Colaba Railway Station & Colaba Reclamation, (Code : 123)

- Archival Photo Print

Colaba gets its name from ‘Kolabhat’, a word in the language of the Kolis, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands. The area initially consisted of two islands, Colaba and Little Colaba, which were ruled by the Portuguese.

The Bombay, Baroda, and Central India (BB&CI) Railway established the Colaba Terminus, and started the first suburban railway in India between Virar and Colaba in 1867.

The Bombay City Improvement Trust reclaimed 75,000 square metres (807,293 square feet) on the western shore of Colaba, despite the move being opposed by eminent citizens of the city who feared a depression of land prices. Nevertheless, the reclamation work continued and was completed in 1905 without a resulting fall in land prices. However, the development of Colaba pushed the native Kolis to the edges of the island.

In 1906, a seafront road with a raised seaside promenade was completed, and called Cuffe Parade’ after TW Cuffe of the Trust.