted.
the interior is as awesome as the outside... just look up in the inside - itellya, never seen anything like that in india.

and yup - wondrous place to sit on the side and watch the local folks go by... i did it often on weekends - fascinating
people-watch on weekdays, not advisable from inside the station. the continuous deluge of people will carry you away.




oh bombay bombay
:brishti

hellsbellsbaby

I'll be there 1st week of November so fingers crossed it will be in all it's glory...but if it's not then hey , I'll still be there infront , inside & around .

and thank you all for the info .

spicetrekker

Good observation ....
I guess with Off shoring taking off the way it is a lot many jobs will be added to that list