Chennai Central railway station
Chennai Central, erstwhile Madras Central, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai (Madras). It is the home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India. The other major railway hub stations in the city are Chennai Egmore and Tambaram. Trains from here connect the city to New Delhi and prominent state capitals of India like Bhopal, Lucknow, Jaipur, Mumbai, Patna, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur and so forth. Chennai Central is also the main hub for the Chennai Suburban Railway system. The building of the railway station, one of the most prominent landmarks of Chennai, was designed by architect Henry Irwin.
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more... station is also noted for a whole range of amenities available within the premises. The station has book-shops, restaurants, accommodation, Internet browsing centers and even an essential commodities shopping mall. In 2005, the buildings were painted a creamy yellow colour, but concurring with the views of a campaign by the citizens of Chennai and also to retain the old nostalgic charm, they were repainted in their original brick-red color, which was how the buildings were built originally.
Chennai Central serves as a symbolic landmark for people in South India as this station served as the main gateway for all people who traveled to South India during the British times. Madras Central has been greatly instrumental in earning Chennai the famous sobriquet Gateway of the South. The entrance to this station and the adjacent suburban railway complex is on the arterial Poonamalee High Road in the city.
bY Srinivasan Jagannathan