Beneath the ceaseless bustle of cities lie forgotten vaults, concealed corridors, and whispered stories—remnants of an era long past, waiting patiently to be rediscovered. In Mumbai, one such secret has recently come to light beneath the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), offering a rare glimpse into the city's colonial past and the hidden machinery that once powered it.
According to a report in Mid-Day, CSMT has unveiled a subterranean strongroom—an underground vault tucked away as part of architect Frederick William Stevens’s original 19th-century blueprint. For nearly a hundred years, this fortified chamber quietly played a vital role in Mumbai’s railway economy. Night after night, cash collected from ticket counters across the city’s vast rail network was brought here, securely stored, and then dispatched to banks at daybreak.
Recently restored and thoughtfully lit, the vault in Mumbai has been opened to the public for the very first time. Lined with thick stone walls and outfitted with iron fixtures, it evokes the rigour and precision of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, a system that once stood at the heart of Bombay’s colonial infrastructure.
Concealed beneath the old cash office, this chamber formed an integral part of architect Stevens’s original floor plans for the 19th-century Gothic masterpiece. At its height, this modest underground vault was among the busiest cash-handling facilities linked to a railway network in Asia, according to officials. It played a central role in managing the substantial daily revenues of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, at a time when rail travel was the backbone of urban mobility in Mumbai and beyond.
According to the Mid-Day report, the vault remained in full operational use until the 1970s. After that, as electronic banking and centralised systems took hold, its role gradually diminished—though it remained active and under guard until as late as 2002. A telling detail still preserved on site is the last recorded deposit: a cash box marked “NGP 2002,” indicating it was sent from Nagpur in that year.
Accessed through a formidable iron door, locked with twin interlocking keys, the vault was a fortress in its time. Cash-laden trunks were carefully lowered into the well-like basement using a 4x4-foot caged lift—manually operated with mechanical pulleys until 1967, when it was finally electrified. In a remarkable detail of logistical ingenuity, a custom-designed funnel was even used to pour coins directly into the chamber from above.
Mumbai has revealed several forgotten underground structures over the years. A 200-year-old stone tunnel was uncovered beneath the General Post Office (GPO) in 2010, believed to date back to British colonial times when fears of a French invasion loomed. Another major find was a 1.5-kilometre tunnel beneath St George’s Hospital, possibly used to move troops and supplies between the hospital, the Gateway of India, and Churchgate.
In a more recent case, a 132-year-old underground chamber was discovered at JJ Hospital during a routine inspection. Experts believe many of these tunnels had military or strategic uses during the British era, but much of Mumbai’s subterranean history remains uncharted.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), originally Victoria Terminus, is one of Mumbai’s most iconic landmarks. Built between 1878 and 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, it was designed by British architect FW Stevens in a unique fusion of Victorian Gothic Revival and traditional Indian architectural styles. Featuring grand domes, stained glass windows, and ornate carvings, the station symbolised Bombay’s emergence as a major port city. It was the first railway terminus of its kind in the Indian subcontinent and remains a vital transport hub today. In 2004, CSMT was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognising its historical and architectural significance. It was renamed in honour of Shivaji Maharaj in 1997 and again in 2017.
The Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR), established in 1849 by the British Parliament, played a pivotal role in shaping India’s railway history. It operated the country’s first passenger train on April 16, 1853, between Mumbai (then Bombay) and Thane. Initially created to support the export of goods like cotton and spices from India’s interior to Bombay’s port, the GIPR expanded rapidly, linking key cities and reaching Calcutta by 1867. In 1951, it became part of the newly formed Central Railway. GIPR laid the foundation for one of the world’s largest railway networks and was central to British colonial infrastructure.
The vault was part of the original architectural plans designed by F.W. Stevens in the late 19th century, when CSMT was constructed (completed in 1887).
It stored cash collected from ticket counters across Mumbai. The earnings were kept overnight and then sent to banks the next morning.
No, the vault ceased regular operations in the 1970s and was last used in 2002. It has now been restored and preserved as a heritage feature.
Yes, railway folklore spoke of a secret tunnel connecting the vault to the Reserve Bank of India, but no such passage has been found.
Currently, the vault has been restored and made visible as part of the heritage conservation project at CSMT. Access may be limited, but it is part of efforts to showcase the station’s history.
It offers a rare glimpse into the operational and financial systems of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway and highlights the engineering foresight of colonial-era infrastructure.
